Paul Wulff Fired: Why Washington State Made Wrong Decision

What Washington State did to Paul Wulff was wrong. Sometimes coaches are hired to take the team to the next step, but not the top of the staircase; those situations are fine when the coach is aware. Genuinely, as long progress is being made, said coach would be allowed to finish out his contract.

Apparently, Washington State athletic director Bill Moos isn't very genuine as he fired Wulff after four years, with one year remaining on his contract.

Wullff, a former player during the 1980s, inherited a team wrought with a loss of scholarships, tradition and stability, thanks to NCAA sanctions.

That surely contributed to Wulff's coaching record, which was 9-40, the worst winning percentage of any coach in the school's history.

To judge Wulff's tenure solely based on wins and losses is unfair. He was given the college football equivalent of a apple tree seed, with little water and fired because it apparently took longer than four years to grow into an orchard.

The program won four games this year, which was nearly double the total in compiled in the previous three combined. The program appears clear of violations and is structurally on the right path.

Washington State essentially used Wulff to clear away the mess the program had fallen into. Now that, that work is done, they will go looking for a coach to take them to the next level.

Wulff will receive a severance pay of $600,000 for being terminated, so don't cry for him too much. Still, this is not the way he deserved to have his tenure end.