WSU offers job to Moos

PULLMAN – Washington State University President Elson S. Floyd offered the school’s vacant athletic director position to Bill Moos on Thursday afternoon.

“He did extend the offer,” Moos said when reached by telephone. “My wife (Kendra) and I are going to consider it and, hopefully, we’ll have a response to President Floyd in the next few days.”

Moos declined to go into specifics, saying he was honoring Floyd’s wishes.

The story was first reported Thursday at spokesman.com.

In a statement issued Thursday night, Floyd confirmed the offer.

“He is considering the offer we made him and will provide us with his decision by the middle of this coming week,” Floyd said. “I am optimistic we will be able to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

Moos, the former Cougar football player and Montana and Oregon athletic director, emerged quickly as the prime candidate for the position that opened last week when Jim Sterk took the same spot at San Diego State.

One stumbling block may be a separation agreement Moos signed with Oregon when he left the school in November 2006, but he said talks are in the works to iron that out. After leaving Oregon, Moos moved to Valleyford, where he raises cattle.

“The people at Oregon are working with my representatives,” Moos said, reached earlier in the day while hauling beef between Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene. “I’m appreciative of that. I’m going to watch that carefully before I make any decisions.”

Whether an agreement can be worked out in the time frame Floyd is working within is hard to gauge, but Moos seemed confident, if cautious. Floyd reiterated Thursday that Moos’ Oregon agreement is for him to deal with.

Moos and Floyd talked often Tuesday and Wednesday and both came away impressed.

“This thing would not have advanced as far as it has if I did not have a genuine admiration for president Floyd and all that he is doing with Washington State,” Moos said.

No matter what happens, Moos said, he got two things accomplished this week.

“Every opportunity I had (Wednesday), I wanted to applaud Jim Sterk,” Moos. “Jim is a very good friend and I was looking forward to working with him in a consulting basis on raising money for the stadium.

“But the next thing I know he is departing and we’re into where we’re at the present moment.”

Which led to the whirlwind courtship.

“I felt it went exceptionally well,” Moos said of his on-campus visit. “The people at Washington State had it extremely well-organized. I got to meet with and have interaction with everyone I had hoped to.”

Including a lot of old friends.

“The open forum at the end of the day was a lot of fun for me,” Moos said, “and it was very good to be able to see so many people who have meant a lot to me throughout my life and there were a lot of them there. That was very special.”