OAKLAND — After a year without someone at its helm, the Oakland Athletic League has a full-time commissioner.

The Oakland school district's new interim superintendent, Roberta Mayor, announced this morning that she had appointed Michael Moore Sr., a veteran district employee, to represent the Oakland Section of the California Interscholastic Federation.

"Mr. Moore will bring needed leadership to the OAL," Mayor said.

The appointment comes amid growing fears that the school district couldn't or didn't plan to hire a full-time leader. Some worried that the Oakland Section — the smallest of 10 high school sections in California — would dissolve without a commissioner, forcing the 89-year-old league into the larger North Coast Section.

One hitch in attracting qualified candidates, said school board member Chris Dobbins, is that the commissioner is required have an administrative credential, but that the pay is lower than that of a principal or other administrative positions.

Moore's predecessor, Jerry Luzar, stepped down in 2007. Throughout the 2007-08 school year, others struggled to fill the void on a part-time basis, while juggling other duties.

Moore said that when Mayor approached him about the job, "the survival of the OAL" prompted him to accept the position.

"I didn't know (what would happen to the OAL), but I didn't want to leave it to chance," Moore said.

Moore, who played football at

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Oakland High School in the 1970s, has served in numerous roles in the district. Among others, he has been a history teacher, assistant principal, school security officer and, most recently, a senior change leader under the school district's Expect Success initiative.

Moore said he aimed to implement a number of improvements to the league, such as holding more games in the evenings, when fans and scouts can actually attend, holding some events in larger venues, and building physical education programs from kindergarten up.

Despite the ongoing cutbacks in athletics funding, Moore said he was confident that the league could expand and improve. "Too often we think of resources as just being financial," he said. "We have a rich history, and there are a lot of people who want to do something to help our student-athletes."

Dobbins said he felt Moore's long history with the city and the district, and his positive energy, will help the league get back on its feet.

"He has a dynamic personality, and I think he can galvanize a lot of support for the sports program," Dobbins said.

Reach Reporter Katy Murphy at 510-208-6424 or kmurphy@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read her Oakland schools blog and post comments at www.ibabuzz.com/education.