Nelson Townsend

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), Delaware State University (1979–1986), Florida A&M University (1986–1987, 2005–2007, and 2014–2015) and the University at Buffalo (1987–1999). He was the University at Buffalo's first African American athletic director. 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. Townsend was elected to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 1995.

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. 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. 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.