As many have “opined”, here and everywhere else in the WSU blogosphere/message boards, it is the ultimate story of right place, right time. WSU needed this guy, pure and simple, for so many reasons we won’t even list them out here. Did Moos need WSU? Not really, not when you are being paid good money to hang on the ranch for another seven years. But clearly there has been a level of interest from Moos ever since his Oregon days ended a couple of years ago.
Remember, Moos was part of the hiring process for the football head coaching position in 2007, where the program ultimately chose Paul Wulff. And, last fall Moos was brought aboard the ship to help try and reel in the funds for Martin Stadium Phase III, which as you know, hasn’t yet made it to the finish line. Anyway, as our own Lucas mentioned the other day, you really have to wonder what Oregon is thinking right about now. Not that they have anything going on in their neck of the woods these days…..but they were the ones that blocked Moos from getting the UNLV gig back in December. What if they would have stepped aside and let him take that job? They certainly wouldn’t be looking at Bill Moos, WSU Athletic Director today, that’s for sure. Per Howie Stalwick over the weekend, well, just ask Moos himself:
“The good Lord works in mysterious ways,” Moos said, “because I couldn’t have looked at this position if I had just been hired at UNLV.”
And another thing on the whole Oregon settlement with Moos, which according to reports, is still not totally settled. But how often do you see a business guarantee someone $2 million dollars in severance, along with an agreement that the only way he’ll get said severance is if he doesn’t work in the same field of work, west of the Mississippi, for the next 10 years?? You don’t, unless of course you are concerned at the prospect of seeing him land, you know, a job in your conference? As Reggie Jackson once said, after being booed unmercifully by the Fenway faithful, “hey, they don’t boo nobodies.”
And you don’t pay someone $2 million to not work in your world if that person is a nobody!
Meanwhile, as expected, praise is pouring in on this move.
From Cougfan:
“He is the premier athletic director at the BCS level,” said new Montana head football coach Robin Pflugrad, an assistant coach at Oregon and Montana when Moos was AD at the schools.
“I couldn’t think of anybody more capable that we could bring in,” said Washington State football hall-of-famer Keith Lincoln, an assistant coach when Moos played for the Cougars and director of the WSU Alumni Association when Moos was WSU’s associate and associate athletic director.
“To me,” former longtime WSU sports information director Rod Commons added, “everything is ‘plus’ when you look at Bill Moos being Washington State’s athletic director.”
“I’m really excited about this. This is wonderful,” former WSU baseball coach Bobo Brayton said by phone from his ranch outside Pullman.
“We’ve got Bill now. We’ve got new energy, new leadership. A lot of people are going to jump in the ship with him because they like Bill.”
These quotes are just the tip of the iceberg, as there are many more articles and interviews full of Moos praise from Jack Thompson, etc.
Pretty clear picture forming here, isn’t it? Clearly the people who have been in and around WSU athletics for many years are ALL IN on Moos.
As someone who is involved over in Pullman told us last week after meeting with Moos behind closed doors, Moos “gets it, especially when it comes to football. The football program can drive 70-75% of an entire athletic department’s revenue and Moos knows this.” Times, as they say, are about to change.
One more thing to add on Moos, and it’s from Stalwick’s story above, with the UNLV quote:
If and when he takes over at WSU, Moos said he plans to implement many of the same strategies that worked so successfully on and off the fields of battle during his stints as AD at Oregon and Montana.
“I like the Nordstrom’s (business) model,” Moos said. “We’ve always liked that.
“It’s customer service. They don’t have to buy tickets. They don’t have to give (donations to athletics).
“It’s a privilege for us to have them do that, and they need to be treated that way and to make sure they are happy with their purchase. You create repeat customers, and that’s what you have to have.”
How can you not like the approach of trying to reach out and engage EVERYONE, not just the big donors? I think the idea of treating people like they are important to the cause, whether or not they give large amounts of money. Just because someone isn’t sending WSU all their discretionary income doesn’t make them a bad person. They need to bring these people in, make them feel part of something. That can only lead to good things.
I think Moos understands that the little things can go so far with the general fan/alum/follower. And hey, the guy who is on a tight budget today and might not be able to write a check? It doesn’t mean he won’t be making some really good money in the near future, and when the time is right, is ready and willing to help out instead of letting the fundraising call from Pullman go straight to voicemail….Like Moos says, these people need to be treated the right way and make sure they are happy with their purchase….and not just brush by them at fundraising events like a stranger in the crowd, with their eyes fixed on the bigger donors.
There is a wave of energy, excitement and enthusiasm here, and let’s hope it continues after today. Welcome home Bill Moos!
All for now. Enjoy your humpday, and GO COUGS!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
