Rice dismissed seventh-year coach Mike Bloomgren on Sunday as the team approaches its tenth straight losing season after losing six of eight games.
Pete Alamar, the associate head coach and special teams coordinator, will step in as interim head coach for the remainder of the season, according to athletic director Tommy McClelland.
Bloomgren’s record was 24-52, with only one successful season, which was last year when the Owls finished 6-7 after losing in the First Responder Bowl. They also played in the Lending Tree Bowl in 2022 as a five-win team.
“I want to express my sincere appreciation to Coach Bloomgren,” McClelland said. “Over his seven seasons as our head football coach, 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.”
Rice hired Bloomgren from Stanford in 2017. He had spent seven years with the Cardinal, the last five as offensive coordinator, and he had previously worked with the New York Jets.
The Owls’ only win against a Bowl Subdivision opponent this season was 29-27 against UTSA. Their other win came against Texas Southern, a team from the second-tier Championship Subdivision. They are coming off two straight road losses, 24-10 to Tulane and 17-10 to Connecticut.
Rice’s last winning season was in 2014, when the Owls went 8-5 under David Bailiff.
