All's quiet in search for new UW athletic director

The word at the University of Washington is that a search committee is "hard at work" attempting to find a new athletic director.

The school is doing its best to keep the details of that work undercover, however, making little comment about the search. Lizabeth "Betsy" Wilson, dean of libraries and chair of the search committee, is declining interview requests, leaving all comment to school spokesman Norm Arkans.

Sources indicate that the committee is talking with candidates and a list of finalists is being prepared to present to UW president Mark Emmert, who will make the final call, though it's not thought that formal interviews have been held.

Arkans said there is no timeline for making a hire to replace Todd Turner, who resigned under pressure in December.

"We're trying to find the right person with as much speed as we can," he said. "But whether that's by the end of the quarter [graduation is June 14] or early summer is just impossible to say."

Of those considered to be candidates when Turner initially resigned, several don't appear to be in consideration any longer. Former Oregon AD Bill Moos has not been contacted by either the school or the firm helping UW, Parker Executive Search of Atlanta, according to his lawyer, Raymond Cihak. Jim Phillips, a finalist when Turner was hired and later the AD at Northern Illinois, has since become the AD at Northwestern.

Sources indicate that candidates include former Huskies kicker Chuck Nelson, now executive director of the Boeing Classic golf tournament, and Steve Lopes, an associate AD at USC.

Nelson won't comment on whether he has been contacted.

"I'm still interested and would be excited should they decide to have me involved in the process," he said.

Several sources confirmed that Lopes, who has been at USC since 1984 and currently is in charge of financial affairs for the Trojans, is likely a candidate. He began his career at USC as an assistant strength coach.

Georgia Tech athletic director Dan Radakovich has also been rumored as a candidate. He was a senior associate AD at LSU from 2001 to 2006, where he worked with Emmert and Scott Woodward, who is UW's vice president of external affairs and is serving as acting AD. Emmert and Woodward were at LSU from 1999 to 2004. Radakovich, however, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week that he had not been contacted and was not interested in the UW job.

Woodward said earlier this month he would not pursue the full-time AD job at the urging of Emmert, who prefers Woodward stay in his current role.

Texas-El Paso athletic director Bob Stull also is thought to be a candidate and was endorsed by former Huskies football coach Don James during an interview on KJR recently. Stull worked as an assistant coach under James and later as an assistant AD at Washington. Stull has not commented.