Rice has fired coach Mike Bloomgren, who went 24-52 in his seven seasons with the Owls, it was announced Sunday. «I want to express my sincere appreciation to Coach Bloomgren,» Rice athletic director Tommy McClelland said in a statement. "… He has represented our university and football program with the utmost class and integrity.
However, as I evaluated our program and compared our current and desired trajectory, I determined new leadership is necessary to guide us into the future." Bloomgren is expected to be owed $900,000.
Associate head coach Pete Alamar will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. The university will immediately begin a search for a permanent replacement for Bloomgren.
Rice (2-6) has four games remaining, including high-profile matchups over the next two weeks against Navy and Memphis. Bloomgren had some momentum going into the 2024 season, as Rice went to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2013 and 2014.