Cardinals we lost in 2025

Luis Sharpe #67 of the Phoenix Cardinals (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Now that the NFL draft and free agency has basically concluded, it becomes the annual renewal for fans, coaches, and the front office of the Arizona Cardinals. The newness is apparent as new players are brought in to replace the stagnant situation that plagued last year's roster.

Thenew schedule is down the road and will display where the Cardinals will play each week, which instills a renewal of hope for the upcoming year.

RELATED:LUIS SHARPE HAS PASSED AWAY AT AGE 65

The national honoring of our mothers and fathers in May and June is a stark reminder of people in our lives that we have lost over time.

Every calendar year, fans and teammates experience the unfortunate reality that our heroes don't live forever. NFL brethren pass away. Just as our heroes are celebrated in life, here is a snapshot of several former Cardinals who passed from this earth in 2025.

DE Sebastian Barrie

Age:55

Passing date:July

Career:Green Bay Packers 1992, San Francisco 49ers 1994, Cardinals 1994, San Diego Chargers 1995, Philadelphia Eagles 1996, Albany Firebirds 1997, Arizona Rattlers 1999-2003, San Jose Sabercats 2004-2005

Barrie grew up in the Dallas area and then played for Liberty University. He went undrafted in the 1992 NFL draft and then signed with the Green Bay Packers, where he played in three games with zero starts. He sat out the 1994 season and then landed with San Fran, who placed him on their practice squad. The Cardinals claimed him, and he played 10 games with six tackles.

After being released, he latched on with the Chargers and played in seven games plus a playoff game. Again, he was released, signed with the Eagles, and was cut again. He found a decent career in the Arena Football League with three clubs, including the Arizona Rattlers, playing under head coach Danny White.

He died July 31 after a bout with cancer.

RB Willis Crenshaw

Age:84

Passing date:October

Career:Cardinals 1964-1969, Denver Broncos 1970, New England Patriots 1971

Crenshaw was a track star in high school in the pole vault. He played receiver for the football team and was All-State. He chose Kansas State from a long list of interested programs. He was selected in the ninth round by the Cardinals of the 1963 NFL draft and in Round 26 of the AFL draft.

He backed up Joe Crenshaw at fullback with John David Crow in the backfield. In his second season, he started 12 of 14 games. In 1968, he had a career high in rushing with 813 yards and six touchdowns. Crenshaw played for St. Louis for six years before being traded to the Denver Broncos for the 1970 season.

LB Doug Eggers

Age:94

Passing date:June

Career: Baltimore Colts 1954-1957, Cardinals 1958

Eggers played three sports in high school and was good in them all: basketball, football, and track. He went to South Dakota State and was a three-year starter on the football team. He was voted as captain and was selected First Team All-North Central Conference. He went undrafted in the 1952 NFL draft, but was drafted by the U.S. Army. He played two seasons at Fort Belvoir in Virginia under head coach Al Davis. After his Army stint, Davis got Eggers a tryout with the Eagles and Baltimore Colts. He signed with Baltimore with a bonus of $500 and played for four years and 46 games.

He was known as a vicious hitter and became quick friends with QB Johnny Unitas. He played one season with the Cardinals, and then signed with the upstart Oakland Raiders of the brand new AFL, but decided to remain in Baltimore, where he had a home. He then started a company called Chesapeake Supply and Equipment Company, which remains in business today.

Eggers was inducted into the South Dakota State Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame (1980), the Wagner High School Athletic Hall of Fame (2019), plus the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame (2021).

CB Robert Giblin

Age:72

Passing date:February

Career:New York Football Giants 1975, Cardinals (1977)

Giblin grew up in Texas and then played college ball at the University of Houston, where he earned First Team All-American honors. The Giants selected him in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL draft, where he played in all 12 games with zero starts. After sitting out a year, he signed with the Cardinals and played in 11 games.

He then went into business as an attorney at a prominent Southeast Texas law firm. He passed away after a long battle with an autoimmune illness. He had chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or CIDP.

QB/RB Ken Hall

Age:89

Passing date:March

Career: Edmonton Eskimos 1957-1958, Cardinals 1959, Houston Oilers 1960-1961, Cardinals 1961

Hall was nicknamed the Sugar Land Express" when he was a sensation in high school in Texas. He set 17 national high school records, several of which still stand. Name a major college program, and they contacted Hall. He chose Texas A&M, whose head coach was Bear Bryant.

Hall's college production did not come close to his success at the high school level. He was drafted in Round 14 of the 1958 NFL draft by the Baltimore Colts but never played for them. Instead, Hall left school a year early and signed with Edmonton of the CFL, where he played for two seasons. He then signed with the Cardinals and played in all 12 games with two starts at running back. He had a 5.8 yards per attempt average.

In 1961, he landed with the Houston Oilers for three games and finished out the season back with the Cardinals for eight contests. He was listed as the third-highest kickoff return yardage (65.33) when he hung up his cleats.

Hall was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame (1983), Texas High School Football Hall of Fame (1994), and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (1999). The All-American Games created the Hall Trophy," presented annually to a national high school football player.

RB Jerry Latin

Age:71

Passing date:February

Career: Cardinals 1975-1978, Los Angeles Rams 1978

Latin was a high school standout athlete and participated in baseball, basketball, track and football. He then chose to play football at Northern Illinois.

Taken in the 11th round of the 1975 NFL draft by the Cardinals, Latin played sparingly for four years. He was then traded to the Rams. In that season, he played in all 14 games, mainly on special teams.

Latin was a prominent figure in the Rockford Sportsman's Golf Association, promoting golf within the black community. He organized the Ballard Tournament, which raised funds for scholarships for black golfers.

OT Luis Sharpe

Age:65

Passing date:July

Career:Cardinals 1982-1985, Memphis Showboats 1985, Cardinals 1986-1994

The Cuban-born Sharpe is the only player to play for the St. Louis Cardinals, Phoenix Cardinals, and Arizona Cardinals. He arrived in Detroit when he was six years old and was a standout high school player. Colleges lined up for his services, and he chose to play at UCLA, where he was named Rookie of the Year. He left school after his junior year and was a first-round choice, taken with the 16^th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sharpe was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team, where he started nine games. He missed very few games and started 189 games. He played with the USFL in 1985 and played one spring season before returning to the Cardinals. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1987, 1988, and 1989, and Second Team All-Pro in 1988 and 1990. Sharpe played 13 years.

OT Herschel Turner

Age:82

Passing date:January

Career:Cardinals 1964-1965, New Orleans Saints 1967, Rams 1967

Turner had a stellar college career at Kentucky, his home state. In high school, he was a state qualifier in track and placed first in the district mile run. He was named to the region All-Star game in football.

He was named First Team All-American and played both guard and tackle. He was invited to play in the Senior Bowl and also the Blue-Gray All-Star Game. He was a second-round selection of the Cardinals in the 1964 NFL draft, and he was also a ninth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the AFL draft.

With the Cardinals, he was named the team's top rookie player for 1964. After two seasons, he injured his knee and sat out a year. He returned and was added to the practice squads of both the Saints and Rams, but his knee condition forced his retirement from the game.

Turner was inducted into the University of Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame and the Northern Kentucky Athletic Directors Hall of Fame. In Kentucky, they retired his #70 jersey.

S Larry Willingham

Age:76

Passing date:November

Career:Cardinals 1971-1972, Birmingham Americans 1974, Birmingham Vulcans 1975

Willingham was a standout high school player in Birmingham, Alabama, and then went to Auburn. He was named All-American in 1970 and First Team All-SEC. He was a fourth-round pick of the Cardinals in the 1971 NFL draft. He played sparingly with just seven starts in his first two years. After the 1972 season, he had a medical issue and sat out a year.

When Willingham returned, he signed with Birmingham of the upstart World Football League for his hometown Americans. The team changed its name to the Vulcans and folded midway through the 1975 season.

He was named to Auburn's 1970s Team of the Decade" and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame (2003).

OT Steve Wright

Age:82

Passing date:June

Career:Green Bay Packers 1964-1967, Giants 1968-1969, Washington Redskins 1970, Chicago Bears 1971, Cardinals 1972, Chicago Fire 1974, Chicago Winds 1975

Wright was raised in Kentucky and chose to play at Alabama. He played four years but had few starts. He was taken in Round 5 by the Packers and Round 8 by the New York Jets. He had the opportunity to play for Vince Lombardi or with Joe Namath.

He played four years with Green Bay and was mostly a backup. He started in 43 of 101 games in nine seasons in the NFL.

He then spent five more seasons in the league with four different clubs, including the 1972 season with the St. Louis Cardinals. He sat out 1973 and signed with Chicago of the upstart WFL, and the next season with the renamed Winds. That league folded halfway through their second year of existence.

Wright was the model for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award." Back then, it was called the NFL Man of the Year Award," but the award's image today remains the same. Wright also co-wrote a book entitled; I'd Rather be Wright: Memoirs of an Itinerant Tackle. William Gildea was also the author of the book published in 1974. This is available on eBay, but it ain't cheap despite being a 50-year-old book. Wright worked as a salesman for veterinary pharmaceuticals and insurance before retiring.