Paul Wulff was fired as head football coach, Athletic Director Bill Moos announced at a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The decision was made and Wulff was informed earlier in the day of his termination.

“At roughly ten o-clock this morning, I dismissed Paul Wulff as our football coach at Washington State University,” Moos said. “It was not an easy thing to do. I’ve got to say in the 30 years I’ve been in this business, I’ve met no finer man than Paul Wulff. Cougars everywhere should be thankful and appreciative of what he’s done for our university and this football program.”

As mentioned many times previously by Moos, he believes the school and athletic department are at a crucial juncture in their development and this decision was a product of that.

“It’s my feeling that we’re at a junction with Cougar football that is critical,” Moos said. “We’ve got an $80 million stadium renovation, another $80 million of needs in facilities for the sport of football.”

He gave a lack of enthusiasm and a need for something new were given as main reasons for the decision.

“I feel we have apathy in our fan base,” Moos said. “So it’s my plan and my hope to bring some energy into that fan base and provide a spark by changing leadership. That primarily was the reason for the change that I made.”

The search for a new head coach began immediately, with Tuesday afternoon as a starting time, and a hope to have the position filled within two to three weeks.

Speculation immediately following the Apple Cup hinted that Moos had already made his decision barring a last minute change of mind however, that was not the case. Moos said.

“(I made the decision) pretty much after I talked to Paul on Sunday,” Moos said. “It was weighing heavy on my mind during the last few games of the season. But we had a long talk and I felt another day couldn’t hurt … But I pretty much had come to my decision on Sunday.”

Moos will conduct the head coach search mostly by himself, perhaps bringing in outside help to guide the process. No internal candidates are being considered to fill the head coaching vacancy.

“You’re looking at the search committee,” Moos said, referring to himself. “That’s how I do it. I’ve been through these before; I’ve got good contacts. My practice has always been to have a short list (of candidates) in my upper drawer.”

Moos mentioned that short list contains “six to seven names,” some of which he confirmed. Mike Leach, Mike Bellotti and Kevin Sumlin are all confirmed to have been on, or are currently on, the short list of candidates.

In the meantime, two current assistant coaches and the head of football operations will stay in Pullman to help guide current players through the transition process, ensuring they are attending classes and weight room activities. These coaches have yet to be determined.

“It can be a nasty, cruel business,” Moos said. “At the end of the day, not at all costs, but we need to be winning in order to be in a position to win championships.” 

In his time at WSU, Wulff compiled a 9-40 overall record with zero bowl appearances in four years.