Last month, Associate Director Vaughn Wilson announced his decision to resign effective June 30th.
“The athletics department has been reduced in size over the years and that has resulted in many of us multitasking on a daily basis,” Wilson said in a Facebook post on February 4th. “The load became unhealthy in my opinion. It's nobody's fault, but it is just too much to maintain.”
Darlene Moore, director of track and field, resigned effective immediately just days ago. She spoke about a lack of support for her teams.
“Honestly, I have fought a long hard battle to get us the basics such as shoes, uniform and wind suits,” she said in a statement. “I feel that I have not nor have my teams received the support that I wanted to receive from my administration. I am truly sorry.”
Wilson and Moore both began working in the department in 2009.
There were recently questions about whether Head Football Coach Willie Simmons might also be on his way out prior to an open letter he wrote to fans in February that, among many things, addressed his concern about the levels of support his team has received.
“Some of you may have heard of offers aimed at luring me away from FAMU, but I am committed to taking this team beyond the step forward we took last season,” he wrote.
He added: “Simply put, the level we were supported at last year simply is not enough for a championship program… The resources for nutrition, recruiting and summer school must be in place to compete and win against teams that have these necessities provided.”
A follow-up article in the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Simmons said he’s had problems getting answers to questions he’s brought to the administration. The article stated: “Simmons continues to press for answers when it comes to his program’s fundamental needs, specifically the resources for nutrition, recruiting and summer school. For instance, Simmons doesn’t know his budget’s bottom line. He’s unsure how much revenue a home football game generates. He’s not entirely clear where funds that are raised by Boosters and by the annual Investing in Champions Annual Giving Campaign land.”
Back in 2017, then-Athletics Director Milton Overton led the department to its first surplus since the years of former AD Ken Riley. Overton finished the 2016-2017 fiscal year with a $9,500 surplus.
The department reportedly broke even in 2017-2018. A Tallahassee Democrat article from earlier this month said that “while the department exceeded revenue in multiple categories in the 2018-19 budget, it still faces a $400,000 shortfall due to unanticipated expenses.”