Official: Rice hires Stanford offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren
Rice announced Wednesday it has hired Stanford offensive coordinator Mike Bloomgren its next head coach, as Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel first reported Tuesday.
Source: Mike Bloomgren is expected to be the next coach at Rice. A deal is being finalized.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 5, 2017
Bloomgren, in his seventh season as an offensive assistant at Stanford, will replace David Bailiff, who was fired Nov. 27 after his 11th season with the program. Rice went 1-11 this year.
“I am excited and humbled to lead the football program at Rice,” Bloomgren said. “In my seven years at Stanford, I have seen firsthand how elite college athletics and academics can not only coexist, but thrive together. I want to create an environment at Rice where every player’s dreams are realized on and off the field.”
Bloomgren, 40, has been the Cardinal’s offensive coordinator for the past five seasons. Previously, he served as Stanford’s offensive line coach in 2011 and 2012 following four years with the New York Jets. Most notably, Bloomgren coached both Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey during his time with the Cardinal.
“I got to know Coach Bloomgren well during my time at Stanford,” McCaffrey told Yahoo Sports. “He has a high football IQ and I think this is a great opportunity for him to take over as the top guy at Rice.”
At Stanford, Bloomgren also crossed paths with Rice athletic director Joe Karlgaard, a Stanford alum who served as associate athletics director for development at the university from 2011-13.
“The football program is important to our university and this community,” Karlgaard said. “Mike Bloomgren is a bright, driven and relentless coach who fits perfectly with our vision for championships on the field, scholarship in the classroom, and service to others. I’m grateful to President [David] Leebron for his support and assistance in recruiting the Bloomgrens to Rice. I can’t wait for Mike, Lara, Tyler, and Parker to join us in Houston.”
Rice won 10 games and the Conference USA title in 2013, but things have gone downhill since. The Owls won eight games and the Hawaii Bowl in 2014 but followed it up with records of 5-7, 3-9 and finally 1-11 in the three years after.
Rice went to two other bowl games in Bailiff’s tenure. In 2008, the Owls went 10-3, tied for first in the C-USA West and beat Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl and in 2012 the Owls beat Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl to finish 7-6.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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