Moos leaving WSU to become the athletic director at Nebraska

Published 1:30 am Sunday, October 15, 2017

LINCOLN, Neb. — The University of Nebraska announced Sunday it has hired Washington State athletic director Bill Moos to head its athletic department.

The choice comes less than four weeks after Nebraska fired Shawn Eichorst. Eichorst was let go Sept. 21, the week after the Cornhuskers football team lost to Northern Illinois at home. Moos was announced as his replacement less than 24 hours after Ohio State routed Nebraska 56-14 in Lincoln.

University chancellor Ronnie Green said Moos was picked from a field that included several sitting athletic directors from Power Five conference schools.

“To lead one of the most storied and successful athletic programs in the nation is a true honor,” Moos said in a statement. “Nebraska is a very special place, known far and wide for its phenomenal fans, for doing things the right way, for supporting its students, honoring its athletic legacy and maintaining excellence in athletics success across the board. I am proud to help build upon these Husker traditions.”

Moos has been the athletic director at Washington State since 2010. The 66-year-old agreed to a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $1 million, plus incentives. His job at Nebraska starts Oct. 23.

“Nebraska has secured a proven winner in Bill Moos to lead Husker Athletics into a new era of excellence,” Green said in a statement. “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.”

One of Moos’ first tasks will be to decide whether to retain football coach Mike Riley, who was a surprise hire from Oregon State three years ago. Riley is 18-15 with the Cornhuskers but has lost eight of his past 13 games.

The 42-point loss to Ohio State was the Huskers’ most lopsided at home since 1949 and came after a 21-point loss to Wisconsin.

“In discussing this opportunity with Bill, it was obvious he is ready to bring his tested brand of leadership to the Big Red,” Green said. “Throughout his distinguished career, he has exhibited a combination of passion, wisdom and an ability to bring people together in pursuit of a common goal. Those traits fit Nebraska like a glove.”

Before taking over at WSU, Moos was athletic director at Oregon from 1995-2007. With Moos at the helm, the Ducks won 13 Pac-10 championships in six different sports. He previously was athletic director at Montana.

Moos is a graduate of WSU and was a three-year letterman in football, serving as co-captain of the Cougars in 1972.