Thursday, Jun. 18, 2009
missed the News?
We’ve got you covered with this recap of the week’s headlines:
MOOSE IS LOOSE
In a surprise move, Coastal Carolina University re-assigned its athletics director Warren “Moose’’ Koegel to a new position as Athletics Fundraiser in the Office of University Advancement, and commenced the search for a new AD. The athletics program under Koegel for the last eight years definitely grew as CCU added football and built Brooks Stadium, the baseball squad has been ranked nationally and advanced to post-season play several years, and the men’s basketball program, although spotty on the court, has attracted high profile coaches in Buzz Peterson and Cliff Ellis. “The reality is that Warren’s retirement in a few years, coupled with his desire to raise funds specifically for the athletic programs, has made us reconsider how he might best serve the University. This change will help us to move forward and position ourselves for the next generation of CCU athletics,” said CCU President David Decenzo in a press release issued Monday. Decenzo says Koegel’s reassignment will allow the university’s sports programs to grow even more by having Koegel concentrate on securing private funding for expansion of the Conway campus’ athletic facilities. Case in point: tiny Kimbel Arena, home of the Chants basketball program, which is barely more than a glorified high school gym. Can anyone one spell a-r-e-n-a?
Meanwhile, Koegel raised his own funds as his new job represents an $18,000 hike, and he’ll get the use of a university car, an annual $25,000 travel budget and a $10,000 expense budget per year. He will stay on as athletics director until a replacement can be found.