Schulz/Chun strategy: Blame Bill Moos for any "problems" in WSU athletics?

[Coug95man2]

I don't think he was a messiah. I think he walked into a room full of conference ADs with respect and influence ahead of him. Something that no recent WSU AD has had. No longer were other schools gonna take what WSU leadership had to say with a grain of salt or even ignore them altogether. Don't be fooled. There is a pecking order of influence in ADs in the room. Do you really think anyone gave two flying shitz what Jim Sterk had to say??? I don't.

Moos brought more to WSU then right place and right time.

I agree. When the P12 financial distribution was announced, it wasn't Moos only that was telling the story. Everyone knew, Moos was instrumental in making sure the "windfall" would be distributed evenly between the 12 schools. If not, I think it could be just as likely that the money wouldn't be distributed equally. Remember we've been the doormat for the Pac in so many ways, for so many years (decades). How many years was USC the bully? Wouldn't go down to Pullman? Stuff like that?

Now, I agree with Patrol that there is a give and take, and Moos was no "Messiah". But credit is given where credit is due. He wasn't perfect and he had holes in his toolbox. If he had a larger budget, maybe he'd have been able to hire people around him that would have made him look better? I don't know. That's what normal leaders do. It's rare for a leader to be everything to everyone. So you hire people around you that will make you look good. He either didn't hire those people, thus he didn't fill his toolbox with other peoples talents. Or he didn't have the budget to hire those people.

Either way, he was human. IMHO, at this stage of evaluation, he was better for WSU than worse. By a long shot.

To me, he saw a revenue stream that was dying. Football. That stream isn't a branch of the financial tree of WSU Athletics. It's the trunk. It needed to have an infusion. He did that. For better or for worse.

EDIT: and I'll add. While he infused football, he didn't ignore the other sports. He tried (and failed) at basketball. He succeeded at keeping soccer going. He moved on a new Track coach. That seems to start gaining speed. On that note, did anyone see "Juice", our 4star WR out of Texas, did an incredible Long jump. Record holder. He'll be on our Track team as well. Anyways. Not trying to be a Moos cheerleader but the slamming of him here, and other places is misplaced, IMHO. Revised history, in much of the comments.

 

[BleedCrimsonandGray]

Odd. There have been electric moments and traditions in Martin before Bill Moos and there will be electric moments and traditions in Martin long after he has gone.

To say "None of this" implies WSU, its culture, its tradition is because of Bill Moos and that's simply not true. There are thousands of people who have made it so.

Moos deserves credit for right place, right time. But there were 11 other AD's involved in TV money negotiations. The urban myth is "none of this" happens without Moos. He was in the room. He had input. But so did 11 other ADs. "This" doesn't happen without TV money, plain and simple. And TV money was plentiful throughout the entire country. It wasn't a phenomenon exclusive to WSU or reliant on Bill Moos.

Moos had a job. He got paid handsomely for it. Some parts of it he did well. Some he flat out sucked at and failed miserably. Let's not make him out to be some greater messiah than that. In turn, it's not fair to brand him as some sort of miscreant incompetent.

He didn't make tv money happen- that's not the "myth".

He made sure that WSU (and others) all got a fair cut of the revenue, whereas the LA schools wanted the lion's share and everyone else was to get scraps. That's being said, I'm sure he wasn't solo on that effort, but he has been given credit for championing the issue.

 

[Observer11]

He didn't make tv money happen- that's not the "myth".

He made sure that WSU (and others) all got a fair cut of the revenue, whereas the LA schools wanted the lion's share and everyone else was to get scraps. That's being said, I'm sure he wasn't solo on that effort, but he has been given credit for championing the issue.

Never have disputed the champion role.

Along with about 9 other ADs outside LA.

 

[Glad Cougar]

I agree. When the P12 financial distribution was announced, it wasn't Moos only that was telling the story. Everyone knew, Moos was instrumental in making sure the "windfall" would be distributed evenly between the 12 schools. If not, I think it could be just as likely that the money wouldn't be distributed equally. Remember we've been the doormat for the Pac in so many ways, for so many years (decades). How many years was USC the bully? Wouldn't go down to Pullman? Stuff like that?

Now, I agree with Patrol that there is a give and take, and Moos was no "Messiah". But credit is given where credit is due. He wasn't perfect and he had holes in his toolbox. If he had a larger budget, maybe he'd have been able to hire people around him that would have made him look better? I don't know. That's what normal leaders do. It's rare for a leader to be everything to everyone. So you hire people around you that will make you look good. He either didn't hire those people, thus he didn't fill his toolbox with other peoples talents. Or he didn't have the budget to hire those people.

Either way, he was human. IMHO, at this stage of evaluation, he was better for WSU than worse. By a long shot.

To me, he saw a revenue stream that was dying. Football. That stream isn't a branch of the financial tree of WSU Athletics. It's the trunk. It needed to have an infusion. He did that. For better or for worse.

EDIT: and I'll add. While he infused football, he didn't ignore the other sports. He tried (and failed) at basketball. He succeeded at keeping soccer going. He moved on a new Track coach. That seems to start gaining speed. On that note, did anyone see "Juice", our 4star WR out of Texas, did an incredible Long jump. Record holder. He'll be on our Track team as well. Anyways. Not trying to be a Moos cheerleader but the slamming of him here, and other places is misplaced, IMHO. Revised history, in much of the comments.

Well written post, but I don't agree that "he tried and failed at basketball". Moos did nothing to invest in the program (facilities, charter flights, etc..) unless you count giving his UO buddy Ernie Kent a perpetual 5-year $1.4 million contract an investment. It was a lazy hire and demonstrated Moos indeed essentially ignored the program.

Glad Cougar

 

[Loyal Coug]

As smart as you are, why'd you ever hang out with D&D and Loiled?

F-you - you scuzzy POS.

 

[ElComanche]

There was not enough money to go around,and that is why Moos did not invest in basketball. The big failure,as i see it,was the attempt to finance the baseball program. That is a non winner and it costs too much with little real or potential money generated. The basketball program should have been given priority. Moos,however invested in the one program which he felt was the money maker. i remember just reading where the Tv revenues saw a big increase this past year?

 

[CougSinceBirth]

Moos maxed out the credit card on good facility investments for football and an awful hire for basketball. Then he skipped town when it came time to pay. The regents and the late Elson Floyd also have a hand in this and should not be let off the hook.

This is the simple truth.

Why do their predecessors get off the hook then? They could've continued moving the needle, but they sat idle and ignored important infrastructure. Previous university presidents, ADs and BoR members could've continued to build WSU, but they didn't.

I'm not saying Moos or Floyd deserve a 100% pass, but history shows they aren't alone to blame.

(Basketball doesn't get a pass in my book - bad, bad hire.)

My $0.02.

 

[wazzucougs96]

Why do their predecessors get off the hook then? They could've continued moving the needle, but they sat idle and ignored important infrastructure. Previous university presidents, ADs and BoR members could've continued to build WSU, but they didn't.

I'm not saying Moos or Floyd deserve a 100% pass, but history shows they aren't alone to blame.

(Basketball doesn't get a pass in my book - bad, bad hire.)

My $0.02.

Are you talking about Sterk and Rawlins? I don't know a single person who gives them a pass. But at least Sterk was working on fundraising before he left.