Bill Moos retiring as Nebraska athletic director

Bill Moos will retire as Nebraska's athletic director at the end of the month, the school announced Friday.

"I step away completely content, knowing that our athletic program is reborn and rebuilt and that it has a solid, stable foundation," Moos said in a statement.

Moos, 70, had led Nebraska's athletic department since October 2017 after seven years at Washington State. He made celebrated coaching hires such as Scott Frost in football and Fred Hoiberg in men's basketball, although Frost, a former Huskers quarterback, is 12-20 in his first three seasons at his alma mater. In all, Moos has hired 12 head coaches during his time at Nebraska.

Moos had been under contract through 2022. He had said publicly that he wanted to stay in the job until he was comfortable the Cornhuskers football program had been turned around but told the Lincoln Journal Star on Friday that he began to think about retirement about a year and a half ago.

"Then the pandemic hit and there was no question that this ship needed its captain to navigate through that tough time and that crisis," Moos told the newspaper. "I want to say this, gosh, I've been very blessed with a 40-year career and 28 as AD. The accomplishment of getting through this COVID year and how we did it will go down as one of the top accomplishments, I think."

He told the Omaha World-Herald that he'd had conversations recently with University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green about his buyout and was informed last week that he would retire almost immediately.

“Apparently this was the best time,” Moos told the World-Herald while declining to say who told him he’d be retiring. https://www.betmantoto.pro

Moos was hired in 2017 with a contract that ran through the end of 2022. He oversaw the major sports hires of Scott Frost for football, Fred Hoiberg for men’s basketball and Will Bolt for baseball. In total, Moos hired 12 Husker head coaches.

The Go Big Project, including the new $155 million football facility, broke ground earlier this year after Moos led the department through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The incredible challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic were numerous and widespread," Moos said in the release, "yet our staff never wavered, never shied away from our fundamental responsibilities to protect health and safety and then to ensure the long-term stability of our Department. I am grateful for our staff’s service and commitment to our work and I have no doubt that great things lie ahead for Husker Athletics.”

Moos said in a his statement that he is appreciative of his time in Lincoln.

“I have been so fortunate to work as the Director of Athletics at four wonderful schools and have seen a lot but I have never witnessed and experienced the passion of fans like we have at Nebraska. The unflinching support of our programs and of our university is inspiring and unmatched. I have visited every part of our great state and engaged with thousands of Husker fans over the years, and there truly is No Place like Nebraska.”

Nebraska will now look to hire the 16th athletic director in school history. Garrett Klassy, senior deputy athletic director for external relations, will se interim athletic director.