Michael Bidwill

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Michael Bidwill (born December 1964) is a National Football League executive with the Arizona Cardinals. He is the son of franchise owner Bill Bidwill and the current President of the club.

Biography

Michael Bidwill grew up the second of five children in his family. He began to enjoy American football when he visited the Cardinals' training camp for the first time in 1969. In 1974, Bidwill's father made him one of the team's ball boys including his brothers William Jr., Patrick and Tim. Said Bidwill in 2007: "I understood at a young age that when you don't win, there will be criticism." Michael Bidwill earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Saint Louis University in 1987 where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Later, he graduated from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University in 1990. From 1990–96, Michael was a federal prosecutor in Phoenix.

NFL career

Michael was appointed to the League’s Business Ventures Committee in 2007.

Cardinals turnaround

While the Cardinals struggled to fill Sun Devil Stadium, Bidwill publicly stated that fans would respond in greater numbers if given a better environment. He also emphasized that the team could not compete without the revenue streams a new stadium would bring. In three seasons at University of Phoenix Stadium the team has sold out all 32 games it has played there. The team is also coming off its most successful season in franchise history. The Cardinals won their division for the first time since 1975 and hosted a playoff game for the first time since 1947. They defeated the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card round, beat the Carolina Panthers in the Divisional playoff round and topped the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. The Cardinals victory secured the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl appearance. In Super Bowl XLIII the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cardinals in Tampa, although the Cardinals valiantly overcame a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to take a lead for two minutes with 2:30 to go but fell on a TD with 30 seconds to play.

University of Phoenix Stadium

Wrote the Washington Post in 2009, "It's the new stadium, many people inside and outside the organization said, that began the Cardinals' transformation from laughingstock into Super Bowl participant. Once the stadium was built, the team could emerge from its days of having to play before small crowds on a torn-up field as the secondary occupant of Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium." [4]

Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen told Forbes in 2007, "Their biggest problem was that they needed a new stadium...The stadium is the underpinning of a significantly new situation for the Cardinals." Added Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, "The league needs a successful franchise in that booming area of the country. They maybe have an opportunity to thrive." [5]

Cardinals defensive end Bertrand Berry to the Boston Globe in 2009: "The biggest thing was to get the stadium; not being out there in Sun Devil Stadium in blistering temperatures with people not really wanting to go out there. I mean we didn't want to play out there it was so hot. With the new stadium it's brought excitement. With the new players that have been drafted and free agency, everything has just come together. It was a perfect storm for us." [6]

Other

In September 2008, Bidwill became a member of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC). He is also a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL).

As Bidwill was vacationing in Italy In June 2005, he helped Italian police catch a shoplifter. Bidwill was taking a walk outside his hotel and noticed the presence of police. Notified that the shoplifter was in the area, Bidwill spotted the man and tripped him to the floor, helping the police capture him [8].

Bidwill volunteers for Flying Samaritans, a group of volunteers including doctors and other medical personnel who establish free medical clinics in Mexico. In October 2008 he was part of a relief effort organized by private pilots who flew supplies to Mexico to assist those affected by Hurricane Norbert. [9]

External links

Current team presidents/CEOs of the National Football League
Note - Some teams may have both a President and CEO, in those cases the highest ranked of the two (according to the team) will be listed
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