By Katherine Fitzgerald | Arizona Republic Published
The bow ties were as different as the people who wore them. Light pink and red, gingham and striped, decorating the dress shirts of men young and old. Others had small buttons with the initials “WVB” and the symmetrical triangles adorning their outfits. Bow ties all around, speckling the large crowd.
On Tuesday, hundreds from around Arizona and across the NFL gathered to celebrate the life of a man who tied them all together.
Bill Bidwill’s funeral at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church brought together people from all areas of his life, which spanned 88 years and numerous chapters. The Cardinals team owner, William Vogel Bidwill, was born in Chicago in 1931 and was laid to rest Tuesday in Phoenix, after passing away the Wednesday prior.
The themes of his life were evident in the three men who eulogized him: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Cardinals wide receiver and family friend Larry Fitzgerald, and Bidwill’s son and team president, Michael.
“(It) says a lot about everything that was important to him,” Goodell said about the service. Those things were family faith, and “of course, football.”
In football, it was never just about wins or losses for Bidwill, though he did prefer the former.
