Former Cardinals OL Conrad Dobler Dies at Age 72; Made 3 Pro Bowl Appearances

Former St. Louis Cardinals guard Conrad Dobler died Monday at the age of 72, the organization announced in a statement.

Dobler played 10 years in the league, including six with the Cardinals, who moved to Arizona in 1988. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills.

During his time with the Cardinals, Dobler was a three-time Pro Bowler, an All-Pro in 1976 and part of one of the best offensive lines of the 1970s.

"Our hearts go out to the family, friends and former teammates of Conrad Dobler," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in the statement. "He was the kind of tough, physical and fierce player that you love to line up with as a teammate and hate to line up against as an opponent. On the field, Conrad was a big reason for the success of the Cardiac Cards of the 1970s. Away from it, he brought authentic joy and caring to everyone who had the privilege of being his friend and that is what I will remember most."

Perhaps one of the most impressive feats of Dobler's career was how well he and the rest of the Cardinals offensive line managed to protect quarterback Jim Hart during that time.

St. Louis gave up just eight sacks in 14 games during the 1975 season—an NFL record at the time—and 40 in total over his three Pro Bowl seasons.

A fifth-round pick out of Wyoming, Dobler was released at the end of the preseason before his rookie year, but he eventually got re-signed three games into the year. He went on to play in 129 games over his career, starting 125.