4 craziest revelations about Nebraska from Bill Moos’ book

Bill Moos, the former Nebraska athletic director, has released a book titled “Crab Creek Chronicles: From The Wheat Fields to The Ball Fields and Beyond,” and it has caused quite a stir among Husker fans on social media with some of the revelations.

Moos was responsible for hiring Scott Frost and Fred Hoiberg. He served as the Nebraska Athletic Director from 2017 to 2021, when he was paid $3 million to retire.

While there are revelations about his drinking and other things that are interesting, here are the four revelations Husker fans will care about the most , having to do with Nebraska athletics.

Moos didn’t believe Scott Frost was ready

After Scott Frost led UCF to an undefeated season, he was a hot commodity. Tennessee and Florida, and some other programs, were interested in him, especially the Gators.

After that 20217 season, it didn’t seem like a sure thing that Frost would be hired. Moos met with Frost, who brought Matt Davison with him, and after that meeting, Moos wrote that it was clear to him, and his wife, Kendra, who stayed in the room for the meeting due to Davison, that Frost wasn’t ready.

Kendra Moos called Frost, “Too immature.” Moos agreed but said, “Yep, I agree. But if I don’t pursue him with everything I’ve got and he ends up at Tennessee or Florida, I’m screwed.”

Kendra responded: “Yeah, but if you bring back Nebraska’s golden boy and he falls flat on his face, you are really screwed. Remember, people have short memories.”

Dana Altman was interested in Nebraska

The former Creighton and current Oregon coach was interested in the job when Fred Hoiberg was hired back in 2019.

Things worked out. Hoiberg has done exactly what Moos hired him to do. It took longer than expected, but the Huskers’ former AD should get credit for that hire, and Trev Alberts should get some, too, for sticking with Fred, even though the first few years were tough.

Now, Hoiberg is in contention for National Coach of the Year. Nebraska basketball is in a great spot moving forward, and should be as long as Hoiberg is around, which is hopefully, the rest of his coaching career.

It’s still crazy, though, that Dana Altman was interested, according to Moos, yet was told “No” by Nebraska governor and regent at the time, Jim Pillen.

“Nebraskans won’t accept him,” is what Moos was told by the Nebraska governor. 

This was two years after Altman had taken Oregon to the Final Four. Again, it all worked out in the end, but the book gives good insight into how things actually work.

A move back to the Big 12 was considered

Nebraska fans still debate if moving to the Big Ten was the right thing to do. In the book, Moos wrote that fans often complained to him about the travel, which was more extensive in the Big Ten.

With all of the recruiting and on-field struggles, Moos, with the blessing of former President Ted Carter, explored the possibility of returning to the conference. He said some regents even supported the move, and after a “stealth” approach, the Big 12 was “extremely positive” about the potential of it.

Obviously, Nebraska didn’t end up making the move back. Former chancellor Ronnie Green predicted he would get a vote of no-confidence if it happened.

It’s just interesting to know that while many Nebraska football fans have talked about the potential move back to the Big 12, it was actually on the table and discussed on a very serious level.

Bill Moos didn’t give Scott Frost that horrible extension

If Moos’ account in the book is accurate, he wasn’t responsible for the contract extension given to Scott Frost early in his Nebraska coaching career. Moos blamed Green, writing that Green called, “to inform me he had extended Scott’s contract for another two years.”

Moos wrote, “Without input from his athletic director, who would not have supported the decision, he reverted the contract to its original seven-year term, guaranteeing the coach an additional $10 million in compensation.”

This wasn’t announced publicly until weeks later. Yet, it’s crazy to think a head coach was given a massive contract extension without the knowledge of the athletic director.

When you read through these excerpts, it’s not hard to figure out why Nebraska football has struggled to regain its former dominance.

You just hope the people currently in the room are adults.

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