In a surprise move, Nebraska looks to have its new athletic director in Washington State’s Bill Moos. It was a bit of a surprise, and only four weeks after parting ways with Shawn Eichorst.
Nebraska hiring Washington State’s Bill Moos, athletic director who hired Mike Leach
If the Huskers do end up holding a coaching search, there’s now a name on the list.
Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images
“Nebraska has secured a proven winner in Bill Moos to lead Husker Athletics into a new era of excellence,” UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green said in a news release. “It was clear that Bill stood out in a very competitive, tremendously gifted pool of candidates, not only because of his proven ability to lead programs to greatness, but because of his reputation for integrity in building and leading those programs.”
For now, Mike Riley is still the head man in Lincoln, but a new regime could mean Riley’s days are numbered with the Huskers. New athletic directors typically have a mandate to clean house, and Nebraska has been struggling on the field. They got pasted in Week 7 by Ohio State, 56-14.
Scott Frost is the name that seems penciled in for the Huskers job if it does indeed open. Frost was a national title winning QB with Nebraska in the mid-1990s.
But for now, there’s another name to consider: Washington State coach Mike Leach. Moos hired Leach out of nowhere a few years ago, and the Cougars were undefeated before losing to Cal on Friday night. So he’s naturally going to come up in discussions about the Nebraska job, even though Moos said this after being hired away:
Moos was very, very public about his adoration for Leach and the hefty support of an athletic director is something he considers very important. Now, half way through a 6-1 football season, with rumors swirling that other schools will come calling for Mike Leach, he has lost the athletic director.
The hire checks of the box for hiring a sitting Power Five AD. Moos also has experience with donors, and has shown the ability to get stadium improvements and projects completed. Washington State has not won a NCAA Championship since before World War 2.
Fundraising under Moos has shown a marked increase, with an 81% increase in gifts since Moos became the AD. In addition, Moos has had 45 All-American athletes while at Washington State.
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