The University of Alabama at Birmingham introduced former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer as its next head football coach in a press conference on Wednesday. Dilfer is a 14-year NFL quarterback, best known for his Super Bowl win for the defense-heavy Baltimore Ravens in 2000. Dilfer has worked in television and radio for sports outlets, including ESPN and Fox Sports. He has amassed a 38 and 8 record as the head coach of Lipscomb Academy, a private high school in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Having the opportunity to lead such a quality program like UAB is one that I am beyond excited about,” Dilfer said in a statement. “The investments the university has made for UAB Football aligns with my vision of taking this program to new heights as we join the American Athletic Conference and compete annually for the highest prize of playing in the College Football Playoff. I would like to thank President Ray Watts, Director of Athletics Mark Ingram, and the entire search committee for their commitment to excellence and for trusting in me as we venture into this new era of UAB Football together.”
Dilfer went to one Pro Bowl while quarterbacking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1997. Dilfer won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the best passer in America after throwing for 3,799 yards and 30 touchdowns at Fresno State during his collegiate career. In his NFL career, Dilfer accumulated 20,518 yards passing, completing 1,759 of 3,172 passes with 113 touchdowns and 129 interceptions.
He will coach Lipscomb Academy one last time as they play for a state championship this week before joining UAB.
While Dilfer has never formally worked as a college head or assistant coach, he has extensive experience working with elite college and high school quarterbacks preparing for college or the NFL draft. Dilfer is the head coach of the Elite 11 Academy, which began in 2009 and was launched to train elite-level high school quarterbacks. He has coached 27 of the 32 current NFL starting quarterbacks as well as 14 of the past 15 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks. Currently, 60 of the 64 Power 5 starting quarterbacks in 2022 attended the Elite 11 Finals or Elite 11 Regional.
“Trent is a proven winner on and off the field at all levels and will be a tremendous leader for our program,” athletic director Ingram said. “He is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback who played the game at its highest level for many years, and he has coached some of the top quarterbacks who are currently NFL franchise players. Trent’s goals and vision for our program is to lead UAB to the College Football Playoff, and we have no doubt that he is the right coach to lead our transition in the American Athletic Conference. Most importantly, Trent is an outstanding man, husband, and father with tremendous character who fits our department’s core values of winning championships, graduating with honors, and making a difference in our community.”
UAB Coach Bill Clark resigned immediately prior to the 2022 season due to health concerns with his back. Clark had to endure the program being shut down by the University before it was resurrected due to popular demand from the student body. Clark had to rebuild his program from scratch. Despite that daunting challenge, Clark led UAB to five straight winning seasons and two Conference USA championships. He was the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year in 2018. Interim head Coach Bryan Vincent led the team to a 6 and 6 record.
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