The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay likes the job athletic director Josh Moon has done in his first four years so much it wants him to stick around longer.
UWGB Chancellor Michael Alexander announced June 17 that the school has signed Moon to a contract extension through 2031.
Moon’s contract can be extended an additional year if Alexander leaves the school any time prior to June 30, 2031.
He is set to become the longest-tenured AD at UWGB since Ken Bothof left after 11 years for Northern Kentucky in 2013.
Mary Ellen Gillespie replaced Bothof and spent four years at UWGB before leaving for Hartford. Her replacement, Charles Guthrie, also spent four years here before being hired at Akron and paving the way for Moon’s arrival.
Moon’s extension locks up another key piece in the UWGB athletic department.
The school previously extended women’s basketball coach Kayla Karius through 2034-35.
Although men’s basketball coach Doug Gottlieb has three years left on the five-year contract he received after being hired in May 2024, it’s a good bet he will receive his own extension.
As for Moon, it’s his second extension after he signed one in April 2024.
“Josh Moon continues to grow Phoenix athletics,” Alexander said in a statement. “His belief in our region, UW-Green Bay, and what can be possible here is inspiring. I am excited to see what Josh will accomplish in the next five years along with our student-athletes and coaches. We have the right person with the right relentless energy to lead us during these complicated times.”
Josh Moon earns raise from UWGB
Moon will earn $261,276 per year under his new deal, up from the $235,000 he made after signing his first extension.
His annual salary is made up of a $236,276 base salary in addition to $25,000 through the UW-Green Bay Foundation.
Among the incentives include $5,000 for a first-round or first-four win in either the men’s or women’s basketball NCAA Tournament, $10,000 for advancing to the Sweet 16, $15,000 for a Sweet 16 win, $30,000 for advancing to a Final Four, $50,000 for advancing to the title game and $100,000 for winning a national championship.
Moon also can earn a $4,000 bonus for a regular-season men’s or women’s Horizon championship in basketball, $7,500 for a conference tournament title and a $5,000 bonus for any qualification outside of the automatic qualification process.
He can earn $2,500 for each Horizon League first-place finish in other sports, either in the regular season or conference tournament, $3,000 for each year in which the athletics department finishes in the top 3 of all-sports standings and $5,000 for winning the Horizon’s all-sports championship.
There also are bonuses for academics.
Moon will receive $2,000 for each semester in which the athletics GPA is above 3.2 and $2,500 for each year in which the athletics department APR is 960 or above.
Moon originally received a four-year contract that included a base salary of $180,000 per year when he was hired in July 2021 after spending the previous nine seasons as AD at NCAA Division II Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
He knows there is still plenty of work to be done, including continuing to get the community engaged in Phoenix athletics, but he has put people in position to help deliver some strong results.
UWGB highlighted several accomplishments by teams, athletes and coaches during Moon’s first four years.
The Phoenix has had six coaches named the Horizon coach of the year, including Mike Kline in cross-country, Lee Reinke in golf, Jeremy Bonomo in men’s soccer, Sundance Wicks in men’s basketball and both Kevin Borseth and Karius in women’s basketball.
For the first time in school history, every athletic team earned a cumulative grade-point average of over 3.25, including a record 3.66 this spring.
When it comes to UWGB’s biggest sport, Moon has done some impressive work.
He helped women’s basketball make a smooth transition after the retirement of Borseth by hiring one of the program’s all-time best players in Karius, who has led the Phoenix to the Big Dance in each of her first two seasons.
His hire of Wicks in 2023 helped turn around a men’s program that had struggled in previous years. When Wicks left after one season for Wyoming, Moon made a risky move with Gottlieb, who had never previously been a college coach.
But after a rough first season for Gottlieb in which the Phoenix won just four games, he led the team to 18 wins and its first Horizon tournament victory in six years this past season.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Chancellor Mike for his continued belief and support, and this is a reflection of the great work our amazing coaches, staff and student-athletes are doing each and every day as we continue to rise,” said Moon, who is a Wautoma native. “My family and I love this university and this community. It’s home, and we feel blessed to be able to continue to build belief and support throughout Green Bay, the Valley and beyond for the Phoenix.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: UWGB athletic director Josh Moon gets contract extension through 2031
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
