Charlotte fires head coach Will Healy after 1-7 start

Will Healy is out as Charlotte’s head coach.

The university announced Healy’s firing Sunday, a day after the 49ers fell to 1-7 with a 34-15 home loss to Florida International. With the loss, Healy finished his time at Charlotte with a 15-24 overall record with a 10-14 mark in Conference USA play. Healy was in his fourth season as head coach.

"We are grateful to Will Healy for the incredible energy and enthusiasm he brought to our program," Charlotte athletic director Mike Hill said. "He made an impact here that will never be forgotten. Sadly, however, our on-field results have not met expectations. Will and his family are special people and we wish them the best."

Healy, 37, was seen as a rising young coach for the job he did at Austin Peay. Austin Peay went 0-11 in Healy’s first season and was mired in a 27-game losing streak before Healy guided the program to an 8-4 record in his second year on the job.

After a third season at Austin Peay, he landed at Charlotte and brought the 49ers to a bowl game for the first time in program history in Year 1. The 49ers finished 7-6 that year, losing the Bahamas Bowl to Buffalo. They have not had a winning record since. Charlotte went 2-4 in the 2020 season and went 5-7 in 2021 after starting the year 4-2.

This year, the 49ers are off to a miserable 1-7 start with all but one of those losses coming by a double-digit margin. As a result, the administration decided to make a change as the program has lost 12 of its last 14 games and is set to depart Conference USA for the American Athletic Conference next season.

“I want to thank Mike Hill, Chancellor (Phil) Dubois and Chancellor (Sharon) Gaber for giving me the opportunity and support at this special place,” Healy said in a statement. “We were fortunate to have some special moments. I was able to work with some outstanding coaches and staff members and coach an incredible group of young men. I want to thank the students, boosters and fan base for the support they’ve shown over the years and I apologize for not being able to bring the results that we were striving for. I’m really proud of the young men in our locker room. I’m a 49ers fan for life and I know the future of this university is bright.”

With Healy out, offensive line coach Pete Rossomando will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Rossomando is the former head coach at New Haven and Central Connecticut State.

Charlotte will resume play next Saturday on the road versus Rice.