The East Carolina Pirates have fired head coach Mike Houston one day after the team fell to 3-4 on the season with a 45-28 loss to the Army Black Knights.
A promising 2-0 start to the season has given way to the Pirates dropping four of their last five games, leading to the switch.
“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,” ECU athletic director Jon Gilbert said in a statement on Saturday.
East Carolina hired Houston in December 2018 after the school fired former head coach Scottie Montgomery. Houston went 28-37 in his five-and-a-half seasons with East Carolina.
His best season came in 2022 when the Pirates went 8-5 and won the Birmingham Bowl against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The 2022 Birmingham Bowl was one of two bowl games that Houston led the Pirates to, with the team also making the 2021 Military Bowl. They were set to play the Boston College Eagles, but the game was ultimately canceled due to COVID-19.
Defensive coordinator Blake Harrell will coach the Pirates for the rest of the season. Harrell was a 2021 Broyles Award nominee. The award is given to the nation’s top assistant coach.
East Carolina returns to action on October 26 when they host the Temple Owls.
