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TULSA, Okla. -- Tulsa fired coach Bill Blankenship on Monday, three days after the Golden Hurricane wrapped up a second consecutive losing season.
The Golden Hurricane finished 2-10, with a 49-32 home loss to East Carolina on Friday night. Blankenship took over at his alma mater in 2011 after Todd Graham left for Pittsburgh. He went 19-8 in his first two seasons, including a Conference USA championship in 2012.
The program has crashed the last two seasons. Tulsa was a preseason favorite to win Conference USA last year and went 3-9. This season, the Golden Hurricane moved to the American Athletic Conference but Blankenship couldn't turn things around.
The 54-year-old Blankenship is an Oklahoma native and played quarterback at Tulsa from 1975-79.
"We are grateful for the service and commitment of Coach Blankenship to our university, our student-athletes and our community, but we have decided that the program needs to go in a different direction," athletic director Derrick Gragg said in a statement.
The school said a search committee will be formed immediately.
The Golden Hurricane went to eight bowls from 2003-2012 under coaches Steve Kragthorpe, Graham and Blankenship.
Blankenship was a longtime high school coach in Oklahoma before joining the Tulsa staff in 2007 with Graham. He coached wide receivers, running backs and special teams before being promoted to head coach.
