Central Michigan athletic director Michael Alford is leaving in August to become CEO of Seminole Boosters Inc., the fundraising arm for Florida State‘s athletic department, he announced Wednesday.
Alford will replace Andy Miller, who is retiring after serving as president and CEO of Seminole Boosters since its inception in 1975.
“I am grateful … for the faith and trust they’ve placed in me to lead the premiere fundraising organization in college sports,” Alford said in a statement on Twitter. “I will miss Central Michigan’s great leadership and the many relationships that my family and I have built over the last three years.”
Alford has led Central Michigan’s athletic department since July 2017, and he had served as senior associate athletic director for administration and development at Oklahoma. He also held fundraising and marketing posts with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals, as well as with the University of Alabama, the University of Southern California and the University of Cincinnati. Alford also spent time at ESPN.
At Central Michigan, Alford hired football coach Jim McElwain, who won MAC Coach of the Year honors in his debut season of 2019 and helped the Chippewas to a division title following a one-win season in 2018. Alford also spearheaded the construction of a new athletic building, set to open in the fall.
