Washington St. woos Moos

PULLMAN – Former University of Oregon athletic director Bill Moos was on the Washington State University campus Tuesday night, as he and the university moved closer to an agreement that would make Moos the next WSU athletic director.

University president Elson S. Floyd told athletic department staff Monday if the university is interested and Moos is interested, WSU would make a “fair offer” to the former Cougars football player concerning the position vacated when Jim Sterk left for San Diego State University last week.

After meeting with some athletic staff members, including a few coaches, over dinner Tuesday night, Moos will meet with other staffers today and take part in a public forum this afternoon.

Moos is the school’s top choice to fill the vacant A.D. spot, according to numerous athletic department sources.

“Every one here feels like it’s a done deal,” said an athletic department staffer, who didn’t want their name used.

Talking with the athletic staffers, Floyd addressed concerns about the 59-year-old Moos’ separation agreement with Oregon. It would pay him $200,000 a year for the next seven years if he doesn’t take an athletic director or similar position at a BCS school west of the Mississippi River.

The WSU president said ironing out a settlement of the agreement was between Moos and Oregon.

The agreement, which went into effect a little more than three years ago when Moos stepped down at Oregon, stipulates Moos would earn the yearly stipend for 10 years, according to published reports. There is reportedly no penalty other than a discontinuation of the payments if Moos decides to take an athletic director spot at a covered school.

Which schools were covered became a bone of contention in December, when Moos was a finalist for the athletic director spot at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a member of the Mountain West Conference. Moos was reportedly offered the job, but Oregon labeled UNLV a BCS school and threatened to cut off the payments. Instead of waiting to see how the disagreement would play out, UNLV hired former Arizona – and WSU – A.D. Jim Livengood.

Moos has lived just south of Spokane in Valleyford, a little more than an hour north of Pullman, since leaving Oregon in November 2006.

A first-team All-Pac-8 offensive lineman as a senior in 1972, Moos graduated from WSU the next spring. He was named an assistant athletic director in 1982 under Sam Jankovich and was promoted to associate athletic director in 1988 under Livengood.

Moos left WSU to become Montana’s athletic director in 1990. He was in Missoula for five years before taking over at Oregon.

His Oregon tenure coincided with the Ducks’ ascendancy to the top of the Pac-10, not only in the football standings but in facilities. He oversaw the expansion of Autzen Stadium, as well as the building of the Ed Moshofsky Sports Center, an indoor football practice facility, and the Casanova Center, which houses the football locker room and weight room.