The University of Mississippi Athletics
Warner Alford Named Executive Director Of Alumni Association
4/21/2004 | Athletics
April 21, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - A co-captain on the University of Mississippi's undefeated 1960 national champion football team who went on to serve as athletics director for 16 years has been recommended as the next executive director of the 85,000-member Ole Miss Alumni Association.
The appointment of Warner Alford, selected from among 100 applicants by a committee of alumni, faculty and students following a nationwide search, will be presented to the IHL Board of Trustees for approval at its May meeting. He succeeds Herb Dewees, who has been executive director of the alumni organization since 1990.
"We were looking for someone with the deep friendships and close associations already in place who could fill the void left by Herb's retirement and add to an already superior staff," said Mary Sharp Rayner, president of the Alumni Association and chair of the 19-member search committee that recommended Alford. "It was a unanimous decision."
Alford said he was happy to be rejoining the Ole Miss family in an official capacity. After serving as UM athletics director from 1978 to 1994, he recently has held several part-time and volunteer fund-raising positions at the university.
"I fell in love with Ole Miss as an 18-year-old freshman in 1956 and that passion has remained constant throughout the years," he said. "Kay and I are excited about continuing the good work and positive leadership demonstrated by previous alumni directors Bill Griffin, Jim Butler and Herb Dewees. I look forward to working with Chancellor (Robert) Khayat and the entire Ole Miss family."
Khayat, who played football with Alford when they were students, said the university was blessed to have a person of his stature once again working full-time on behalf of Ole Miss.
"Our alumni are a major part of the tremendous success the University of Mississippi enjoys," said Khayat. "We're pleased to have Warner back. With his experience and the friendships he has developed over the years, along with a talented staff, the alumni association will build on the momentum already in place."
A native of McComb, Alford holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from UM. He coached at Davidson College and Georgia Tech before joining Coach Billy Kinard's staff in 1971. He is married to the former Kay Swayze of Oxford and they have three children, Thomas Swayze, John Warner III and Phyllis Inez.
Alford was inducted into the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
