Michael Bidwill
Encyclopedia
Michael Bidwill 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.
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.
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.
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]
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]
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
executive with the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He is the son of franchise owner Bill Bidwill
Bill Bidwill
William V. "Bill" Bidwill, Sr. is the principal owner and chairman of the board of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was part-owner from 1962 to 1972 with his brother Charles, Jr. and has been sole owner since 1972.-Education:Bidwill went to Georgetown Preparatory School,...
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. 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 UniversitySaint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
in 1987 where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
. Later, he graduated from the Columbus School of Law
Columbus School of Law
The Columbus School of Law, also known as CUA Law, is the law school of The Catholic University of America, in Washington, D.C..Over 900 Juris Doctor students attend CUA Law. Incoming classes are typically composed of two to three hundred students, including day and night programs. Around 3,500...
at Catholic University
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
in 1990. From 1990–96, Michael was a federal prosecutor in Phoenix.
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 Eagles victory secured the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl appearance. In Super Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
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
Hurricane Norbert
The name Norbert has been used for three tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific Ocean:* 1984's Hurricane Norbert - took an erratic track several hundred miles south of Baja California, making landfall there* 1990's Hurricane Norbert - stayed at sea...
. [9]
External links
- Arizona Cardinals's bio
- Bidwills' long reign with Cardinals finally finds sunshine – USA Today, 1/30/09 –
- Bidwills beaming with pride” – Pro Football Weekly,
- “Born Leaders” – Boston Globe,
- Questions for: Michael Bidwill” – The Wall Street Journal,
- “After many years of criticism, Bidwill has hand in winning” – Washington Post,