24 years in Athletics, 17 months as AD and the first woman to ever head the department. After being fired on Nov. 12 2025, Anne McCoy’s Cougar career ended with neither pomp nor circumstance.
WSU President Elizabeth Cantwell’s official statement, which was released when the news broke, is the only comment she was willing to provide on the leadership change.
“Anne has provided steady leadership through one of the most complex and pivotal periods in the history of Cougar Athletics,” Cantwell said in her statement. “She built a strong foundation for the program’s future grounded in integrity, academic success, and care for our student-athletes. We are deeply grateful for Anne’s decades of service and her unwavering commitment to Washington State University.”
The statement did not explain the reason for the firing, nor the timing of it. However, it did allude to the various successes that she had within the role.
Despite McCoy’s accomplishments, former Chief Operating Officer Jon Haarlow will be taking over as interim AD while WSU searches for a permanent replacement.
When Haarlow heard the news, he was just as shocked as anyone else.
“It’s always tough when there’s a change. Obviously, Anne has been a mentor of mine both personally and professionally for a number of years,” Haarlow said.
Although he lost a mentor, Haarlow has been keeping his focus on what’s ahead of him.
“[It] seems insensitive to say, and I don’t mean it like that, [but] it’s part of the business that we’re in,” he said. “I think very highly of Anne and she was a wonderful mentor and colleague for both me and my family. At the same time I think it’s okay to be sad, but also keep your head down and understand the opportunities that we have in front of us.”
With the Athletics department in his hands, for the time being, Haarlow’s goal is simple.
“My focus is going to be on elevating the Cougar brand,” he said. “It’ll be out there looking to fundraise and generate new revenue for our groups. Everything that we do is going to be focused on revenue generation [and] continuing to diversify those streams. We’re going to be aggressive in that approach. High pace. High volume.”
For Haarlow, his approach to revenue generation can be summed up simply: educate.
“We want to educate people on the need for [fundraising] dollars,” he said. “Make them aware of the opportunities to be a part of. So, we’re going to kind of go on the attack of being bold and aggressive with that message… Whether it’s ticket holders or donor based… bring more awareness of where we are and the future of our athletic department and the changing of the NCAA landscape with NIL.”
While Haarlow wants to be aggressive, he understands that he needs as much support as he can get.
“You can’t force people to join the fight,” he said. “But, you can certainly educate them and make them make a choice whether they’re in this with us or not.”
Stability has been at a premium in Athletics, and Haarlow recognizes that. However, he believes that the Cougar identity is built to handle that chaos.
“You know we’ve had so much change,” he said. “Whether that was the conference realignment or coaching changes or what have you… There’s been continuous change. Cougars are a resilient group and I think we kind of resort back to how we’ve overcome some of those other changes to try and focus on ‘okay how do we get through the next thing’.”
In the wake of McCoy’s firing, Haarlow admits that he does not know what drove the leadership change.
“I’m not in a spot to speculate quite honestly,” he said. “My singular focus has been on leading this going forward and not about what was or what wasn’t. I just don’t want to waste any energy thinking about any of that stuff.”
Haarlow takes that singular focus seriously, regardless of how long he holds the position.
“Whether this is a three week or 30 year appointment for me, I know I got a job to do that’s going to require a high pace and a high amount of energy,” he said.
Despite not knowing why McCoy was fired, how long he will have the job, or even who will end up replacing him, Haarlow plans on using his time wisely. What changes he makes and how impactful his time as AD will be is similarly unknown. What is undeniable, however, is that Haarlow plans to bring “a high pace and high amount of energy” to Cougar Athletics.
