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Temple Owls football coach Rod Carey out after going 12-20 over 3 seasons

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.