Washington State’s decision to fire athletic director Anne McCoy came as a surprise here on the Hotline — not the dismissal itself but, rather, that it took this long.
McCoy and new WSU president Elizabeth Cantwell were a bad match from the start. The decision, announced Wednesday afternoon, isn’t necessarily bad for the Cougars or a repudiation of McCoy’s tenure.
Yes, fundraising was lagging, but McCoy’s legacy hinges on football coach Jimmy Rogers. If he wins consistently, then McCoy will have aced the most important test of her 17-month tenure.
That said, Cantwell’s decision reflects her aggressive, relentless approach to athletics — an approach that should benefit WSU during an era defined by revenue sharing, NIL and the restructured conference landscape.
After all, Cantwell was the driving force behind Utah State’s move to the new Pac-12 during her tenure in Logan. If she’s all-in with football and men’s basketball on the Palouse, the Cougars will be better positioned for a prosperous future.
Where should WSU turn for McCoy’s successor?
Presumably, the Cougars will hire a search firm to assist with the process, vet candidates, offer advice and then slap the university with the bill.
Hopefully, WSU won’t take the search firm’s advice as gospel. Cantwell, who was appointed last winter to succeed Kirk Schulz, should reach out to former WSU athletic officials for names of candidates who are best equipped to navigate the new terrain.
Three names come immediately to mind:
— Former WSU athletic director Jim Sterk, who’s currently in the same role at Western Washington.
— Recently retired Northern Arizona athletic director Mike Marlow, who graduated from WSU and worked for the Cougars as deputy athletic director under Bill Moos.
— JD Wicker, who’s in charge of San Diego State’s department but spent a decade in Pullman working for Sterk.
Pick their brains about the evolving landscape and how WSU can both leverage its strengths and hide its weaknesses.
Also, ask them which current college administrators, on the West Coast or elsewhere, would have the best chance to elevate the Cougars.
(We suspect Cantwell will seek counsel from her former athletic director at Utah State, Diana Sabau, who left Logan a few months ago to become Maryland’s senior deputy athletic director.
(Would Sabau, who grew up on the East Coast and worked for the Big Ten, be interested in the WSU vacancy? We’re skeptical.)
Another suggestion: Don’t limit the search itself to candidates with connections to WSU. The ability to energize donors should be paramount. You don’t need Cougar blood to achieve that.
Pat Chun arrived from Florida Atlantic in 2018 and raised gobs of money.
McCoy worked for WSU for a quarter century and struggled to generate NIL dollars.
It’s easier to convince constituents to open their wallets when the university president is leading the charge and creating a permission structure to support athletics throughout the university community.
With that said, the Hotline has a few names to offer for public consumption:
Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair: The former WSU deputy (under Chun) knows how to generate cash and is well-regarded across the industry. His three years with the Rockets offer first-rate experience for life in the rebuilt Pac-12, which will be closer to the current MAC than to the former Pac-12 in many respects. But would Blair take the job? Toledo is one of the top football programs in the MAC and has a stellar coach (Jason Candle).
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Eastern Michigan athletic director Scott Wetherbee: Another option with employment experience out West (San Diego State and Fresno State) who’s currently leading a MAC department facing challenges comparable to those in Pullman. Wetherbee has raised more than $30 million for capital projects in Ypsilanti. And he spent several years in the SEC, at Mississippi State, where he ran the external relations division.
Whether the Cougars target one of the aforementioned options or take an unconventional approach — perhaps an executive in professional sports, or the sports business industry — they are playing from a position of strength in one respect.
And it’s arguably the most important: Their president wants to win.
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