New WSU coach must stress academics

Our views

The Olympian • Published May 15, 2008

Washington State University officials should be thoroughly embarrassed by the fact that the Pullman university will lose eight football scholarships for failing to meet the latest NCAA academic progress standards.

In a nationwide report released by the NCAA, WSU’s football program was the only sport among the four Division I programs in the state — the others being the University of Washington, Eastern Washington University — to face potential scholarship losses. And WSU is the only Pacific-10 Conference school to lose football scholarships.

Only the University of Idaho, which lost eight scholarships, and Akron, which lost nine scholarships, equaled the punishment dished out to Washington State.

It seems as if officials at WSU have forgotten their first obligation to students is to provide them with an education. Academics should come ahead of athletics. It’s not as if the NCAA has exceedingly high standards. Only schools that fall below a graduation rate of 60 percent are subject to scholarship penalties.

Washington State’s new football coach, Paul Wulff, has his work cut out for him. He was quoted in The Seattle Times as saying the university accepts the punishment and that it will not be a death sentence for WSU football.

Wulff must do better than his predecessor and stress academics as a priority. The success of any coach should not be judged solely on the win/loss record. Helping young men and women achieve academic success is a gift that will last them their entire life — long after their playing days are behind them.