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After 24 years with Troy University’s Alumni Affairs, Troy Athletics Hall of Famer Mike Amos is retiring.

After Amos retired from a successful career with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA), recruiting industry to the state, the lifelong Troy Trojan officially began working with the university’s Alumni Affairs as a chapter coordinator in 1998.

“I had already been a member of the alumni board 20 years prior to me going to work with (Alumni Affairs),” Amos said. “I had plenty of experience on that board and so I came on here to help recruit alumni groups. That was our main focus and we had a lot of fun.”

Amos had a love for the university – and it’s athletics – so working with alumni groups was a match made in heaven for him.

“Mike Amos loves Troy University and you can’t ever doubt that,” he said with a smile. “I love my Lord, love my family and then I love Troy University.”

Even prior to joining Alumni Affairs, Amos was one of the integral figures in moving Troy Athletics from Division II to Division I, a fact he is extremely proud of.

“I can feel good about my involvement in the move to Division I Athletics at Troy,” said Amos. “I was on that committee, eight or 10 of us, to make that move. That move meant we were on an even scale with the likes of Alabama or Auburn or LSU when it came to things like scholarships and classifications. Because of guys like Wiley Locklar, Ben Beard, Nick Cervera, Walter Hennigan, and I could go on and on naming people in the background that helped build that up. The board had to approve it and Chancellor (Jack) Hawkins was instrumental.

“I think that was the best thing to ever happen to Troy. Look at what Troy’s done since we moved to Division I and then to (FBS) in football. You see the growth in the university but you also see the growth in the City of Troy. The City of Troy can take pride in knowing they also walked hand-and-hand with the university in making that move.”

Troy University Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins called Amos a legend of the Troy Athletics.

“Mike Amos is legendary within the Trojan Family,” Hawkins said. “No one loves Troy and Troy University more than Mike, and it has been a blessing to be his friend and colleague. It was a great day for Troy University when he accepted my offer to serve in our office of Alumni Affairs. Although he is retiring, his Trojan spirit will live on forever.”

Amos not only is a Troy University alumnus himself but he played for the Trojans in the 1960s. His love for Troy Athletics started long before that, however.

“I grew up a Trojan,” he emphasized. “I grew up a little boy running downtown to get in line to watch the Troy State Appreciation Day Parade in the 1950s. I loved that red and black. I used to go over to the college (to watch a game), whether I had a ticket or not. I would find a way in and all those folks began to love me and I loved them. I can probably go back to the 1950s talking about Troy University Sports.”

Amos, who can still recite starting lineups from Troy football teams of the 1950s, says his love for the university starts with the love of his hometown.

“Troy is my home, it’s where I went to school and it’s where I’m from. So, why not have ultra pride in being who you are and where you’re from,” Amos asked. “That is very important to me. I am who am I and I’m from where I’m from. Pride in your community probably says the most about me than anything else.

“We are Trojans one and all. If I had a tombstone written on my behalf it would say, “He was a Trojan, one and all.’ You can – and should – feel good about your hometown.”

When searching his memories of all of his favorite times, Amos said he was beyond blessed to be apart of Troy Athletics and the university for so long.

“I was there in the heyday of Chase Riddle and Don Maestri and Larry Blakeney and all these new coaches we’ve had,” Amos excitedly said. “I knew Chan Gailey and Rick Rhoades, I’ve been around all of them real closely. I’ve had a thrill and have been thrilled to be a part of it.

“Chase Riddle was a dear friend of mine and we were close friends when he got the job. Larry Blakeney, what a coach and man he was and is. It’s been a privilege to be a part of it.”

While Amos may be retiring from Alumni Affairs, he isn’t about to stop being around Troy Athletics.

“This is a part of me. I’ve got so many friends here at Troy,” an emotional Amos said. “The people have been so kind to me. If I wanted someone to pick me up and carry me to my seat there would be 40 people lined up to help me. That’s the love I’ve received from all my Trojans. I’m so very grateful for it.

“I hope to live longer, so that I’ll be able to reap the benefits of being up there watching the Trojans win more. As far as a non-coach, I probably know more about Troy Football in the last 50 years than anybody, because I cared and I wanted those kids to know they have someone that loved them.”