Phil Whitfield, a 30-year former Dallas Cowboys security guard who later became art ambassador for AT&T Stadium, died Wednesday at 62.
Whitfield, whose 63rd birthday would have been Saturday, began working security for the Cowboys in 1993 at Texas Stadium. In 2009, he became the team’s art ambassador, overseeing an installation of the Cowboys Art Collection at AT&T Stadium that included 19 pieces of contemporary art.
The team shared a statement from Gene Jones, wife of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, following Whitfield’s death.
“Few people have generated such widespread goodwill and respect like Phil did over the years,” the statement reads. “He was an amazing ambassador for the Cowboys and a great friend and docent for our art program and the purpose of connecting with children and inspiring them to enjoy art. We will miss him greatly.”
“The loss of Phil Whitfield leaves us all heartbroken. We have such wonderful memories with him, just as so many others do. Few people have generated such widespread goodwill and respect like Phil did over the years. He was an amazing ambassador for the Cowboys and a great friend… pic.twitter.com/ZXuRj6XEnH
— AT&T Stadium (@ATTStadium) July 27, 2023
Whitfield told KERA in a 2011 interview he knew little about art before coming into the role. But after working with artists on the Cowboys collection, he became the stadium’s "unofficial mayor," enjoying visitors’ appreciation of the art.
“I notice them noticing it,” he said at the time. “And whether people admit to saying they like art or not, we’ve all got a little art in us … Some people when they find out that it’s art – and if you didn’t say it was art – they just like it.”
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