East Carolina Fires Head Coach Mike Houston

After five and a half seasons at East Carolina, Mike Houston has been fired

Sep 14, 2024; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates head coach Mike Houston looks on against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

Following a 45-28 loss to Army on Saturday, East Carolina has decided to fire head coach Mike Houston. Defensive coordinator Blake Harrell will take over as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Aside from Blake Anderson, who Utah State parted ways with in late summer, Houston is the first head coach to be fired during the season in 2024.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Houston will be owed nearly $2.8M, according to his contract. Houston led East Carolina to a 27-38 record during his tenure. Despite the under .500 record, Houston led the Pirates to two bowl games.

"After a comprehensive evaluation of our football program, I informed Mike Houston this morning that we are making a change in leadership," said Athletic Director Jon Gilbert in a press release. "This was a very difficult decision. Mike has led our program the last five-plus seasons with tremendous class and has positively impacted so many student-athletes. After earning back-to-back bowl invitations, we looked poised for continued success. Unfortunately, we have not seen the results we all want, and a change is needed to move the program forward. We have high expectations and those are not changing."

The Pirates are currently 3-4 on the season and 1-2 in conference play. East Carolina will host Temple on Saturday, October 26 at 2:00 PM ET.

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