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After practicing law for six years as a federal prosecutor, Michael Bidwill joined the Cardinals organization in 1996 as Vice President/General Counsel and today serves as team President. In that time, no one has been more influential in steering the organization on the path that has led to back-to-back NFC West titles and the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

In addition to guiding the Cardinals, Bidwill has also taken on an ever-increasing role in the National Football League and the greater Phoenix business community as well. In 2007, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed Michael to the league’s Business Ventures Committee, one of the NFL’s most prominent.

From 2008-10, Bidwill served back-to-back terms as Chair of the influential Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC). He is also a member of Greater Phoenix Leadership (GPL), an organization composed of the region’s top business and civic leaders.

This past April, Bidwill was selected by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of its 25 “Most Admired CEO’s” for 2010. In October of ’09, he also received the Leader for Tomorrow award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Within the league, Michael chairs the NFL Security Advisory Committee, a group of eight club executives that oversees and develops best security practices for NFL facilities. He additionally serves on Arizona’s Super Bowl Host Committee which successfully staged Super Bowl XLII at University of Phoenix Stadium and will seek to bring the game back to the state. Bidwill is also a member of the board for the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Among his most significant roles with the Cardinals has been the development of University of Phoenix Stadium, a project that he spearheaded from its inception. The venue has been a major factor in the transformation of the Cardinals and a catalyst for the team’s success. It has received worldwide acclaim for its distinctive architecture and cutting-edge design and even before it opened, it was selected by BusinessWeek as one of the 10 most impressive sports facilities in the world and has received numerous honors in its first four years of operation.

From 1990–96, Bidwill was an Assistant U.S. Attorney with the Department of Justice in Phoenix where he specialized in homicide and other violent crime cases.

Bidwill earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from St. Louis University in 1987 and in 1990 earned a law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C.

BIDWILL IN THE COMMUNITY

Strong community involvement has also been a hallmark of Bidwill’s tenure with the Cardinals and a particular emphasis has been placed on the value of youth sports.

That awareness was recognized in 2005 when the Cardinals were selected as the NFC recipient of the “Pop Warner NFL Team of the Year” for their commitment to the development of youth football in the Arizona area. Two years earlier, that same organization presented Michael with the Glenn S. “Pop” Warner Award, presented annually by the national youth football organization to an individual who has achieved excellence in athletics, scholarship, and life’s endeavors with integrity and humanity.

In October of ’08, Bidwill was also honored by Midwestern University and local community leaders with the COMET (Community Outreach: Motivating Excellence for Tomorrow) Award at the annual “Bright Lights, Shining Stars” Gala. More recently, he was honored by the Boys Scouts of America with the Leader for Tomorrow Award and last April was selected by the Phoenix Business Journal as one of its “25 Most Admired CEOs” for 2010.

A licensed pilot and flying enthusiast, Bidwill also donates his time and resources as a volunteer for “Flying Samaritans,” a group of volunteers including doctors and other medical personnel who offer free medical clinics in Mexico.