Nelson Townsend
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 16, 1941 |
| Died |
January 8, 2015 (aged 73) Tallahassee, Florida |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1976–1979 | Maryland Eastern Shore |
| 1979–1986 | Delaware State |
| 1986–1987 | Florida A&M |
| 1987–1999 | Buffalo |
| 2003–2005 | Maryland Eastern Shore |
| 2005–2007 | Florida A&M |
| 2014–2015 | Florida A&M (interim AD) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| MEAC Hall of Fame inductee (1995) | |
Nelson E. Townsend (May 16, 1941 – January 8, 2015) was an American college athletics administrator. Townsend served seven tenures as athletic director at four different universities: the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (1976–1979 and 2003–2005),[1] Delaware State University (1979–1986), Florida A&M University (1986–1987, 2005–2007, and 2014–2015[2] and the University at Buffalo (1987–1999).[3][4] He was the University at Buffalo's first African American athletic director.[1] At both Delaware State and Buffalo, Townsend was responsible for leading the athletic department to achieve full NCAA Division I status, as both schools transitioned from lower levels of NCAA hierarchy.[1] Townsend was elected to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 1995.[5]
On December 15, 2014, Florida A&M University president Dr. Elmira Mangum announced that Townsend had been named interim athletic director at Florida A&M, following the resignation of Kellen Winslow.[6] It was Townsend's third stint as Florida A&M AD, following previous tenures from 1986–1987 and 2005–2007. On December 23, 2014 Townsend announced the hiring of Alex Wood as the new head football coach at Florida A&M.[4][7] On January 8, 2015, Townsend collapsed on the Florida A&M campus while he was preparing for a staff meeting. He was rushed to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare where he was pronounced dead from a heart attack at the age of 73.[2][8]
References
- 1 2 3 "UMES Hall of Famer Nelson Townsend Dies". WBOC-TV. January 9, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- 1 2 "FAMU interim AD Nelson Townsend dies at 73". Tallahassee Democrat. January 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ "Nelson Townsend, former UB athletic director, dies in Florida". The Buffalo News. January 9, 2015. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- 1 2 "Ex-UB AD hires Alex Wood as head coach at Florida A&M". The Buffalo News. December 23, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ "Hall of Fame". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. July 30, 2008. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
- ↑ "Nelson Townsend named interim Athletic Director at FAMU". Tallahassee Democrat. December 15, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ "FAMU announces Alex Wood as new head football coach". Tallahassee Democrat. December 23, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
- ↑ "Funeral arrangements set for Nelson Townsend". Tallahassee Democrat. January 8, 2015. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-10.
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