Wulff interviews for Cougars job
Paul Wulff, a former Washington State offensive lineman who led Eastern Washington to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in three of the past four years, interviewed for the Cougars’ head coaching position Friday night.
Wulff is the third person known to have interviewed at WSU, according to The Spokesman-Review sources.
University of Oklahoma assistant coach Kevin Sumlin, who was a graduate assistant at WSU when Wulff was a player, met with WSU representatives earlier Friday. Former University of Idaho coach John L. Smith interviewed on Thursday.
The interviews were held in Salt Lake City.
Wulff, 40, played for Jim Walden, Dennis Erickson and Mike Price from 1986-89. After a brief professional career, Wulff began coaching as a volunteer assistant at EWU under Dick Zornes and has been with the Eagles 15 seasons.
He was first the offensive line coach and strength coach. The Eagles have had 17 first-team All-Big Sky linemen since Wulff arrived in 1993, 14 on the second team and 16 honorable mention.
He became offensive coordinator under Mike Kramer in 1998 and then replaced Kramer as head coach in 2000.
The Eagles just completed a 9-4 season with a 38-35 loss to two-time defending national champion Appalachian State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. They opened the playoffs by going on the road and whipping second-ranked McNeese State 44-15.
It was a big turnaround for Eastern, which was 3-8 in 2006, the only losing season in Wulff’s eight years. EWU is 53-40 under Wulff with back-to-back playoff appearances and co-Big Sky Conference championships in 2004 and 2005. He has been voted coach of the year by his peers three times.
Wulff graduated from high school in Davis, Calif., and was recruited to WSU by Jim Walden.
He redshirted in 1985 and started four games at guard in 1986.
He was the starting center for Erickson’s teams the next two seasons and in 1988 the Cougars won the Aloha Bowl and Wulff was honorable mention All-Pac 10.
Price was his coach in 1989, when he was second-team all-league and an honorable mention All-American by one publication.
An injury cut short his attempt to play for the New York Jets, but Wulff played two seasons in the World Football League.
Sumlin, 43, played at Purdue and was a two-time All-Big 10 linebacker. He was a grad assistant at WSU from 1988-90. He coached at Wyoming, Minnesota, Purdue and Texas A&M before going to Oklahoma, where he is wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Smith, 59, began his head coaching career at Idaho in 1989, going 53-21 in six seasons. He went on to Utah State, Louisville and Michigan State, compiling a 132-66 record in 18 years as a head coach. He was dismissed late in the 2006 season and is currently a scout for the St. Louis Rams.
A decision could be made within a week. A dead period in recruiting starts next weekend and coaches cannot talk to potential players until Jan. 13, which is less than a month from the start of signing week.
The first day recruits can sign national letters of intent is Feb. 6.