Central Michigan AD Alford heading to Florida State
Central Michigan University Director of Athletics Michael Alford is on the move.
On Wednesday morning Warchant.com, a website associated Florida State athletics, reported Alford would be replacing Andy Miller as the President of the Seminole Boosters.
Miller is expected to stay on for a couple months and help Alford with the transition. Alford will officially start on Sept. 1.
“Michael’s leadership will be sorely missed,” CMU President Bob Davies said in a press release. “He understands that the student in student-athlete comes first, and it was evident that every move he made to enhance CMU’S championship culture and program was intended to help students succeed not only on the field but in the classroom.”
Alford added in the press release: “CMU’S authentic culture and commitment to not just winning at the Division 1 level but excelling in an upper mid-major conference is unparalleled,” he said. “Our success on and off the field demonstrates that. I am committed to working with the president to help find a successor committed to our mission of excellence, which promises to provide an authentic environment where student-athletes can thrive in academics and athletics.”
Alford replaced Dave Heeke as CMU Athletic Director in May 2017 and has been pretty much a hatchet man since his arrival in that he’s cleaned house within the CMU Athletic department.
Alford fired long-time CMU coaches Jerry Reighard (gymnastics), Steve Jaksa (baseball) and head football coach John Bonamego in recent years while softball coach Margo Jonker and women’s basketball coach Sue Guevara both retired. Bonamego was fired one year after receiving a contract extension and the university was forced to pay him over $800,000 in buyout money.
More recently, he cut the men’s track and field program as a result of the uncertainties brought forth by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The budget cut affected 36 student-athletes.
In short, it appears, Alford was brought in to cut costs and that’s exactly what he has done over the course of the last three years.
On the flipside, he did make a couple solid hires as Heather Oesterle did a great job coaching the women’s basketball team in her first season replacing Guevara while baseball coach Jordan Bischel led the Chippewas to a MAC championship in 2019.
Alford has extensive experience in fundraising as he worked in that area at Oklahoma, Alabama and with the Dallas Cowboys.
CMU will now have to begin a search for Alford’s replacement heading into the 2020 fall seasons.