Alford determined to help FSU reach 'next level' with moves big and small

The long-term vision and big-ticket items will grab the headlines. Michael Alford knows that as well as anyone.

The renovations to Doak Campbell Stadium and other athletics facilities. The construction of a new football operations center. Ramping up the spending on football staffing and infrastructure.

Those are the topics most Florida State fans want to hear about, and they're the ones that typically induce the largest donations from generous donors. So they obviously are extremely important.

But those aren't the only issues that consume the thoughts of Alford, who today begins his second month as the Seminoles' athletics director.

The longtime college and professional sports administrator has a knack for not only focusing on the big picture, but also the smallest of details. He gets just as animated when discussing a multi-million-dollar deal as he does when pointing out dilapidated carpeting that needs to be replaced in the Moore Athletics Center.

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Yes, he considers himself a visionary leader, who can chart a bold course for the future. But he also is detail-oriented and loves the operations side of athletics as well.

"It's one thing to paint a vision," Alford said during a sit-down interview with Warchant.com. "It's one thing to say, 'We're gonna go do this.' It's another thing to put in the processes, procedures -- monthly, weekly, daily -- and checkpoints along the way that get you to that end goal.

"That's what I enjoy. It's almost like a game."

If that game were baseball, which Alford played collegiately at Mississippi State and UAB, one might suggest that he's a relief pitcher coming in with his team trailing by a few runs. For all of FSU's past successes in football, which is the economic engine for the entire athletics department, the Seminoles have not been relevant nationally in about five years. They haven't finished above .500 in four seasons.

For Seminole Athletics to succeed, the football program will need to flourish. And there is plenty more work to be done.

But Alford is not unfamiliar with challenges.

When he came to Tallahassee in the summer of 2020, it was to run Seminole Boosters Inc., the fundraising arm of the athletics department. In less than 18 months in that role, he restructured the sales staff, modernized their processes, used a grass-roots effort on social media to expand the donor base, and put together aggressive plans to reconfigure the seating -- and increase the revenue production -- at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Thanks to his successes there, along with his track record at other universities and NFL organizations, Alford now is tasked with running the entire operation.

In replacing David Coburn, who retired at the end of 2021, Alford will oversee an athletics budget that soars well over $100 million annually. He will work closely with FSU's existing coaches and hire any new ones when that time comes. He also will set the expectations inside the Moore Center for areas such as customer service, employee development and facility enhancement.

And he has strong opinions on all of those topics and more.

During his time leading FSU's fundraising efforts, Alford watched the inner workings of the athletics department "from the sideline," as he puts it. He sat in on meetings, and he observed many of the day-to-day operations.

So once he officially was named Coburn's replacement on Dec. 9 -- a good three weeks before he would move into the office -- he immediately started crafting his initial list of action items. And then he began prioritizing them based on their level of importance and the resources required.

"It is a long list," Alford said.

Evaluation, then execution

When he took over at Seminole Boosters, Alford's first order of business was evaluating the staff -- making sure he had the right people in the building, and in the correct roles -- and then he began implementing his desired practices and procedures.

Even though he had somewhat of a head start in his new position, Alford said this process essentially will be the same.

Athletics department employees will fill out surveys about themselves, their work experiences, goals and other topics. Then after reviewing that information, Alford will meet with them individually and have follow-up conversations.

"It's really about finding out what motivates them," he said. "It's about finding what someone is passionate about, and I'll talk to them at length about, 'What do you want to do? What drives you? What are you passionate about?' And then let's make sure we're giving you the tools and resources to be successful.

"Figuring out how can I enhance what they want to do professionally. And make sure that our organization is in the proper alignment for us to have success."

If Alford's time with the Boosters is any indication, there will be changes. He will examine the organizational chart, reporting structures and even job descriptions. And once that is settled, he will outline expectations for each employee.

At the same time, he is reviewing FSU's operating budget and getting more familiar with the expenses side of the ledger.

"Looking at where our investments are, and what our returns on investments are," Alford said. "Then we can make some determinations of where maybe we need to invest more, or maybe take something off from next year's budget."

Part of that process will include in-depth conversations with the coaches of every men's and women's sport on campus. He worked with them in his role as CEO of Seminole Boosters, but not as closely as he will now.

As is the case with all new athletics directors, there will be a bit of a feeling-out process between he and some of the coaches. But Alford said he doesn't expect that to last long for two reasons: 1) He already knows them; and 2) He likes to confront topics head-on.

"When I met with them, I said I don't like elephants in the room," Alford said. "I said there should never be one. If there's an elephant in the room, it's because there's a lack of communication."

While he might have his own opinions about how teams should operate and decisions that are made in recruiting or game-planning or play-calling, Alford stressed that he intends to give coaches the freedom to run their own programs.

"I'm not here to Monday morning quarterback," he said. "It's my job to give them the resources to be successful and win championships, and that's my focus."

'I measure everything'

As a former Division-I athlete and as the son of a coach, Alford has been immersed in sports for as long as he can remember. He jokes that he grew up in a locker room.

Not surprisingly, he is all about keeping score.

When he took over Seminole Boosters, one of the first things he did was install a digital display board in his office that tracked the activities of his sales staff. It let him know how much revenue was being generated each day, and how many personal contacts were made by every representative.

"I measure everything," Alford said.

While that type of accounting is easier in a sales environment than in an athletics department, Alford says he has made it work in the past.

Before coming to FSU, he was athletics director at Central Michigan; before that, he had stints as a senior administrator at Oklahoma and Alabama, along with positions with the Dallas Cowboys and other NFL and college organizations.

Running reports -- and evaluating staff based on their productivity -- has long been part of his approach.

"There are certain metrics you can put in place for sports information, for the business office," he said. "And we will be installing very similar metrics that have checkpoints along the way. It will be a little different, but it is making sure that people are responsible for their positions, and they're measuring up to what we need to do to be better as an organization."

The metrics will not be a secret or a surprise.

Alford said he will not only discuss them in advance with each employee and department, but he will ask staffers to take part in the process and help set the parameters.

"I'm a firm believer that if you know what you're getting measured on, you're going to perform better," Alford said. "If you're getting better, then the organization is getting better. It's important that we're always looking for ways for improvement, and it starts with improving yourself."

As his coaches will do with their players, Alford believes it's his job to provide his employees with the tools they need to succeed.

That means investing in training, both internally and externally. Challenging everyone in the operation to seek continual development. And encouraging staffers to challenge each other.

"What are we doing every day to get better?" Alford asked rhetorically. "And then making sure that we're moving this organization forward."

While acknowledging that he might not be the easiest boss to work for, the Seminoles' new A.D. says he is determined to make working in his department a rewarding experience.

He has lofty aspirations for FSU Athletics, and he believes it's important that the employees take pride in everything about the organization. From the way the teams perform on the biggest stages to the way the offices and other facilities are kept up on a daily basis.

"I'm going to demand a lot of responsibility for staff and coaches," Alford said. "And I'm a firm believer that when you come to work every day, you should be excited to come. And I think your mindset walking into your workplace is affected by the appearance.

"I'm going to invest in training. I'm going to invest in giving you resources to help you do your job. And I'm going to invest in where you work."

With that in mind, employees can expect cosmetic improvements to the Moore Athletics Center in the coming weeks and months -- which will be welcome news to longtime staffers who have watched areas fall into disrepair as the budgets got tighter and tighter during the COVID pandemic.

While fresh paint or new carpeting won't necessarily improve the department's bottom line, Alford believes those enhancements are important for employees' morale. And for student-athletes and recruits to understand that Florida State is a first-class organization.

"What investments can we make so that they feel good going around and being in the Moore Center, and being in their locker room?" he said. "It helps their morale. And it helps set the standard. ...

"We have so much to sell. We have a great university. We have an unbelievable community. And now we need to invest in where you go to work and your training while you're here."

If the Seminoles plan on being a premier athletics department -- with athletes who compete with the best of the best in the country -- Alford believes the staffers need to operate in the same fashion.

He stresses that excellence needs to be evident in everything the department does -- from big-ticket items like the new football facility to the smallest of gestures, such as making sure chairs aren't out of place and that floors and rooms are clean and tidy.

"There's going to be a standard of how we're going to do the little things," he said. "Because I believe the little things lead to big success. Even though it may not be your job to move that chair or put that chair away, go ahead and pick it up and put it away. Make sure that everyone is responsible for doing the little things."

Investing for the future

Comprehensive excellence -- being successful in all men's and women's sports, not just football, basketball and baseball -- has been the overarching goal for Florida State's athletics department since Dave Hart was hired as A.D. in 1995.

Since that time, the Seminoles have won national championships in sports like softball, soccer and track and field, and they have become perennial powers in others, including golf, volleyball and tennis. And it doesn't appear that goal will change under Alford's leadership.

When speaking about increased investments in the football program, he is quick to point out that FSU's softball and soccer stadiums are getting new scoreboards, and that other improvements will be coming across campus.

But Alford also knows that football success has to be the economic driver for the entire department. And he -- along with new FSU President Richard McCullough and new Board of Trustees Chair Peter Collins -- have committed to increasing the university's commitment to Mike Norvell and his staff.

"That's something Coach Norvell and I did day one," Alford said. "We sat down and said, 'What do you need to be successful?'"

Plans for the new football facility are still moving along steadily, and other football investments are already taking place.

FSU has given Norvell the green light to significantly expand his off-field staff, hiring additional analysts to help with game preparation and extra support staff to aid in recruiting. Just last week, the Seminoles hired former FSU star Corey Fuller as director of football relations and former UF standout Keiwan Ratliff as assistant director of high school relations.

Both of those are new positions, and more are coming.

"We are going to make a substantial investment in that program in personnel," Alford said. "Making that investment just helps the program. It helps the student-athletes. It helps put us on par with what other programs are doing."

That is a substantial about-face from the way Florida State has been operating in recent years.

With the athletics department already facing economic challenges due to a drop-off in football and then the added financial strain caused by the pandemic, former A.D. David Coburn spent nearly his entire 3 1/2-year tenure looking for ways to save money.

The football staffing was never diminished, but it also wasn't really growing. Meanwhile, programs like Clemson, Alabama and Georgia have led the way as football staffs -- and coaches' salaries -- around the country have expanded exponentially.

Florida State will not be among the biggest spenders in those categories any time soon, but Alford, Collins and company believe they're in position to at least close the gap.

"David did an unbelievable job," Alford said. "And one of the things that was appealing about this job was following David Coburn, because you knew it was going to be steady -- with his leadership and what he was going to be able to do with the budget.

"He put us in a great position for me to come in and use my management style and skill set to take us to the next level."

Ultimately, though, Alford doesn't believe his tenure will be judged solely by championships won or buildings constructed.

As part of an extended family that features several coaches and Division-I athletes, he repeatedly brings up his desire for Florida State to be renowned for providing the best student-athlete experience possible.

"It is about them," he said. "They are our why."

When he was a young baseball player at Mississippi State, Alford says, he was close with his head coach, Ron Polk, but that was about it. So once Polk moved on, Alford's main ties to the university went with him.

He doesn't want that to happen with athletes at Florida State.

"I didn't know who my athletic director was," he said. "To be honest, I couldn't tell you who my president was. And I told myself, 'When I get to that position, they're going to know who I am. And they're going to know what I stand for.'"

He plans to accomplish that with small gestures, such as keeping a well-stocked cookie jar in his fourth-floor office and inviting athletes to come visit. And with major enhancements, including renovated facilities and a top-notch staff.

As Florida State's athletics director, Michael Alford's vision will be big. But many of the steps he takes to accomplish it will be small.

"We are going to do everything we can to embrace, help and enhance the student-athlete experience," Alford said. "So when they leave here, with a degree and a ring -- or a couple of rings -- that they're looking back, thinking, 'Man, that time really shaped my life.'"

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