Former Oregon AD Moos appears to be best option

I am trying to determine how UNLV will inform the two finalists who won't be offered the school's athletic director job, given the ridiculous manner (e-mail from a search committee chairman) in which others were told Tuesday.

Maybe by postcard.

Maybe by smoke signal.

Maybe by asking the two to stand outside their homes at a certain time and look for the airplane pulling a banner.

My guess is it would read: "BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME -- CALL 739-FANS FOR TICKETS!"

If it happens that Bill Moos is one to receive such news, the Rebels probably would choose to notify him by pony express.

Of the three candidates who remain in this journey, Moos offers the most interesting resume, a man who oversaw Oregon's athletic department as it grew into one of the strongest among Pac-10 Conference schools but who has spent the last three years working his 60-acre ranch just south of Spokane, Wash.

Jim Livengood is a finalist with a current job overseeing athletics at Arizona, or at least until his contract expires without being renewed in June.

Washington State senior associate John Johnson also resides in the field and is said to be a workaholic on the fundraising side of things.

Moos feeds hay to his cattle.

He might also prove the best of the remaining lot for UNLV.

Johnson's motivation for the Rebels' job is easy to read. He was athletic director at Eastern Washington and Weber State before arriving at Washington State, and running UNLV's department would be an obvious step up for someone with hopes of continuing to rise in the profession.

Reports out of Tucson, Ariz., are that Livengood will be finished when his current deal lapses. He seems intent on being ahead of that outcome, and influential sorts in Las Vegas seem intent on aiding him in that pursuit.

Moos is 58 and a bit different. He has been out of athletics for some time now. He doesn't appear to need the money UNLV's job would provide. But if this is a case of a man's batteries being recharged after time away, what he built at Oregon can't be ignored.

Moos was forced out in Eugene in large part because he clashed with the school's biggest donor, Nike co-founder Phil Knight. This would be like an extra on a movie set disagreeing with George Clooney over major points in the script.

You find out pretty fast which one is replaceable.

The financing for a new basketball arena at Oregon stalled under Moos, a huge reason being Knight's reluctance to donate while the former still sat in the AD's office.

So the man who spent nearly 12 years heading the athletic department resigned in November 2006 while agreeing to a settlement near $2 million. Once he was gone, Knight pledged $100 million so that the arena project could move forward.

"They made (Moos) a millionaire to walk away," said John Canzano, sports columnist for The Oregonian in Portland. "We all have our price. I found Bill to be a good guy. He has charisma. He's a down-home rancher. I don't think some of the things that went down with him at Oregon were fair. He was a good AD. He was the one here as the program made its rise, so he has to receive some of the credit.

"I don't think he's been out of the game too long. He has a vision for how things should work. He would work really well at UNLV. He has seen the big time. He has been to it. He knows how to get there.

"I also think Bill would consider the model of UNLV -- where you have several donors as opposed to just one major donor -- a healthier one for athletics. People would really like Bill there."

He expanded budgets by tens of millions and led bold marketing campaigns and supervised expansion and renovation plans with major facilities. He got important buildings built. Oregon became a major player in major sports under his watch.

Bill Moos has been out on the ranch for a spell, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Hey, the search is down to three, and the guy was in charge when Oregon became Oregon.

He just might be the best of the remaining lot.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He also can be heard weeknights from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on "The Sports Scribes" on KDWN-AM (720) and www.kdwn.com.