EDIT NUSS: Bumped because it's thoughtful and well written. Dang, we've been getting some good reader content lately!

Unfortunately for the majority of the CougCenter community getting to the public forum with Moos was not a possibility, because of work, school, or a wonky feed many were unable to see it or hear it.  I was lucky enough to have the afternoon off from work and was in attendance and even got to ask a question or two. 

First I want to thank President Floyd for giving the fans and donors and those of us who care the opportunity to see this either on campus or via the internet.  As most of you well know when most universities are in the midst of a hiring, especially for a job like Athletic Director, there is typically a door or two that is closed off to the general public disallowing any information to leak, much less an open forum provided where questions big and small can be lobbed at a potential candidate.  That said, this is no ordinary candidate and this is by no means an ordinary courtship.

Bill Moos is first and foremost one of us.  He is a Coug through and through and made that clear in his opening statement and throughout the Q and A session.  He understands what makes Pullman such a special place and why so many of us call it home.  He is also experienced on the big time Pac-10 stage in fund raising, rallying people, and promoting a program that has a less than stellar tradition or history.  Before taking over at Oregon there was a tradition of ups and downs within the majority of their programs and as he described it the way you have to build is to lay a solid foundation.  Looking at what he achieved at Oregon as a fundraiser and leader it becomes clear that Bill Moos knows what a strong foundation looks like and how the culture amongst a fan base can and needs to be cultivated.  Much like Paul Wulff when he was hired Moos immediately said that there needs to be a culture change, being okay with mediocrity can't be allowed to be the status quo and getting started by soliciting new and younger donors at the lower levels is the way to start.

I was especially pleased by that response because I'm the guy that asked him what he could/ would do if he got the job to reform the Athletic Department's fund raising practices.  I know there are quite a few recent graduates like myself out there that want to donate at some level, but have yet to be approached.  Briefly talking to Moos after he stepped away from the podium he made it clear that he gets it.  I explained to him my difficulty in donating and the seeming lack of interest from the department in collecting small donations which I have attempted to get going with since November when I attended the Martin Stadium fund raiser here in Pullman.  For those of you who saw it there was talk of a pyramid, at the broad base of the pyramid low level donors and former players could be brought in and over time moved up as they were able to do so.  I was so happy to hear this come from him that I nearly hugged him.  When I had approached Jim Sterk and some of his assistants back in November I had been passed one to the other with little regard for my willingness to join in on supporting the program.

Sterk was a hell of a nice guy, but actual discussion of money seemed to make him uneasy at best the few times I met and spoke with him and frankly Bill Moos could have taken my wallet today and I'd have let him.  Money doesn't make him uncomfortable and when it comes to him with a smile on it's face he's more than happy to take it.  At the same time he's already got an in with numerous Coug donors.  To see him work the room in the wake of his Q and A was a sight to behold.  If I didn't know better I'd be willing to bet at least a few thousand dollars got pledged right there on the spot.  He knows what it takes to make a donor WANT to give so that it doesn't have to be a hard sell.  Those of us that read this site and the other cougcentric sites daily want nothing more than a good program, especially in football, and Moos is the man to get us there.  I have never seen a person so ready to take over and make an instant impact as Bill Moos was today in that room.

At Oregon he cultivated an increasingly large donor base, which is still growing, and left them with something that can and will sustain long after he walked away.  He can do the same for us here at WSU and he wants to.  I couldn't believe the amount of people that showed up and once I found out who some of them were I couldn't believe who showed up.  Seeing Jack Thompson there was awesome and Chad Eaton had a great question not long after mine and both of them were foaming at the mouth to get Moos in and working asap.  Bobo Brayton was about the most lively I've ever seen him and ran down a list of reasons why Moos has to take the job.  Our biggest donors want him, our former players want him, our President wants him, and for those of us frustrated little donors I want him.  He's got the tools, the clout, and the moxy to make WSU into a self sustaining contender.  We need Bill Moos and he wants to be the man here, lets all hope this thing can work because if they can swing it WSU may well make the greatest Restricted Free Agent signing in the history of Pacific Northwest Sports.

Go Cougs and get the Moos!