Academy Sports + Outdoors, Inc. (“Academy” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ASO) today announced that Carl Ford has been promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective July 12, 2023, succeeding Michael Mullican, who recently transitioned to President.  In his new role, Mr. Ford will oversee Finance, Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Loss Prevention, Internal Audit, and Investor Relations.

Mr. Ford has served as Academy’s Senior Vice President, Finance since January 2019.  Prior to joining Academy, he served as Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis at Belk, Inc. where he spent 15 years.  During his time at Belk, he also served as the Vice President of Internal Audit and held leadership roles in Accounting and Treasury.  Mr. Ford also worked for Deloitte & Touche in their audit practice.  He holds a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Alabama, a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi, and he is an active Certified Public Accountant.

“I am thrilled to announce the promotion of Carl Ford to Chief Financial Officer,” says Michael Mullican Academy Sports + Outdoors President.  “He has an incredible financial acumen and track record of driving positive results at Academy.  He played an integral role in helping us navigate the pandemic, achieve our previous long-range plan, as well as supporting our IPO and the development of our new long-range plan.  I’m confident Carl and his team will continue to be excellent stewards of our capital as they drive value for our shareholders.”

“I’m humbled and excited for the opportunity to lead our finance organization into the future,” said Mr. Ford.  “Under Michael’s leadership, we developed a strong financial team, redefined business processes, and established Academy within the financial community.  The Company has a strong balance sheet and solid cash flow to support our growth and create value for our shareholders.  I look forward to partnering with Steve and Michael as we focus on long-term growth and profitability as we pursue our vision of becoming the best sports and outdoors retailer in the country.”

About Academy Sports + Outdoors

Academy is a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer in the United States.  Originally founded in 1938 as a family business in Texas, Academy has grown to 270 stores across 18 states.  Academy’s mission is to provide “Fun for All”, and Academy fulfills this mission with a localized merchandising strategy and value proposition that strongly connects with a broad range of consumers.  Academy’s product assortment focuses on key categories of outdoor, apparel, footwear and sports & recreation through both leading national brands and a portfolio of private label brands.  For more information, visit academy.com.