All-Time Cardinals QBs Ranked: Warner #1, Hart #2

Jim Root

#9 · Arizona Cardinals
Retired 2 Years In The NFL
Jim's
HAIR
8.6
HeyTC AI Rating

Questions about Jim Root or the Cardinals?

Jim Root Legacy

HEYTC AI
Jim Root was the lanky Toledo gunslinger who bridged the gridiron worlds of pro and college, a 6'1" quarterback out of Woody Hayes' Miami (OH) machine, drafted late by the Chicago Cardinals in '53 before a brief Ottawa detour. What defined him wasn't arm strength but football's endless horizon—flashing under center for the Cards, then morphing into a coaching nomad, calling backfield plays at Tulane and Miami (FL), offensive schemes at Dartmouth and Yale, before helming New Hampshire and William & Mary for over a decade. A true journeyman, Root embodied the game's coaching grind, passing quietly in 2003 at 71.
Jim Root passed away on May 26, 2003 at the age of 71.

Jim Root Rating Breakdown

Season
Subpar
Fantasy
Subpar
Playoffs
Non-Factor
Overall
Cooked
2 years with the Cardinals

Jim Root Career Stats via Wikipedia

1,482 Pass Yards
11 Touchdowns
16 INTs
0.0% Comp %
8.6 HAIR

Frequently Asked Questions About Jim Root

How does Kyler Murray compare to Jim Root?

Kyler Murray towers over Jim Root like a Ferrari next to a Model T—Kyler's got 20,000+ yards and franchise records while Root scraped together 1,482 in two spot-start seasons for the '56-57 Cards, passer rating barely cracking 51.8 with 11 TDs against 16 picks. Root was a Depression-era kid grinding in the run-first NFL; Murray's built for the air raid age, but both bleed red for Arizona.

Is Jim Root in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Nah, Jim Root never sniffed Canton—no bust waiting for the old Cards backup who went 80-for-192 over 20 games, mostly mop-up duty in the '50s. Hall's for the Hart of Dixies and Starrs, not a guy with 1,482 yards and an 8.55-ish rating who faded after '57. Deserved a nod for toughness, though; dude passed in 2003 at 71.

How would Jim Root perform in today's NFL?

Root's arm—1,482 yards, 11 TDs in a leather-helmet era—might get a slight boost from no-touchdown protections and nickel defenses, but his 51.8 rating screams "spot starter," not stud. Today's speed and schemes would expose the picks (16 in 382 tries); he'd be a camp arm, maybe a wildcat gadget guy, not starting over Kyler.

How does Jim Root compare to Jim Hart?

Jim Hart lapped Root like a marathoner passing a sprinter—Hart's 34,639 yards and 209 TDs over 18 Cards seasons dwarf Root's two-year cameo of 1,482 yards, same 11 scores, but a pathetic 8.55 rating to Hart's 74ish. Root was the emergency brake; Hart steered the ship through the '70s grind. Both QBs, worlds apart in the desert.