When I read about the University of Georgia's decision to fire football coach Jim Donnan, I was absolutely shocked. There is no nice way to put it. To me, the decision was an absolute disgrace to college athletics.

Jim Donnan was fired despite taking Georgia to a bowl game.

It was an unbelievable decision for the school to fire him. Donnan graduated players and he won, finishing 39-19 over his five seasons. There is no way he deserved to get the ziggy. He showed class and decided to coach his team in a bowl game.

It doesn't take a mathematical genius to figure out that he's averaged almost eight wins a season! That's not easy to do in the tough SEC when you are facing the likes of Florida, Tennessee and Auburn every year -- plus South Carolina made a tremendous comeback this season. There is not an easy road game in that league.

Imagine if he averaged six wins a season? If you can go 8-3 or so each season, you should get a raise, or at least some praise; you shouldn't get sent to the sidelines with that kind of performance. What kind of message does this send?

Now the next coach should be concerned that eight wins a season isn't good enough. Then academics becomes less of a factor because the idea has been put out that it is win, win, win first. Can you blame a coach for worrying less and less about academics when this is the signal the school has sent? He wants to make sure he doesn't lose his job.

It would be one thing if Donnan didn't win a sufficient number of games. When a school preaches about running a class program and then does something like this, you have to wonder.

I believe pressure from donors and the powerful alums led to this decision. To me, the administrators caved in big-time from that pressure, and it is a disgrace. Shame on you, Georgia. The Bulldogs get the Shame On You award!

This situation is a sad commentary on college athletics. Look at Notre Dame football, and after last season's 5-7 record, the administration could have caved in to pressure. It didn't -- and Bob Davie's staff and players came through with a rewarding 9-2 mark and a BCS bowl bid.

Tom Butters didn't cave in when Mike Krzyzewski suffered through Struggle City in his second and third season. Duke was paid off with a successful program and now the Cameron Crazies see the logo of Coach K Court!

You see this more and more in college athletics. Winning isn't enough in the minds of some, and good men lose their jobs. It is a disgrace, baby!