Rice fires Mike Bloomgren in seventh year in charge of Owls

Rice has fired head football coach Mike Bloomgren, a source confirmed to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football. The Owls fell to 2-6 after a Week 9 loss to UConn. Bloomgren, who became the head coach on South Main ahead of the 2018 season, was 24-52 eight in seven seasons. He led the Owls to two bowls games but never a winning record. Pete Alamar will serve as interim head coach. 

Bloomgren raised the floor of the Rice football program in his tenure, but his inability to reach the ceiling prompted the move. The Owls won one game in 2017, the season before he arrived. They had won a combined nine games over the last three years of the David Bailiff era. Bailiff had led Rice to 10 wins in 2013 and eight in 2014.