Rice fired coach Mike Bloomgren on Sunday as the team is on track for its tenth consecutive losing season after losing six out of eight games.
Pete Alamar, the associate head coach and special teams coordinator, will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season, according to athletic director Tommy McClelland.
Bloomgren had a record of 24-52 and only managed to win six games in one season, which was last year when the Owls finished 6-7 after losing in the First Responder Bowl. They also participated in the Lending Tree Bowl in 2022 despite only winning five games.
“I want to express my sincere appreciation to Coach Bloomgren,” McClelland said. “Over his seven seasons of service 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 been with the Stanford staff for seven years, serving as offensive coordinator for the last five, and he was previously part of the New York Jets coaching staff.
The Owls’ only victory against a Bowl Subdivision opponent this season was a 29-27 win over UTSA. Their other win came against Texas Southern from the second-tier Championship Subdivision. They are coming off two straight road losses, falling 24-10 to Tulane and 17-10 to Connecticut.
Rice’s last winning season was in 2014, when the Owls finished 8-5 under coach David Bailiff.
