Trent Dilfer
Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Head coach |
Team | UAB |
Conference | The American |
Record | 4–8 |
Annual salary | $1.3 million[1] |
Biographical details | |
Born | Santa Cruz, California, U.S. | March 13, 1972
Alma mater | California State University, Fresno |
Playing career | |
1990–1993 | Fresno State |
1994–1999 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
2000 | Baltimore Ravens |
2001–2004 | Seattle Seahawks |
2005 | Cleveland Browns |
2006–2007 | San Francisco 49ers |
Position(s) | Quarterback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
2019–2022 | Lipscomb Academy (TN) |
2023–present | UAB |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 4–8 (college) 44–10 (high school) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Awards | |
| |
Trent Farris Dilfer (born March 13, 1972) is an American football coach and former player who is the head football coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dilfer played as a quarterback for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He achieved his greatest professional success as the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens during their Super Bowl-winning season in 2000.
Dilfer played
Shortly after announcing his retirement, Dilfer was hired by ESPN as an NFL analyst, a position he held until 2017.[2] He is also the head coach of the quarterback camp Elite 11.[3] Dilfer became the head football coach at UAB in 2023.[4]
Early life
Dilfer attended Aptos High School in Aptos, California.
College career
Dilfer attended
College statistics
Fresno State Bulldogs | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | QB Rating | Yds | TD | |||
1992 | 188 | 360 | 3,000 | 21 | 14 | 133.7 | 90 | 2 | ||
1993 | 254 | 396 | 3,799 | 30 | 5 | 167.2 | — | 1 | ||
Career | 442 | 754 | 6,799 | 51 | 19 | 151.2 | – | 3 |
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wonderlic
| ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 3+1⁄4 in (1.91 m) |
228 lb (103 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
22[6] | ||||||||
All values from NFL Combine[7] |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dilfer's professional football career began when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with their first pick in the 1994 NFL Draft (sixth overall, and the second quarterback taken in the draft, after
Enlisted as the starter in his second year, after seeing spot duty in his rookie year, Dilfer struggled during what was still a dark period for the Buccaneers as a whole, when in 1995 he threw only 4 touchdown passes but 18 interceptions. The following year, he showed moderate improvement by upping his touchdown production, but failed to improve his turnover numbers (recording a career-high 19).
The following season, a year that Tampa's offense was aided by the arrival of rookie
In a 1995 game against Minnesota at the Metrodome, Dilfer was ejected for throwing a punch at Vikings defensive lineman John Randle. In NFL history, he was the only quarterback by far to be ejected.
Dilfer threw for 21 touchdowns with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in both the 1997 and the 1998 NFL seasons. In the 1996–1999 NFL seasons, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dilfer averaged 2,729 yards a season and had a total of 58 touchdowns. His inconsistent play continued and in Week 10 of 1999, he was injured severely, missing the rest of the season. In 76 games as a starter for Tampa Bay, he went 38-38, with his wins being the most for a Buccaneer quarterback.[10]
Baltimore Ravens
Dilfer signed with the Ravens on March 8, 2000, and became the backup for
During the playoffs, Dilfer went 3–0, and the Ravens advanced to Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Florida to meet the New York Giants. The Ravens won their first Super Bowl title in a 34–7 blowout, which saw Dilfer complete 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown. Although one of Dilfer's passes was intercepted by linebacker Jessie Armstead and returned for a touchdown, the play was negated due to a holding penalty against the Giants.[11] The Los Angeles Times described Dilfer as a game manager quarterback for the Ravens that season: He "wasn't elite, but he didn't make costly mistakes, and was supported by a dominant defense."[12] Dilfer wasn't re-signed by the Ravens, making him the only quarterback to be let go after winning a Super Bowl. He stated later that they told him he was their third choice after Brad Johnson (who signed with Tampa Bay) and Elvis Grbac, who signed with Baltimore.
In a 2021 interview, Dilfer acknowledged that he still felt bitter about the Ravens moving on from him, stating he played through injury during the season, most notably in his shoulder alongside osteitis pubis, an inflammation near the pubic bone and hip flexor muscle. He also criticized his successor, Elvis Grbac, who posted lower statistics with the Ravens.[13]
Seattle Seahawks
On August 3, 2001, the Seattle Seahawks signed Dilfer as a backup quarterback to starter
Partially because the Seattle Seahawks' starting quarterback, Hasselbeck, was coming off a season where he went 5–7 as a starter and threw eight interceptions and seven touchdowns, Dilfer was re-signed by the team to a four-year deal on March 1, and was slated as the starter heading into training camp. However, in an exhibition game against Indianapolis, Dilfer sprained his medial collateral ligament in his right knee. With the injury, Dilfer lost the starting job to Hasselbeck. Dilfer returned to the starting position against the Arizona Cardinals with a Week 2 13–24 loss. On October 28, 2002, in Week 8, he suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon against the Dallas Cowboys on the synthetic turf at Texas Stadium. At that point in the season, the Seahawks were 2-5.
In 2003, Dilfer played sparingly in a relief role and was primarily used to mentor Hasselbeck.
In 2004, Dilfer started in only two games, and won them both: November 28 versus the Miami Dolphins, 24–17, and December 26 versus the Arizona Cardinals, 24–21.
Hasselbeck and Dilfer remain close friends since their time together in Seattle.
Cleveland Browns
In March 2005, Dilfer was traded to the
San Francisco 49ers
In May 2006, Dilfer was traded to the
On September 30, 2007, Dilfer took over from Alex Smith following Smith's grade three shoulder separation. He would go on to start for the 49ers in games against the Seahawks, Ravens and Giants before conceding the starting spot back to Smith. However, with Smith's effectiveness in question coming back from injury, coach Mike Nolan announced on November 14, 2007, that Dilfer would be the starting quarterback. Dilfer would go on to start in games against the Rams, in victory over the Cardinals in overtime, and against the Panthers. On December 9 in a home game against the Vikings, Dilfer suffered a head injury resulting in a concussion while diving for a 1st down on 4th and 2 that took him out of the game and subsequently the season. He was succeeded by third string backup Shaun Hill.
Retirement
Dilfer officially announced his retirement on July 9, 2008. Although he had suffered an Achilles tendon injury playing basketball earlier in the off-season with his wife, Dilfer stated that he was planning to retire anyway.[15]
In 2009, Dilfer was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame.[16]
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Won the Super Bowl | |
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | Games | Passing | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | ||
1994 | TB | 5 | 2 | 0–2 | 38 | 82 | 46.3 | 433 | 5.3 | 1 | 6 | 36.3 |
1995 | TB | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 224 | 415 | 54.0 | 2,774 | 6.7 | 4 | 18 | 60.1 |
1996 | TB | 16 | 16 | 6–10 | 267 | 482 | 55.4 | 2,859 | 5.9 | 12 | 19 | 64.8 |
1997 | TB | 16 | 16 | 10–6 | 217 | 386 | 56.2 | 2,555 | 6.6 | 21 | 11 | 82.8 |
1998 | TB | 16 | 16 | 8–8 | 225 | 429 | 52.4 | 2,729 | 6.4 | 21 | 15 | 74.0 |
1999 | TB | 10 | 10 | 7–3 | 146 | 244 | 59.8 | 1,619 | 6.6 | 11 | 11 | 75.8 |
2000 | BAL | 11 | 8 | 7–1 | 134 | 226 | 59.3 | 1,502 | 6.6 | 12 | 11 | 76.6 |
2001 | SEA | 6 | 4 | 4–0 | 73 | 122 | 59.8 | 1,014 | 8.3 | 7 | 4 | 92.0 |
2002 | SEA | 6 | 6 | 2–4 | 94 | 168 | 56.0 | 1,182 | 7.0 | 4 | 6 | 71.1 |
2003 | SEA | 5 | 0 | – | 4 | 8 | 50.0 | 31 | 3.9 | 1 | 1 | 59.9 |
2004 | SEA | 5 | 2 | 2–0 | 25 | 58 | 43.1 | 333 | 5.7 | 1 | 3 | 46.1 |
2005 | CLE | 11 | 11 | 4–7 | 199 | 333 | 59.8 | 2,321 | 7.0 | 11 | 12 | 76.9 |
2006 | SF | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||
2007 | SF | 7 | 6 | 1–5 | 113 | 219 | 51.6 | 1,166 | 6.3 | 7 | 12 | 55.1 |
Career | 130 | 113 | 58–55 | 1,759 | 3,172 | 55.5 | 20,518 | 6.5 | 113 | 129 | 70.2 |
Broadcasting
Dilfer joined the
Dilfer also was a football analyst for Fox Sports 1, appearing regularly on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
Coaching career
In 2019, Dilfer became head football coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.[22] In his first year, the team went 5–5 and got knocked out in the semifinals. The next season in 2020, Dilfer went 8–2 and led the Lipscomb Academy Mustangs to the 2020 Division II Class AA State Championship game against CPA (Christ Presbyterian Academy). They played the championship game on December 3, 2020, in Cookeville, TN, at Tennessee Tech University. The Mustangs lost 35–28. In 2021, the Mustangs finished 13–1, including one win by forfeit, and defeated Christ Presbyterian Academy, 27–0, in the Division II Class AA State Championship game. In 2022, the Mustangs finished 13-0 and again defeated Christ Presbyterian Academy with a score of 42-0 to win their second straight Division II Class AA State Championship.
On November 30, 2022, Dilfer was named the head football coach of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), his first coaching job of any type at the collegiate level.[23]
Head coaching record
College
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UAB Blazers (American Athletic Conference) (2023–present) | |||||||||
2023 | UAB | 4–8 | 3–5 | T–8th | |||||
2024 | UAB | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
UAB: | 4–8 | 3–5 | |||||||
Total: | 4–8 |
High school
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lipscomb Academy Mustangs () (2019–2022) | |||||||||
2019 | Lipscomb Academy | 7–6 | 2–2 | 3rd | |||||
2020 | Lipscomb Academy | 11–3 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
2021 | Lipscomb Academy | 13–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
2022 | Lipscomb Academy | 13–0 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
Lipscomb Academy: | 44–10 | 16–2 | |||||||
Total: | 44–10 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth |
Personal life
Dilfer resides with his family in
On June 2, 2003, Dilfer made his first public comments regarding his family's loss and, still grieving, openly wept. Aptos High School, Dilfer's alma mater, named their football field Trevin Dilfer Field.[26]
On a broadcast of the Cardinals and Titans preseason game in 2012, Dilfer admitted he weighed 265 lbs and was drinking himself to sleep during his tenure with the Seahawks. This was in regard to losing his son and how Matt Hasselbeck helped him to recover.[27]
Dilfer is a Christian. He has said, “Trent Dilfer has been saved by Jesus Christ. And all of that other stuff really doesn’t matter. That’s where my value comes from, and that’s why I can handle being criticized in the media. That’s why I can handle people calling radio shows and lying about me. That’s why I can handle some of the adverse situations I face, and that’s why I can handle success.”[28]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ "UAB Head Coach Trent Dilfer's Career Record And Contract". herosports.com. June 21, 2023.
- ^ Drape, Joe; Barnes, Brooks (April 26, 2017). "A Struggling ESPN Lays Off Many On-Air Personalities". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ NFL Network (September 13, 2017), The Top High School Quarterbacks Compete for a Spot on the Elite 11 | NFL Network, retrieved January 11, 2018
- ^ Scarborough, Alex (November 30, 2022). "New UAB coach Trent Dilfer: CFP a 'giant mountain,' but one we should talk about". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Official Site of the San Francisco 49ers – TE Roster Archived May 29, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wonderlic scores of 2010 NFL starting quarterbacks and NFL draft QB prospects". palmbeachpost.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Trent Dilfer, Combine Results, QB - Fresno State (CA)". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "Scramblin' Man : Quarterback Perry Klein Has Been Vilified for Switching Schools--But That Was Before the NFL Called". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 1994.
- ^ "1994 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/tam/career-passing.htm
- ^ "SuperBowl.com wire reports". National Football League. January 29, 2001. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Farmer, Sam (January 28, 2012). "In the NFL, it's (almost) all about the quarterback". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 29, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ Michael David Smith (January 28, 2021). "Trent Dilfer still bitter that Ravens chose Elvis Grbac over him". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "TSN : NFL – Canada's Sports Leader". Tsn.ca. August 31, 2010. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ "QB Dilfer Announces Retirement". The Washington Post. July 9, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ "Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame | Home". Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame | Home. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ^ "Hawks Fun Notes: Wistrom's tribute comes up short". The Seattle Times. January 21, 2006.
- ^ Ludwig, Chick. "Dayton, Ohio, news and information". SpringfieldNewsSun. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Hiestand, Michael (July 26, 2010). "Joe Theismann, Notre Dame telecasts, a possible fit". USA Today..
- ^ "Analysts' reaction: Scarred Tony Romo now a trustworthy warrior". The Dallas Morning News. September 26, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2020..
- ^ Raissman, Bob (April 26, 2017). ESPN now ruled by the Bean Counters as struggling World Wide Leader deals with massive subscriber loss. New York Daily News. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ Kreager, Tom (January 18, 2019). "Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer named next Lipscomb Academy football coach". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
- ^ Kreager, Tom (November 30, 2022). "UAB hires ex-NFL QB Trent Dilfer as next head coach". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ Lee, Dana (December 9, 2021). "How Louisville's Tori Dilfer willed – and worked – her way to the brink of history-making perfection". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Delaney Dilfer - 2023 - Women's Volleyball". Liberty University. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
- ^ "Aptos field to be named after late son of NFL pro Dilfer". Forums.49ers.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
- ^ Davis, Nate. "Hasselbeck: 'Blessing' to Locker, 'best dude' ever to Dilfer." USA Today, August 24, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
- ^ May, Aaron (October 18, 2012). "From the Archives - Trent Dilfer". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved April 18, 2022.