Temple coach Rod Carey is out after three seasons, the school announced Monday.
Carey went 12-20 with the Owls, including 3-9 this season. He recorded eight of his 12 victories at Temple in his first season.
Wide receivers coach/pass game coordinator Thad Ward will serve as interim coach.
Temple last month hired a new athletic director in Arthur Johnson, who had previously been a senior associate athletic director at Texas. Carey, 50, came to Temple from Northern Illinois, where he went 52-30 with two conference titles and two division titles.
“It’s never an easy decision to replace a head coach,” said Johnson in a statement. “The past two seasons have not been easy with the challenges of the pandemic. I want to thank Rod for staying committed to our student-athletes and wish him and his family well in their next chapter.”
He is the first Owls coach to be fired since Bobby Wallace in 2005. Temple’s next four coaches — Al Golden, Steve Addazio, Matt Rhule and Geoff Collins — all left for Power 5 opportunities.