New CEO of Seminoles Boosters, Inc. Named

After being led by Andy Miller since 1975, Florida State University's Seminoles Boosters, Inc. will have a new CEO, as Michael Alford was named to the position Wednesday. 

Alford comes to Tallahassee after successful stops with the University of Oklahoma, Dallas Cowboys, University of Alabama, and his most recent title as the athletic director of Central Michigan University. 

You can check out the official statement from the boosters below.

MICHAEL ALFORD NAMED CEO OF SEMINOLE BOOSTERS, INC.

July 15, 2020

Tallahassee, Fla. -- Seminole Boosters, Inc. announced Wednesday that Michael Alford has been named the organization’s new CEO. Alford, who has served as Associate Vice President/Athletic Director at the University of Central Michigan for the last three years, succeeds Andy Miller who has headed Seminole Boosters since 1975.

“We are excited to welcome Michael Alford to the FSU family,” said FSU President John Thrasher. “As a former student-athlete and a respected leader who has held positions in both Division I athletics and the NFL, Michael brings a unique perspective and a wealth of experience to the Seminole Boosters. He has a strong vision for fundraising and membership, and that will build on our culture of excellence and lead us into the future.”

Alford will lead the fundraising arm of Florida State University Athletics which engages fans, alumni and loyal supporters in order to generate financial contributions for the purpose of enriching the overall educational and athletic experience for over 500 student-athletes participating in FSU’s 20 intercollegiate programs.

Thanks to the generosity of 15,000 donors, fans, and corporate partners, FSU is the top-funded athletic department in the Atlantic Coast Conference and competes for conference and national championships in every sport. In the fiscal year 2018-2019, Seminole Boosters supported Florida State Athletics by raising $57.4 million to help cover the cost of scholarships, maintain and upgrade some of the best collegiate facilities in the nation and provide our student-athletes with academic and medical services that give them the winning edge in the classroom and in competition.

“Though bittersweet because of the great leadership and relationships we have built here at Central Michigan, Laura and I could not be more enthusiastic about joining the FSU community,” said Alford. “To lead the premier fundraising organization in college sports was an opportunity that excited me professionally.“

Alford is credited with leading Central Michigan during the most successful fundraising period in its athletics history. He has been the driving force behind The Chippewa Champions Center that is under construction and will serve as the home to the Chippewa’s football operations, strength and conditioning, sports medicine and several other units. Other highlights from Alford’s time at CMU include renegotiating CMU Athletics’ apparel contract resulting in a 600 percent increase in revenue, spearheading an all-time high in Chippewa Athletic Fund memberships and overseeing the department’s all-time fundraising record in 2018-19 that eclipsed the mark set in 2017-18 by 50 percent.

“The CEO Search Committee completed a six-month search process, and yesterday our Executive Committee approved Michael Alford as our next CEO,” said Bob Davis, chair of the Board of Directors of Seminole Boosters, Inc. “Michael has worked for some of the top sports programs in the country, both professional and collegiate. He is an incredibly successful fundraiser and brings experience as an athletic director, which will make our relationship with athletics through the FSUAA even stronger and will benefit both organizations.

“We are grateful to Andy Miller for over 45 years of leadership and vision that he has provided Seminole Boosters. The organization that he has built and led makes us unique in collegiate sports and is a big reason our position drew an incredible amount of interest from all over the country.

“We look forward to formally introducing Michael, Laura and their family in the very near future.”

Alford took over at CMU after serving as senior associate athletics director for administration and development at the University of Oklahoma from 2012-2017. Among his many duties with the Sooners, Alford is credited with planning and managing a $160 million end zone facility project, and with leading several capital campaigns, including one for a $7 million basketball performance center that opened in 2018.

Alford, 51, was the senior director for corporate partnerships and sales for the Dallas Cowboys from 2008 to 2012, and he was the general manager of Crimson Tide Sports Marketing at the University of Alabama from 2004-2008. He also has worked for ESPN, the University of Southern California, the Cincinnati Bengals and the University of Cincinnati.

“I am very pleased with the selection of Michael, and I know he is going to do an outstanding job,” said Andy Miller. “His background both as a fundraiser and athletics administrator is so essential in today’s environment.

“I know he has all kinds of ideas of how to make the Boosters as successful as possible, and he knows what an athletics department at the very highest level requires.

“He is the right person for the job, and it gives me some personal reassurance that the organization and school that I love will be in good hands.”

A baseball student-athlete at Mississippi State University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alford earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts in 1993 from UAB. He completed his master’s degree in athletics administration at the University of Arkansas in 1995.

Alford’s wife, Laura, played volleyball at Hawaii and coached at Cincinnati and UCI. They have three daughters, Audrey, Ashley and Anna Leigh. The Alfords are a welcome addition to the Florida State family.