# Sam Houston fires head football coach Phil Longo

> **Open Intelligence Dossier** · First detected: 2026-10-28 22:20 UTC · Category: Sports

## Executive Summary
Sam Houston has dismissed head football coach Phil Longo following a disappointing 1-7 start to the current season.

## Intelligence Brief
Sam Houston has officially announced a change in football leadership by firing head coach Phil Longo. The decision comes after the team suffered a 1-7 start to their season, according to reports from ESPN and AL.com. This leadership change follows a specific loss to Missouri State, which the Springfield News-Leader identifies as the catalyst that forced the university to take action and terminate the head coach. Coverage of the firing is widespread across sports and regional news outlets. ESPN and FootballScoop.com both confirmed the dismissal of Phil Longo, while the Houston Chronicle highlighted that the coach was dismissed after serving less than two seasons with the university.


Official confirmation of the move was provided by Sam Houston Athletics, which released a statement regarding the change in football leadership. AL.com focused on the broader context of the move, noting that this is a significant coaching change for a school within Conference USA. The urgency of this decision is rooted in the team's poor performance during the current campaign. With only one victory and seven losses, the program has struggled to maintain competitiveness within its conference. The timing of the firing—occurring before the completion of a second full season—indicates a lack of confidence in the current trajectory of the football program.


The impact of the Missouri State victory over Sam Houston is emphasized as a turning point that led directly to the decision to remove Longo from his position. Moving forward, the focus will be on how Sam Houston Athletics manages the transition in leadership. Because the coverage identifies this as a change in football leadership, the university will need to address the vacancy left by Phil Longo. While the provided reports do not name an interim replacement or a permanent successor, the university's status as a Conference USA member means any new hire will be tasked with reversing the 1-7 trend. Observers will be watching for official announcements from Sam Houston Athletics regarding the search for a new head coach.

## Multi-Source Evidence Table
| Source Outlet | Headline | Verification URL |
|---|---|---|
| Dave Campbell's Texas Football | Sam Houston Coaching Hot Board: Early Names to Know for the Bearkats | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiuAFBVV95cUxQYWZfODhsa016SW9rUXcxZ2xJRmotWGhVMzdndVR5LU5mN29XMjdvTUdFdHFNcG5oMi1YQ3ZSb284ZWV1aGVRaVk2eHpsY0o1VFpoX0pac3pORG1QZ1poYWpJWnZmOERCNm40c0UydDY5Tjd2S291OS1wRHp4dzZONGZSUzgwRDN1TzlJaFRkVG5OUFluY1Flak5qWjhzclBLUUlIRTBYSHVtR0tpOUVacW85Z25fLVNX?oc=5) |
| Yahoo Sports | Missouri State football's win results in Sam Houston firing its coach | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMihgFBVV95cUxQejFhOFhRNHIwUmhxY0ZQV1RrMmRZSWlnM0JwRVE2Y2NySmI4QURucmVEbXBHTDd1aEhqemw3Ql9xc0E5SU9qb280UW95Wkt4djZ3R1VZTW9rNzVyNU9PVlUtRnNTbnJkaVRZaWl2WEZIZDFlQ2VaaHZ2ZHVIMmpULUxFN19rdw?oc=5) |
| The New York Times | Sam Houston fires head coach Phil Longo in less than two full seasons after 3-17 run | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMirwFBVV95cUxOX2ZtZXN6eVppdTBoZl9kZHhhQzZjcTdYU2ZERTNtd0NMZTJ6RkNLTlVyNTFkc0NjeXBKN2F5d0VNZzdvQnM4SFFVbHVoMWtRd1ZpaE9va2pHUjZtam5OXzNZaHJvZk1lUEcxTFBtSFp1cE1aRDc0aXVHZ1RxMEQ1ZC0zSlZwQzFJTW1PY3VIMTFjeHAtdzkzZEtVcXBSWVZCekpOYzNOWjZQcDU3dXVB?oc=5) |
| Chron | Sam Houston dismisses head coach after less than two seasons | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiowFBVV95cUxOWkFnLXpEWWFjV2JDbjFqX3BmWE5lc0dsR1ZLWGN0QnhONEV0VlJLU2ZBc0lLMVJKUDFwbTlUVkxOeS1FVG5uQkZrVlAyTmt0YkR0UGFNVFI1QUNSVDhNaWxIc0xpUEh0SUNKT0wxaGQyRndjUVMxX2I1ajNsMVNDQ3I5QlRQaGVSczVNdGlaVlZpdHJkTlI3b0w0YTNyeUNzeTAw?oc=5) |
| Springfield News-Leader | Missouri State's win forces Sam Houston football to fire Phil Longo | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMi2wFBVV95cUxQSm00NzZvcnRSZGRHVW9uY2RqUld0TUlCVzFRR1IxTEVXVjZjRVg2UlY1RW9wNmRxNGp5aVlWYV9MNmM3NGRXdUtrSHVXZk1rMjBBR2FXNFdMR2J6bWNkdktiSmhLazVpakNwNEhOR2VlcU1Va0ItOVk0enRlaldzNFJndmJQS0lzSk1EVEpJSjFYOERPcDV6Ul85QjdpTlZjeGtXZmhiWVUzX3MwRmpCSDdlVjFKZEtvMmJhVFVENF9kQl8wMjh2b1YwS1U2Vl9vVjN1elZpdWtlb1U?oc=5) |
| AL.com | Conference USA school makes football coaching change after 1-7 start | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiqwFBVV95cUxOMmVCTDVWRlFXVGZ6OVZSVDZ0Nm1wVDd0QW5uU0tUNWpUQUtTMUk3ZHAzM2pETjJqd2xaZmVVeHdEaWR4RWppczFKdUw2alN3Q0JHelBIalRKYnFnQjIwc3VkYkdmOTZOYlVhRlktMFVQc1c5TGVYT1VTVFFRYTlybzc4Wm5nYlZEVFRUczk3NDRPMWxJbThmeVRKVkV2a2VBTXdPcVV3bVlyeDg?oc=5) |
| Sam Houston Athletics | Sam Houston Announces Change in Football Leadership | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMilAFBVV95cUxNXzExSHdHNDdwSzB0YlB5U0pnZ1BUeU0xb0k0VjVBQmM5R19XVVR1NEJGRFlpdWhzTkNkVjhKQjBYOHJBcEtUUURQdUZ6azVJWnk0UEVqTzhwdFY4MVV2WVZQZWRZNFpHczlvN3h6dXVlR1FLSVpCUUxId3NEbGVSMzA4QXpMM2s1MTNncFFxTHlESkli?oc=5) |
| ESPN | Sam Houston fires football coach Phil Longo amid 1-7 start to season | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiwAFBVV95cUxNNUxKMFdudWVOWlczZWs4SWlIUTBGZ25XcVoyT3BaN0ZZRFBkMkN4a2M1akJ5MGkxTWRYYU5BRFdtQjFhdkdnek56Y3hmaTdjVWw0QkRrWmgySTZaMFJKREJYQUlkYU9wZXczZUx2NTVuZnkwRmd1cHdRbW1PYnZNUWVUODJJWFlYd1ZHWkoyeDdQUUlPb0pNZjhxakVkUzhlanQ3ZmVIUm1qekhGZ0J0ejVUS0RBNWw5SHJtOC1BYVE?oc=5) |
| FootballScoop.com | Sam Houston fires head football coach Phil Longo | [Source Link](https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikwFBVV95cUxQWUpKdWRIWjZIeHJ6NFE5VzkyNk5QOFJ0djVZSGd0el9EeExmSjlOemV2SkF6NDFfYUlkR0l5UG5TZkUzNFhRSVdBYS1HbFRJV1JlS1FqdVV6b1hyX1cxTDlPNlhxZmF1SVV2TmZIQ3NjQl9kY3dERk9CQ0dnU3M4aDUwdG5nTXNkYWt6c1pHYmxLU1k?oc=5) |

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*Canonical Source: https://pulse.byoviral.com/trend/2026-10-28/sam-houston-fires-head-football-coach-phil-longo*