Sources: Rice fires football coach Mike Bloomgren

ByPETE THAMEL
October 27, 2024, 3:29 PM

Rice has fired coach Mike Bloomgren, who went 24-52 in his seven seasons with the Owls, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

Associate head coach Pete Alamar will take over as interim head coach, sources told ESPN. 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 to 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.

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