Former Davidson coach Scott Abell is named coach at Rice

HOUSTON (AP) — Scott Abell was introduced as coach at Rice on Wednesday, replacing Mike Bloomgren, who was fired in October.

Abell comes from Davidson, where he had coached since 2018. He led the Wildcats to seven consecutive winning seasons and leaves Davidson as the winningest coach in school history, with a 47-28 record.

He helped the team to two Pioneer Football League titles and his team made three appearances in the FCS playoffs.

“After spending time with Scott throughout this process, it was clear that we had found the right leader for our program,” Rice athletic director Tommy McClelland said. “He has had an immediate impact on every program he has coached and is passionate about developing winners on and off the field. He is the right person to lead Rice football into a new era of success. I am thrilled to welcome Scott and his family to Rice.”

Bloomgren was fired after losing six of eight games in what would be a 10th straight losing season for the Owls. Rice finished 3-8 this season after winning six games last year. Rice’s most recent winning season was 2014, when the Owls went 8-5 under David Bailiff.

Abell was hired at Davidson after spending six years as coach at Division III Washington & Lee. He led that team to a 39-24 record and won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship three times.

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