Former Cardinal Wehrli headed to NFL Hall of Fame
Big Red 'cover corner' thrilled to join teammates Dierdorf, Smith and Wilson at NFL shrine in Canton this August
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| Don Adams Jr. photo/Former St. Louis Football Cardinals cornerback Roger Wehrli speaks to the fans at Christian Family Night at the Family Arena prior to the UIF game between the RiverCity Rage and Ohio Valley Greyhounds Saturday night. Wehrli, who played for the Cardinals for 14 seasons, will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in August. |
Tight end Jackie Smith was enshrined in Canton, Ohio in 1994 and tackle Dan Dierdorf had a bronze bust placed of himself in his hometown in 1996. Safety Larry Wilson, whose fierce blitzes were the scourge of NFL quarterbacks from 1960 to 1972, was the first former member of the Big Red elected in 1978.
St. Charles resident Roger Wehrli played in the same defensive backfield with Wilson for three years after Wehrli finished an All-American career at the University of Missouri. Wehrli was drafted No. 1 by the Cardinals in 1969 and spent 14 seasons stifling opposing passing games for them. He is the fourth member of the Big Red to be elected to the Hall of Fame.Before the RiverCity Rage game Saturday, Wehrli spoke to the audience during Christian Family Night. Wehrli married his college sweetheart, Gail Wehrli, and the couple have lived in the St. Louis area since his rookie year.
"We had both come from Christian families so it was always a part of our life," said Wehrli who despite turning 60 in November appears as fit as when he was a pro athlete. "We became in involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in St. Louis. Several of the football Cardinals helped get that organization started.
"When I played here, we had weekly bible study meetings with the couples. That was good for Gail and I to get involved in Christian faith early in our lives and marriage."
Since his retirement in 1982, Wehrli has worked in St. Louis and raised a family. His children are graduates of Lutheran South and they and his three grandchildren all live in the St. Charles area.
"We were well established in St. Louis and wanted to stay if we could after my football career ended," Wehrli said. "That's nice to have our kids and grandkids close so they can be a big part of our lives too."
Wehrli's family will be present when he takes the podium for entry to the Hall of Fame on Aug. 4. He said that Wilson would be his presenter. Wehrli has worked on his acceptance speech and planned to thank all of the people who helped him throughout a career that spanned three decades, but he said it wouldn't be "earth-shattering."
"Yeah, I'm a little nervous, but I'm really excited to be a part of it," Wehrli said. "The whole family will be there. Having Larry, Dan and Jackie Smith there will be fun."
During Wehrli's tenure with the Cardinals, they made the playoffs two times (1974,75) and won East Division titles those two seasons. Those were the halcyon days for the franchise that was known more for bumbling its way through the draft and losing more often to the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins.
Dierdorf, Smith and Wehrli's entrance into the Hall of Fame has rattled the memories of thousands of Big Red fans who endured the winning and losing seasons with the team. Wehrli said he wasn't the only member of those 70s teams Hall voters might have overlooked.
"There's a lot of guys who have stats that might warrant that," he said. "O.J. Anderson, Jimmy Hart, Jim Bakken, Mel Gray. I'm probably missing some guys, Roy Green. We had a lot of great players on those teams I was on. Unfortunately we weren't able to bring a championship to St. Louis. Through the mid-70s we were just a step or two away. But we had some great teams."
The two most obvious Hall omissions are probably Bakken (1962-78) who is the Cardinals career scoring leader with 1,380 points, and Hart (1966-83) who completed the most passes in Cardinals history with 2,590, has thrown for the most yards (34,639), and TD passes (209).
Known as the "Cardiac Cards" for their penchant for late-game comebacks, the Cardinals boasted one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, best deep threats in Gray and cover corners in Wehrli. But as Wehrli points out, football is the ultimate team game. Those Cardinal teams had a Super Bowl caliber offense, but besides Wehrli, the Cardinals couldn't keep pace with all-time legendary units like Dallas and QB Roger Staubach, Washington coach George Allen and his "Over-the-Hill Gang".
The 70s were the era of the dynasty in the NFL. They spawned the league's only team that finished a season with a perfect record when the Miami Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972. Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense terrorized teams to the tune of four Super Bowl wins in six years. And then there were the Cowboys, who were always in the Cardinals' way of success.
"The Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers, there were a lot of colorful players on these teams," Wehrli said. "There is today too. But maybe back then because there wasn't free agency or salary caps players played for the same teams longer. That's what built those dynasties. That's harder to do today because of the moving of the players and salaries.
"It was a great time to be in St. Louis during those years because the Big Red were the toast of the town and the baseball Cardinals were down at the time. I remember coming back from New York when we clinched the (1974 NFC East title) so many fans were out there to greet us at the airport they brought us in at the annex instead of the main terminal because there was too many people. Great time, great fans and a fun part of my career to be a part of that. I wish we could have kept that going a few more years."
With 40 career interceptions, a franchise-record 19 fumble recoveries and five All-Pro selections under his belt, Wehrli had to make his mark against some of the league's greatest wide receivers. Teams often shied away from throwing in Wehrli's direction as he was one of the pioneers of what's commonly known as the "shutdown cornerback".
He said covering the likes of Dallas' Drew Pearson and burner Bobby Hayes, tree-like Eagles wide receiver Harold Carmichael (6-foot-8) or Washington Hall of Famer Charley Taylor in his prime were matchups he still vividly remembers.
"Every team had good receivers," Wehrli said. "We always had a battle with the Cowboys because they were in our division. They had a great quarterback (Staubach) and great receivers with (Drew Pearson and Bobby Hayes). And they always had a great team. If we wanted to do well we knew we'd have to beat them.
"To cover a guy like Carmichael because of his size you had to stay close to him. I did more bump and run against him because you couldn't come in from the backside because he could screen you off with his body."
Like the rest of the Big Red alumni, Wehrli was saddened and disappointed when owner Bill Bidwill moved the Cardinals to Arizona. But he was very enthusiastic about the Rams when they left Los Angeles in the mid-1990s to make St. Louis their home. The biggest reason Bidwill left St. Louis was because he couldn't get a new stadium built downtown fast enough. The Rams were lured to St. Louis by the completion of the Edward Jones Dome. Bidwill didn't get his new stadium built until 2006.
While he wishes success for the Rams, Wehrli is still all Cardinal at heart. The Los Angeles Rams were one of the two playoff opponents the Cardinals met during Wehrli's career.
"I'm certainly glad the Rams came to St. Louis because they gave us back pro football," Wehrli said. "But I'm still a Cardinal. I played for them for 14 years. I like to see them do well. I'm excited that they have a new stadium in Phoenix. They've got new quarterback (Matt Leinart) and coach and hopefully they'll have success.
"When the Cardinals left, it was very disappointing. It was such a great fit for St. Louis with the Cardinal baseball team. Obviously, they were a big part of my life when I came to St. Louis. Very disappointing. The NFL alumni that lived here and were a big part of the Big Red were just kind of stranded here in St. Louis. There's nothing you can do about, and the Rams have really filled that void."
Some of those alumni were on hand at the Family Arena Saturday to support Wehrli. Staying close with his former teammates is important for the newest member of the Hall, and he said no matter how successful he is in the business world nothing will ever compare to those crisp fall days playing in the shadow of the Gateway Arch against some of the best talent in league history.
Like he did on the gridiron, when Wehrli steps to the podium in Canton, he'll have everybody covered.
"That's what you relish and enjoy," he said, "sharing that with the teammates and friends you've built through that competition and camaraderie is something that's hard to find outside of athletics.
"We've got a great group Cardinals' alumni in St. Louis. We stay active together by putting on a charity golf tournament every year. We've stayed in contact and that's been great to keep those friendships."
