(From Ole Miss Athletics)
Former Ole Miss athletics director, coach, and student-athlete John Warner Alford Jr. passed away on Friday. He dedicated over 30 years to the university.
Ole Miss said of Alford:
“A student-athlete, coach, and administrator, Alford has been recognized for his success and dedication to Ole Miss athletics. He has been inducted into the M-Club Alumni Hall of Fame in 1999, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009, and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame in 2018. In 2018, he received the University of Mississippi Alumni Service Award…
“A guard for legendary head coach John Vaught, Alford and quarterback Jake Gibbs were permanent co-captains of the 1960 squad, defeated Rice in the Sugar Bowl, and were named National Champions by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)…
“Graduating with a BBA degree in June of 1961, Alford was a young business executive in McComb for four years before he decided in 1965 he wanted to return to football. After earning his master’s degree in economics, he joined the collegiate coaching ranks at Davidson (NC) 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 Rebel Recruiting. In 1977, he relinquished his recruiting duties in order to devote full attention to administrative duties before being named Director of Athletics in 1978. During his 16 years as director, Alford helped produce one of the nation’s finest athletics programs, including progress on the fields of competition, in the classroom, and in facilities.”