The Arizona Cardinals unveiled on Wednesday new uniforms that the team will wear beginning with the 2005 season. The unveiling took place at the James Hotel in Scottsdale with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, quarterbacks Josh McCown and Kurt Warner, running back Marcel Shipp, defensive linemen Bertrand Berry and Darnell Dockett, linebacker Karlos Dansby, safety Adrian Wilson, and Big Red modeling the new uniforms.

The uniform change is the most significant in the long history of the Cardinals, who were founded in 1898 and represent the oldest professional football team still in existence. In fact, the "Cardinals" moniker came from the red jerseys they acquired in the early 1900s from the University of Chicago that team owner Chris O'Brien determined were not maroon, as suggested, but really "Cardinal red."

The uniform re-design is the latest in a series of off-the-field changes for the Cardinals, who this past January also unveiled a new team logo. The most significant change will come next year when the Cardinals move into their new state-of-the-art stadium in time for the 2006 season.

While the design and overall appearance of the uniforms is drastically different, the team’s main color scheme of red and white has not changed though the color black has been added as an accent.

Aside from the obvious difference in terms of look and design, the new uniforms also feature some of the industry’s latest in terms of performance-enhancing technology.

The yoke, sleeves, and side panels of the jersey are made of “Knit Cordura,” a high-performance nylon-lycra combination that allows for optimal fit while maintaining maximum strength. The torso of the jersey is made from “Diamond Back Mesh,” a special weave that allows the holes to open up wider and permit more ventilation than the standard mesh. Also, the numbers on the jersey will be made from a special lightweight, stretch-twill fabric that will allow the jersey to fit tighter and better.

Cardinals Cheerleaders also modeled 2005 Cardinals apparel made by Reebok, and were joined by Juan Castellanos of Peoria, Dustin Payne of Gilbert, and Dustin Holmes of Tucson. Castellanos, Payne, and Homes were winners of the azcardinals.com “Your Chance To Suit Up Contest.”

New Cardinals jerseys are available now at the team’s official website www.azcardinals.com and at the Cardinals training facility in Tempe as well as the 12 Valley locations of Sports Authority, the official merchandise headquarters of the Arizona Cardinals. Sports Authority will have a three-day retail exclusivity window for the new product through this weekend.

If you missed the live video streaming, please click here for archived file! Please note to forward to 1:50 for a closer start of the actual press conference.