Former Ole Miss football player, coach, and athletics director Warner Alford has passed away at 87.
The university announced his passing on Friday. Alford, a McComb native, dedicated over 30 years of service to the Ole Miss athletics department in multiple capacities. A guard for legendary head coach Johnny Vaught, Alford and quarterback Jake Gibbs were permanent co-captains of the 1960 squad that was named national champions by the Football Writers Association of America. The Rebels also won the SEC championship that year with a 5-0-1 league record.
Graduating with a degree in business administration in 1961, Alford was a young business executive in McComb for four years before he decided in 1965 to return to football. After earning his master’s degree in economics, he joined the collegiate coaching ranks at Davidson College, where he served 14 months as defensive coordinator before spending the next three years as an assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Alford returned to Ole Miss after six years when he was named the Rebels’ defensive line coach in 1971 and served in that position for three seasons.
In 1974, Alford was named assistant director of athletics and director of recruiting. In 1977, he relinquished his recruiting duties in order to devote full attention to administrative duties before being named athletics director in 1978. Under his leadership, Vaught‑Hemingway Stadium received a major facelift, a new press box, and 29 sky boxes. Included in the $10 million stadium project was the addition of a lighting system installed in the summer of 1990, which brought night football to the campus. Additionally, 7,000 end zone seats were installed and natural grass replaced the artificial turf.
Alford oversaw the construction of Swayze Field, a new tennis center, and renovations to the golf course and the track facility. Also constructed during his tenure was the $3.5 million Athletics Training Center addition to the “Doc” Knight Field House.
Alford’s efforts didn’t stop with physical improvements. When he took over as AD in 1978, Ole Miss sponsored eight sports, a number he increased to 15. Alford also served on the committee to formulate plans to bring women’s athletics into the Southeastern Conference.
A strong leader on the national scene, Alford served on the NCAA Council, as president-elect of the Division I-A Athletics Directors Association, as 1st vice-president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, as chair of the CFA Athletic Directors Committee and was a member of the CFA Board of Directors.
He was also a member of the NCAA Professional Sports Liaison Committee, a member of the NCAA Honors Committee and a member of the NCAA Certification Committee. Alford served on the SEC Executive Committee, was on the SEC Basketball Tournament Site Selection Committee, and on the CFA Television Committee.
After retiring from his post as the Ole Miss AD in 1994, Alford held positions as executive assistant for development for the University of Mississippi Foundation, coordinator of external programs for the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, and worked with the Ole Miss First scholarship program. He served as executive director of the Ole Miss Alumni Association from 2004 to 2008, overseeing significant growth in the club program and the addition of the tower to The Inn at Ole Miss.
In 2013, to honor the Alford’s longtime service and lasting contributions, the University of Mississippi Foundation created the Warner and Kay Alford Ole Miss Opportunity Endowment with a $50,000 gift and invited alumni and friends to help build the fund. Annual income from the endowment provides Ole Miss Opportunity scholarships to academically deserving students from lower income families in Mississippi.