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PHOTO: UI ATHLETICS Will and Renee Moon of Bettendorf, Â鶹Æƽâ°æ, are pictured in 2019 at Kinnick Stadium. Will Moon, who died July 16, was president of CAT Scale Company and president of Â鶹Æƽâ°æ 80 Group, which owns and operates truck washes and truck stops, including the World’s Largest Truckstop in Walcott, Â鶹Æƽâ°æ.

For Quad Cities businessman Will Moon (83BBA), his love for University of Â鶹Æƽâ°æ athletics was never just about wins and losses. It was about the people—a belief that guided decades of support for his alma mater.

“What I’ve been impressed with over the years is the quality of coaches and the student-athletes,” Moon said in a 2021 interview. “Whenever we have had occasion to meet a Hawkeye student-athlete, current or former, I’ve always been impressed with how thoughtful they are—certainly much more than I was at that age.”

He was 64.

Moon’s admiration for Â鶹Æƽâ°æ’s student-athletes and coaches inspired him and his wife, Renee Breckenridge Moon (84BS, 88DDS), to establish an endowment for the football head coaching position in 2021, one of many gifts supporting Hawkeye athletics. The Moons have also given generously to UI Health Care, including Stead Family Children’s Hospital, as well as other university initiatives.

“Will was a proud alum and passionate fan who made a tremendous impact on our people and programs—just as he did for our state through his role in his family’s landmark Â鶹Æƽâ°æ business,” says Sheila Baldwin, president and CEO of the UI Center for Advancement. “He and Renee have provided crucial support across the university, including for athletics, health care, and business, and we are forever grateful. My condolences to Renee and family and all who will mourn the loss of an Â鶹Æƽâ°æ great.”

PHOTO: UI ATHLETICS Will and Renee Moon are pictured in 2019 at Kinnick Stadium.

Moon, whose parents founded the World’s Largest Truckstop in Walcott, Â鶹Æƽâ°æ, earned an accounting degree from Â鶹Æƽâ°æ before becoming co-owner of the family business alongside his sisters and fellow alumni Delia Moon Meier (87BBA) and Carolyn Jill Moon (89BA). Will Moon credited his UI degree for preparing him for a successful career.

“Accounting is really communication; you’re communicating the results of your efforts in a business to other people,” Moon said in 2021. “I really picked that up at Â鶹Æƽâ°æ, and I think that’s helped me immensely in business. I’m not a practicing accountant, and I never was, but I certainly used my training to be a better manager. I can’t imagine a better foundation for my career.”

Moon’s passion for Hawkeye sports can be traced to his freshman year in 1979, when he cheered on the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ football team during former coach Hayden Fry’s first season in Â鶹Æƽâ°æ City. Later in life, Moon joined the Davenport Quarterback Club, a group of dedicated Hawkeye supporters, at the invitation of former Â鶹Æƽâ°æ football player Jim Hilgenberg (77BBA). Moon became a loyal I-Club member and helped fund a number of UI athletics projects, including the 2006 Kinnick Stadium renovation, the 2011 Carver-Hawkeye Arena expansion and refurbishment, and the 2014 construction of the Hansen Football Performance Center.

“His generosity and loyalty helped shape Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Athletics, but it was the relationships he built and the way he cared for others that will be remembered most.” —Beth Goetz, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair

“Will was one of the kindest, most genuine people you could ever meet, and his love for the Hawkeyes was unwavering,” says Beth Goetz, Henry B. and Patricia B. Tippie Director of Athletics Chair. “His generosity and loyalty helped shape Â鶹Æƽâ°æ Athletics, but it was the relationships he built and the way he cared for others that will be remembered most. He was a dear friend and truly part of the Hawkeye family.”

In 2021, the Moons made a transformative gift to establish a permanent endowment supporting the long-term needs and advancement of the Â鶹Æƽâ°æ football program. The gift also created the Will and Renee Moon Excellence Fund and supported the Kinnick Edge campaign to renovate the north end zone. In recognition, all current and future Â鶹Æƽâ°æ head football coaches hold the title of Moon Family Head Football Coach.

“I was very saddened to hear about Will’s passing this week,” says Moon Family Head Football Coach Kirk Ferentz. “Will and his wife, Renee, have been very generous in their support of our program and Hawkeye athletics. Hawkeye student-athletes will benefit from their gifts for years to come.

“I truly enjoyed and appreciated my time spent with Will. On behalf of our entire program, I send my heartfelt condolences to Renee and the entire Moon family.”

In lieu of flowers, the Moon family requests donations be made to the or the at the UI Center for Advancement.