Career
She was the first woman to become principal owner of an NFL team Her first season as owner saw the Cardinals, led by the "Dream Backfield" of Paul Christman, Pat Harder, Marshall Goldberg, and Charley Trippi, defeat the Philadelphia Eagles for the franchise"s first undisputed league championship. They made it to the league title game again in 1948, but lost to the Eagles in a rematch in the snow.
The Cardinals had only four more.500 seasons under her ownership.
Violet married Saint Louis businessman Walter H. Wolfner in 1949, becoming known as Violet Bidwill Wolfner. When it became apparent that Chicago wasn"t big enough for both the Cardinals and the cross-town Bears of George Halas, the Wolfners moved the team to Saint Louis after the 1959 season.
She died in a physician"s office in Miami Beach, Florida, on January 29, 1962, and is buried at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the will, in favor of the sons, in February 1963.
Wolfner sought to invalidate the legal adoption of the two sons, who had eliminated his position with the team in May 1962.
The sons co-owned the team for a decade, until Bill purchased his brother"s share of the team in 1972. Her vast wardrobe was auctioned off in November 1963. Among the 25,000 items were 1,000 coats and dresses and 1,500 pairs of shoes, many never worn.
The auction fetched more than $40,000.
