Life & Death of Warner Alford at Ole Miss

Warner Alford came from Mississippi royalty, but he didn't play like it. As an all-around player at McComb High School in the 1950s and later as an offensive guard on some of Ole Miss' greatest football teams, he, as old coaches are wont to say, would knock you into yesterday-or at least into the dirt.

Warner's mother and father, J.W. and Inez Chandler Alford, owned Denman-Alford department store in downtown McComb. They were involved in every meaningful business, civic, religious, educational, professional, and economic development activity that occurred in the city. He was mayor and a school board member. He was a king of the Junior Auxiliary Azalea Ball. She was a queen.

Warner, who died March 27 at age 87, grew up in the store. He came home after leaving Ole Miss to work there. He and his wife Kay built a small house near the high school. Then somebody asked him to voluntarily help coach the McComb High Tigers. There went his mercantile career. Selling the store's top lines of clothing (and participating in myriad civic duties), he did both for a while but, sooner rather than later, he turned back to athletics for a profession. In 1965, he joined the football staff at Davidson College, N.C., and never looked back.

No short essay like this can offer proper credit to one of the most varied and successful careers of anyone involved in intercollegiate athletics. I followed it from his stellar play as a 165-pound guard on those great Ole Miss teams of the 1950s-1960s under legendary coach Johnny Vaught to several college assistant coaching jobs to his position as Ole Miss' athletic director for 16 years.

He remodeled almost every aspect of Rebel athletics in those years. He also led the expansion of women's athletics. When he took over as athletic director in 1978, Ole Miss sponsored eight sports, increasing that number to 15 when he left the position in 1994, including eight sports for men and seven sports for women. Warner also served on the committee to formulate plans to bring women's athletics fully into the Southeastern Conference.

As an athlete, Alford and quarterback Jake Gibbs were permanent co-captains of the 1960 Rebels squad that won the SEC and defeated Rice in the Sugar Bowl and was named national champion by the Football Writers Association of America. Alford became a member of at least five halls of fame, including the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. After retiring as athletic director, he continued service to his beloved university by leading the alumni association and raising money for the UM Foundation. His work to aid Ole Miss didn't stop until his gallant heart stopped.

On a personal level, I recall how Warner and Kay Alford led the youth fellowship group at Centenary United Methodist Church in McComb after their return "home" from Ole Miss. Warner was a valuable teammate on the church's basketball team. My, how he loved to shoot the ball.

Many years later, Warner gave a name and his full backing to a publication, The Ole Miss Spirit that I and two associates, Chuck Rounsaville and Josh Bogen, were starting. He did despite knowing others with the same idea had failed. The publication is now operating in its 45th year.

Warner Alford's life as a servant to the University of Mississippi is legendary stuff. Now, in his death mourned by so many, you can honor him with a memorial to the Warner and Kay Alford Ole Miss Opportunity Endowment. They started it to help deserving students from lower-income families in Mississippi. Contact umf@umfoundation.com phone 662-915-5944.

---Mac Gordon is a native of McComb. He is a retired newspaperman. He can be reached at macmarygordon@gmail.com.