Michael Strickland serves as Senior Vice President – Football for the Atlantic Coast Conference. He joined the ACC in 2013.
Strickland serves as the ACC’s lead football administrator, overseeing football scheduling, game television programming, football operations, officiating and game management, including the ACC Football Championship Game and the Conference’s Game Day Operations Center. He is the primary football liaison to the ACC’s 17 member institutions, working closely with athletics directors, head coaches and football staffs.
He negotiates and administers the ACC’s bowl agreements and serves as the Conference’s liaison to Bowl Season and its games. Nationally, Strickland represents the ACC in key leadership roles with the NCAA and other governing bodies. He serves as the FBS Commissioners’ designee on the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Oversight Committee, contributed to the FBSOC Calendar Working Group and was appointed by the NCAA Board of Directors to the NCAA’s FBS Working Group.
Since joining the ACC, Strickland has played a central role in a period of significant growth and change for the Conference. During his tenure, the ACC has experienced substantial revenue growth, launched ACC Network in partnership with ESPN, achieved record television audiences and established new benchmarks for attendance.
Widely respected for his expertise in college football administration, Strickland has contributed to major national initiatives, including the “365-Day College Football Calendar Review,” and has served on the NCAA Football Competition Committee. Within the ACC, he has helped lead significant changes to the football model, including the elimination of divisional play, the development of scheduling models to support conference expansion and the strategic positioning of games to maximize national exposure.
Strickland has also helped position the ACC as a leader in football innovation. The Conference pioneered Collaborative Instant Replay, expanded access to its Game Day Operations Center and became the first major sports organization to provide real-time public access to replay audio. He has also been instrumental in advancing rules and technology initiatives, including coach-to-player communication and in-game video.
Over his career, Strickland has administered more than 1,700 college football games, worked closely with nearly 100 head football coaches and athletics directors, and contributed to the success of more than 140 bowl teams, 11 College Football Playoff teams and six national championship game participants, including three national champions.
A proven business leader, Strickland has overseen football scheduling that has generated more than one billion viewers and has negotiated major agreements across the sport, including the ACC’s long-term partnership with the Orange Bowl and ESPN. He has also led ACC Football Championship Game efforts in Charlotte, contributing to significant revenue growth and ticket sales.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Strickland helped guide the ACC through one of the most challenging periods in college athletics, working closely with medical experts, member institutions and student-athletes as the Conference successfully navigated the football season.
Prior to joining the ACC, Strickland held leadership roles with Florida Citrus Sports, ultimately serving as Chief Marketing Officer. There, he helped drive record attendance, secure major media rights agreements and generate substantial revenue growth through sponsorships and marquee events.
A committed leader in both professional and community settings, Strickland has been active in numerous civic and charitable organizations. He earned both his M.B.A. and M.S.A. from Ohio University’s Sports Administration program.