Woodward named UW athletic director
Published 2:20 pm Wednesday, September 17, 2008
SEATTLE — The University of Washington hired Scott Woodward as athletic director on Wednesday, ending a nine-month search.
Woodward held the interim position after Todd Turner resigned in December. Woodward, who arrived at the school in 2004, also served as Washington’s vice president of external affairs.
University president Mark Emmert brought Woodward from LSU, where he served as liaison between the university administration and the athletic department.
One of Woodward’s first tasks will be determining the future of football coach Tyrone Willingham, who has a 11-28 record in his four seasons. The Huskies are 0-3 this season. Woodward said Wednesday that Willingham would be evaluated after the season. The coach enters the final year of his five-year contract next year.
Earlier this month, Emmert asked critical fans to give Willingham and the team a break, noting the toughness of the schedule. The Huskies have lost to ranked teams BYU, Oregon and Oklahoma.
“Your warts show when you’re losing,” Woodward said, “and when you’re winning they go away kind of, or you don’t look at them. But we’ve got to win some ball games. That’s crucial.”
The school is promoting a $300-million renovation of the stadium, with $150 million coming from state tourism taxes already in place to help pay off the bonds on Qwest Field and Safeco Field. The remainder would come from premium seat charges, private donations and the athletic department.
