Michael Alford: Impact of first 6 months as FSU Athletic Director
By Kelvin Hunt
Soccer
The Mark Krikorian leaving FSU soccer out of nowhere was the first big test for Michael Alford. Most folks think of Krikorian as the best soccer coach in the country, and that situation left a bad taste among FSU soccer fans.
However, as more details emerged, it became clear Alford was more than fair in the contract negotiations that had started with the FSU administration before Alford officially became the athletic director.
When Krikorian decided to leave FSU soccer, Alford wasted no time in conducting a national search to hire arguably one of the best soccer coaches in the nation away from Tennessee in Brian Pensky.
While it’ll be impossible to hire Krikorian, Pensky is about as good a hire as one can make, given the circumstances of Krikorian blindsiding the university.
The same day Krikorian told the press he was leaving FSU soccer, Alford officially hired Brooke Wyckoff to replace Sue Semrau as FSU women’s basketball coach.
It was a move largely expected since Wyckoff served as the interim coach when Semrau took a leave of absence the previous year to care for her mother. However, Wycoff has a lot of experience and co-signed by Semrau for all intents and purposes.