First Name: Sheldon
Last Name: Mickey
Company Name: deceased
Past Affiliations: Kansas City Chiefs/Kansas City Wizards, Jacksonville Jaguars (Consultant), Durrell Sports
Special Events: Big 12 Championships, 150th Anniversary of Kansas City, MO
Achievements / Innovations: Started NFL Game Presentation Meetings
Industry Affiliations: IDEA
Way Nominee has Helped to Further the Industry:
Years of IDEA Membership: 17
Years in the Industry:
IDEA Leadership: Football Rep
Special Consideration:
I nominate Sheldon Mickey for inclusion in the IDEA Hall of Fame. Sheldon began his career as an intern for the Kansas City Royals. Soon after, he started working in the marketing department for the Kansas City Chiefs, handling all aspects of game presentation. From 1989 to 2006, Sheldon turned Arrowhead Stadium into one of the biggest home field advantages in all of sports. He worked to make sure the fans got everything they could from watching the game at home, and added things they couldn’t replicate at home. He worked hard to convince the executives at Arrowhead to get rid of commercials and have their clients sponsor features that entertained the crowd during time outs. The atmosphere Sheldon created at Arrowhead Stadium became the standard that others worked to reach. Many other teams would reach out to Sheldon to ask for ideas on how they could try to replicate the experience that Sheldon created at Arrowhead Stadium.
Sheldon took pride in working with his peers in the field. Upset that the NFL wasn’t listening to the needs of the game entertainment professionals in the league, Sheldon took the lead and organized a meeting in Kansas City. During that conference, they were able to discuss common issues and share best practices. With the help of Jeff Griffith and Scott Simpson, the meetings continued each year. Eventually, the NFL took notice and hired an employee in the league office to work with the member teams to listen to those issues and began hosting a yearly meeting similar to the meeting Sheldon helped put together. Jeff Griffith recollected that Sheldon was part of the original NFL leadership for game presentation and was a mentor to many up and comers or new to the business.
Sheldon was also instrumental in game presentation for the fledgling Kansas City Wizards and Major League Soccer, helping that league grow during its earliest days, and sharing ideas and experiences with other teams that didn’t have the experience and knowledge that he gained over his career. After leaving the Chiefs, Sheldon worked as a consultant for the Jacksonville Jaguars and worked with Durrell Sports.
Sheldon was a member of IDEA for the duration of his time with the Chiefs and spent many years as the football rep in the organization. He took pride in working with others to share ideas. Much like his boss Lamar Hunt, Sheldon was more interested in doing what was in the best interest of the league (and all sports) than what might be best for the Chiefs. Sheldon was a mentor to up and coming newcomers to the profession. He was very encouraging to everyone in the profession, and worked hard to make sure everyone felt included. Keely Fimbres shared with me that as one of the only females working in game presentation in the NFL, she felt intimidated at times, but Sheldon made sure she was included and treated her as the equal she was. That enouragment was something she said that still sticks with her today. Scott Simpson metioned that Shedon was always kind and willing to assist or answer any questions that came up. Sheldon handed Scott the reigns of the Football Group in IDEA but stayed heavily involved until his end of the run with the Chiefs
Sheldon always enjoyed working on the special events held at Arrowhead, such as numerous college football games including many Big 12 Championship games, as well as the celebration for the 150th anniversary of Kansas City, Missouri. Without fail, the organizations he worked with would say that Sheldon and his crew were the best that they would work with, how much they enjoyed working with Sheldon, how impressed they were with his professionalism and how easy he made their job during the event.
As one of the early leaders of this profession, I believe Sheldon Mickey is worthy of inclusion into the IDEA Hall Of Fame. Thank you for your consideration.
Nominated by: David Schindler, Tennessee Titans
