Dan Crumb (MBA ’89) is chief financial officer of the four-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
When Dan Crumb (MBA ’89) was a college student, he worked event security at the Louisiana Superdome, helping to manage crowds for New Orleans Saints games, the Sugar Bowl, the NCAA Men’s Final Four and even a Super Bowl.
The experience had a lasting impact on the future NFL executive.
“That was really my first job in sports,” recalls Crumb. “I remember the general manager of the Superdome used to walk around and say hello to the workers and ask us how we were doing, and I remember the impression that made and how it really stuck with me. Now, I try to do that on every game day.”
Today, as CFO of the four-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Crumb directs financial operations for one of the NFL’s most dominant franchises, overseeing everything from accounting, data analytics and revenue forecasting to capital structure and construction projects. But on game days, it’s all hands on deck. For Crumb, that means making the rounds in Arrowhead Stadium to ensure that every last detail is in place for a frictionless fan experience.
“I oversee all the stadium technology, so I want to make sure everything’s working on game days,” he says. “Then there’s also the risk management piece. I’m looking at everything through the lens of what could go wrong and what do we need to be on the lookout for.”
Worrying about stadium Wi-Fi or the chance of an electrical storm might sound like a stressful way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but Crumb wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“The excitement of being here on game day, it’s just electric,” he says. “It’s very different than my days working for a regular corporation.”
Crumb began his career in 1989 as a senior accountant with KPMG before quickly rising to become CFO of Louisiana Gaming Management, a video poker startup. He went on to serve as CFO with a succession of local companies, including The ID Group, Hill City Oil Co. and Abita Springs Water Co., which he helped guide through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
His big break came in 2007, when the New Orleans Hornets — the NBA franchise now known as the Pelicans — hired him as CFO. Professional sports represented new territory for the young executive, but Crumb says the transition was surprisingly easy.
“Behind the scenes, a lot of the work is similar,” he says. “You’re doing financial statements, forecasting, budgeting. You’re handling the normal duties. Where it really gets different is your product. You’re delivering a sport in front of thousands of people. A consumer-packaged goods company or software company doesn’t have that game day.”
Three years later, Crumb made his jump to the NFL. Since joining the Chiefs in 2010, the franchise has enjoyed a run of success that few teams can match, winning 10 division titles, five conference championships and three Super
Bowls. Crumb credits much of that success to the expectations set by team Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt.
“We’re a performance culture,” Crumb says. “We set really high targets, and once we achieve them, we set them even higher. What winning three Super Bowls has done is raise the bar. It’s just made us hungrier to be on top.”
That hunger for success extends to the business side of the organization as well.
“One of the things I said when I interviewed for this job was, ‘I want to build you the best finance department in the NFL,’” Crumb says. “I want to be the best. I’ve always had that mindset everywhere I’ve gone. I think that’s been the constant throughout my career.”
Crumb’s latest challenge is easily the most ambitious of his career: overseeing the finance aspects related to construction of the Chiefs’ new stadium. The $4.5 billion project encompasses a state-of-the-art $3 billion domed stadium and surrounding mixed-use entertainment district as well as a new team headquarters and training facility. The stadium is scheduled to open in time for the 2031 season.
“This is the biggest project that anybody in this organization has ever worked on,” Crumb says. “It’s something that’s going to shape this franchise for generations to come, so we’re really excited about it. I look around the NFL and there are CFOs who have never had the opportunity to win a championship or build a new stadium, and we’ve been able to win a few championships and we’re building a new stadium. I’ve been super blessed to be able to be part of both of those things.”
Yet for all the championships won, projects realized and accolades received, Crumb’s favorite part of the job remains that same thing that captivated him at the Superdome more than 40 years ago.
“It’s the game day experience,” he says. “The excitement of walking into the stadium on game day, with 70,000 fans all dressed in Chiefs red and cheering, there’s no feeling like that.”
