FIU alumnus on Kansas City Chiefs stadium security team

Danny Hendricks ’24 has spent six years with the Kansas City Chiefs - and he's got the bling to prove it!

A Kansas City native, Hendricks works as a security officer at Arrowhead Stadium in between his full-time job as as a police dispatcher for the University of Kansas Medical Center Police Department. In the latter position for the past decade, he answers emergency and non-emergency calls to help coordinate police response. 

“On game days, I work with the Kansas City Police Bomb & Arson Team, conducting sweeps through the stadium before, during and after the games. We are checking for suspicious packages that could pose a security risk,” Hendricks says. In addition to sweeping the stadium, he adds that security teams prepare first aid kits for medical teams, run security check points and help keep the venue secure throughout the event.

Keeping people safe is a big part of the job, and it comes with its share of excitement. For Hendricks, the most memorable time was during the Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills 2021 AFC Championship Game, famously known as the “13-second game” because of the late plays that changed the course of both teams' seasons with almost no time left on the clock.

“Fans left early and were upset that they couldn’t re-enter the stadium to watch the game,” Hendricks explains. “They talked about rushing the gates, which they, thankfully, didn’t. We made sure to secure the gates. It’s one of my favorite games to have worked,”  he continues, “even though driving Taylor Swift last year is up there!” 

Yes, accompanying celebs is part of the job, although Hendricks does it only occasionally. “Our team provides escorts for most VIPs if they have a role on game day. Typically those are our drum honorees at the beginning of the game or the halftime performers. VIPs enter through different areas of the stadium. For Taylor, we escort her to the locker room entrance.”

Hendricks shares that his online master’s degree in disaster management from the FIU Academy for International Disaster Preparedness helped him learn and understand the different phases of disaster management: prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. “Thankfully we only have to utilize the first four in our work, but we're always working to prevent and protect the fans and employees and are constantly training to ensure we're prepared for anything that may arise.”

Although Hendricks hasn’t worked security at a Super Bowl, he proudly owns three Super Bowl rings and one AFC Championship ring—tokens of appreciation given to Chiefs employees after each win. 

 
This weekend, while he won’t be in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, he’ll be cheering on the team while working security at the Kansas City Chiefs Training Facility.

Hendricks shares his personal approach to successfully working security for an event as big as an NFL game, with all its moving parts. “Be open minded and prepared for anything as things constantly change during a game. And have fun. It's a lot of work, but very enjoyable and rewarding.”