Rice fires head coach Bloomgren after 2-6 start

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. The Owls, however, never got on track this season, losing the opener at home to Sam Houston State and starting 1-4 in AAC play.

Rice lost at UConn on Saturday in what would be Bloomgren’s final game as head coach.

The Owls have expressed stronger athletic ambitions under new university president Reginald DesRoches, and there’s been a recent commitment in investment.

“The opportunity for Rice football to excel has never been greater,” McClelland said. “I am confident we will identify a coach who will lead our program and student-athletes into a new era of success.”

Bloomgren is a longtime college and NFL assistant who rose to prominence through his work at Stanford from 2011 to 2017.