The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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14 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER D iane Moose counted every penny, sometimes to the annoyance of those in the NC State athletics department who were always looking for ways to increase their competitive edge when they submitted their budgets and expense reports for approval. She did it, however, with hu- mor and the deep love of the Wolfpack that she brought to her alma mater more than 21 years ago, the last 18 of which were spent in the athletics department overseeing its finances. Moose, who rose to the level of senior associate athletics di- rector and chief financial officer of NC State athletics in nearly two decades with the depart- ment, died surrounded by her family on Sept. 11. She was 57. When the Rocky Mount na- tive was hired in athletics from another department on campus in 2000, the departmental bud- get was a relatively meager $25 million. In her final years, with college athletics growing expo- nentially as a business thanks to the influx of cash from multime- dia contracts, apparel deals and shared conference revenue, the budget ex- ceeded $90 million. Moose always found ways to pay all those ever-increasing bills and tuck a little away in the operational reserves fund for a raining day. "You just have to keep sharpening your pencils and running the numbers," Moose once said of her daily budgetary grind. She was also constantly looking for ways to find more money to fulfill coach- ing wish lists, from increases the depart- ment saw from its numerous revenue streams while also making sure the de- partment was self-sufficient, as required for all university-affiliated units. Besides its own ticket sales, athletics receives money from the Wolfpack Club, which pays for all scholarships and many building projects; Wolfpack Sports Prop- erties, which handles all advertising and pays for parts of coaching salaries; shared ACC revenue from postseason participa- tion and conference television agreements; the student debt-service fees paid by each enrolled student; and the small amount of money received from the university. "I can't pay for everyone's wish list, so we have to do the best we can," Moose said. During her tenure, following decades of facilities inertia, Moose used the various revenues at her disposal to pay for nearly $150 million in facilities enhancements, using the money raised by the Wolfpack Club, student fees and bond initiatives. It was part of a building effort begun by former director of athletics Lee Fowler and continued by current director Debbie Yow that completely changed the Wolf- pack's on- and off-campus facilities. "Diane was all about prob- lem-solving, especially stretch- ing our modest budget to meet as many needs as possible," Yow said in her remembrance of Moose. "My questions to her were usually the same and went something like this: 'Can we find a less expensive way, or can we buy it on time or can we pay for it later?' That said, she al- ways found a way to meet all financial obligations to help her beloved Wolfpack, with support and advice from campus." Moose, whose husband Tim and three daughters were as fully invested as she was as part of the Wolfpack family, was a constant presence at athletics events, departmental meetings, campus activities and annual Vaughn Towers Thanksgiving dinners. "Diane loved her Wolfpack more than I can express," Yow said. "More than that, she was the kind of person who made you feel better after visiting with her. Her sense of humor was contagious." Moose graduated from NC State with a degree in account- ing. She spent 15 years in the private sec- tor before coming to NC State in 1997 as an assistant budget director for the uni- versity. She moved to athletics in 2000, just in time for the biggest expansion in program history. She served on multiple campus, ACC and NCAA committees, cabinets and councils. She volunteered for various local organizations, her local church in Raleigh and her family churches in Rocky Mount and Newton Grove. And she always made time for her daughters' softball games. The family requests all memorials and remembrances of Diane be directed to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund (5121 King- dom Way, Raleigh, N.C., 27607, or www. kayyow.com). ■ Tim Peeler is a regular contributor to The Wolfpacker and can be reached at tmpeeler@ncsu.edu. Wolfpack Mourns The Loss Of Diane Moose TRACKING THE PACK Moose spent nearly two decades working for NC State athletics, and rose to the level of senior associate athletics director and chief financial officer. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE MEDIA RELATIONS