Davidson won’t renew contract of football coach Paul Nichols

Davidson won’t renew the contract of football coach Paul Nichols, the school announced Monday.

Nichols’ teams went 7-49 in his five seasons with the Wildcats, including 2-9 this season. The two victories came against NCAA Division III opponents Guilford and Brevard.

“Change rarely comes easily, and this step is no exception,” Davidson athletics director Jim Murphy said in a statement. “During Paul’s time as head coach, we saw alumni support grow and a strengthening of the resources and facilities available to our players.”

Davidson was the first head coaching job for Nichols, a former assistant at Illinois, Toledo, Marshall and Ohio State. Nichols is a 2003 graduate of Davidson, which plays in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision’s nonscholarship Pioneer Football League.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Davidson won’t renew contract of football coach Paul Nichols."