Rice fired coach Mike Bloomgren on Sunday after six-plus seasons that produced a 24-52 record and two bowl appearances.
The Owls lost 17-10 at UConn on Saturday to fall to 2-6 this season. They play at home against Navy on Saturday. Associate head coach and special teams coordinator Pete Alamar was named interim coach for the rest of the season, Rice athletic director Tommy McClelland announced.
McClelland was hired a little over a year ago.
The Owls never finished with a winning record under Bloomgren, the 47-year-old former offensive coordinator and line coach at Stanford under David Shaw. Rice made it to bowl games in each of the last two seasons, though in 2022 it came after winning only five regular-season games.
A 6-7 record in 2023, Rice’s first season in the American Athletic Conference, provided some hope the program was moving in the right direction, but it also raised expectations for Bloomgren.
He’s managed only one FBS victory this season, a 29-27 win over UTSA.
Rice hasn’t had a winning season since a string of three straight under coach David Bailiff from 2012 through 2014. Bloomgren replaced Bailiff in 2018.
(Photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
