Scott Woodward announced today that he will not pursue the AD job at Washington, saying he will stay in his current role as VP of external affairs.

Woodward, who has been the acting athletic director since Jan. 31, said he had "numerous, long conversations'' with UW president Mark Emmert "who convinced me that he thought I'm needed in external affairs because we have a big year fiscally coming ahead and a lot going on in marketing.''

Woodward said Emmert "expressed to me not in emphatic terms but in subtle ways that he needed me in my current job and I understand that and I get that.''

He said he had "mixed emotions'' about not pursing the AD job but ultimately concluded that "I'm a team guy'' in deciding that "the best place for me to serve the university is in my current position.''

Woodward had been considered the leading candidate if it had been decided that he should pursue the job.

Now, the school will have to look elsewhere to find a new AD to replace Todd Turner, who resigned under pressure last December.

The school has established a 14-member search committee to select candidates and has also hired an Atlanta search firm, Parker Executive Search, to aid in the process, paying a reported $75,000 for its services.

One source told the Times that the search committee has been "making calls and seeking candidates'' in recent weeks.

Woodward said he will remain "intimately'' involved in the effort to secure state funding for a renovation of Husky Stadium. The school plans to mount another full-court press in the 2009 Legislative session for $150 million in public money to go along with another $150 million or so that the school would raise to fund the project.

The school seeks to use the same King County hotel-motel, restaurant and rental car taxes that are already helping to fund Safeco Field and Qwest Field.

"We have a good case to be made for that,'' Woodward said, adding that having more time to put a plan together to sell package will hopefully mean a better result than this year, when the issue was not seriously considered.

Woodward said the school plans to sell the legislature on "just how important we are to the tourism economy in King County. We just didn't do a good job of that in the last session because of the time. We needed to move in a hurry. Now we have time to do it and do it strategically and very thoroughly.''