Charles W. “Stormy” Bidwill, Jr. (born June 9, 1928) is an American businessman and was the president of the now defunct

Sportsman’s Park Sportsman's Park was the name of several former Major League Baseball ballpark structures in St. Louis, Missouri. All but one of these were located on the same piece of land, at the northwest corner of Grand Boulevard and Dodier Street, on the ...

horse track in Cicero, Illinois from 1967-1995 and co-owner of the St. Louis Cardinals with his brother

Bill Bidwill William Vogel Bidwill (July 31, 1931 – October 2, 2019) was an American businessman and the owner of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He had co-owned the team from 1962 for ten seasons with his brother Charles Jr. ...

from 1962-1972.

Early life and education

Charles Jr. and his younger brother Bill were adopted by

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

and

Violet Bidwill Violet Fults Bidwill Wolfner (; January 10, 1900 – January 29, 1962) was the owner of the Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) for over 14 years, from 1947 until her death in early 1962. She inherited the team in Ap ...

owners of the then- Chicago Cardinals. Bidwill attended Georgetown University where he obtained a law degree. He was given the nickname “Stormy” when he was one year old after an uncle observed him having a temper tantrum.

Football and horse racing

Prior to the 1960 season, Violet Bidwill moved the Cardinals to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

and Charles Jr. and Bill inherited the team after their mother’s sudden death in 1962. In addition to the football team, the brothers inherited other business interests including Sportsman’s Park. Charles Jr. was named president of Sportsman's Park in 1967 and remained in Chicago to run the horse track while his brother Bill lived in St. Louis and essentially ran the football team. Over the years, their relationship became strained and in 1972, Charles Jr. sold his share of the team to Bill for $6,500,000.

Other business interests

Along with Sportsman’s Park, Bidwill owned a beer distributorship and had financial interests in four Florida dog tracks. For many years, he was the largest stockholder in

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

and a member of its board of directors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bidwell, Charles 1928 births Living people St. Louis Cardinals (football) owners Sportspeople from Chicago Georgetown University Law Center alumni