<sod>In 1983, Dierdorf returned to his right tackle position and appeared in seven games, only four as a starter.<ref name=PFR/> On October 11, 1983, after the Cardinals began the season with a 1–5 record, Dierdorf announced that he would retire at the end of the 1983 season. At a press conference announcing his retirement, Dierdorf said, "Ninety-five percent of me is sad that I'm retiring, but my knees are very, very happy."<ref>{{cite news|title=Dierdorf Will Retire After Season|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|author=John Sonderegger|date=October 11, 1983|page=C1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6992563/dierdorf_will_retire_after_season/}}</ref><eod>
<sod>In 1983, Dierdorf returned to his right tackle position and appeared in seven games, only four as a starter.<ref name=PFR/> On October 11, 1983, after the Cardinals began the season with a 1–5 record, Dierdorf announced that he would retire at the end of the 1983 season. At the press conference announcing his retirement, Dierdorf said, "This was an easy decision for me to make. . . . Physically, I just can't play the type of game I want to."  He added: "Ninety-five percent of me is sad that I'm retiring, but my knees are very, very happy."<ref>{{cite news|title=Dierdorf Will Retire After Season|newspaper=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|author=John Sonderegger|date=October 11, 1983|pages=C1, C6|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6992563/dierdorf_will_retire_after_season/}}</ref><eod>