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Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer 49ers.jpg
Dilfer with the San Francisco 49ers in 2007
Current position
Title Head coach
Team UAB
Conference The American
Record 7–17
Annual salary $1.3 million
Biographical details
Born (1972-03-13) March 13, 1972 (age 53)
Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
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 7–17 (college)
44–10 (high school)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
As a player
  • Super Bowl champion (XXXV)
  • Pro Bowl (1997)
  • Bart Starr Award (2003)
  • Steve Largent Award (2003)
  • Sammy Baugh Trophy (1993)
  • Third-team All-American (1993)
  • WAC Offensive Player of the Year (1993)
  • 2× First-team All-WAC (1992, 1993)
  • Fresno State Bulldogs No. 12 retired
NFL record
  • Longest passing touchdown in a playoff game: 96 yards

Trent Farris Dilfer (born March 13, 1972) is an American football coach and former quarterback. A quarterback is the player who leads the team's offense and throws the ball. He is currently the head coach for the UAB Blazers football team. Dilfer played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He is best known for being the starting quarterback when the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000. He also holds the record for most quarterback starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Dilfer played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs. He won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as a junior. He was picked sixth overall by the Buccaneers in the 1994 NFL draft. He played his first six seasons with Tampa Bay. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 1997. The Pro Bowl is an all-star game for the best players in the NFL.

In 2000, Dilfer joined the Ravens as a backup. He became the starter halfway through the year. The team went on to win their first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXXV. This was against the New York Giants. Even after winning the championship, the Ravens did not re-sign Dilfer. This made him the first starting quarterback to be released after a Super Bowl win. He then spent four seasons mostly as a backup for the Seattle Seahawks. He also played short times with the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers. He retired from playing in 2008.

After retiring, Dilfer worked as an NFL analyst for ESPN until 2017. He also coaches at the quarterback training camp Elite 11. Dilfer became the head football coach at UAB in 2023.

Early Life and High School Years

Trent Dilfer grew up in Aptos, California. He went to Aptos High School there.

College Football Career

Dilfer played quarterback for Fresno State. He was a starter for two and a half seasons. He helped Fresno State win or share their conference title for three years in a row. He also played in two bowl games.

In his junior year, Dilfer was the best in the nation for how well he passed the ball. He was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year. The WAC is the Western Athletic Conference. He also set an NCAA record for throwing the most passes without an interception (271). This record stood until 2007. After his junior year, he decided to enter the NFL draft early. He also won the Sammy Baugh Trophy, which goes to the best college passer.

College Statistics

Here are some of Trent Dilfer's college football 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 Football Career

Trent Dilfer started his professional football journey when he was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He was the sixth player chosen overall.

Playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dilfer became the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers in his second year. In 1995, he had a tough season, throwing only 4 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He improved in 1996, throwing more touchdowns.

In 1997, Dilfer became the first Tampa Bay quarterback to be selected for the Pro Bowl. This was a big achievement for him and the team. The Buccaneers made it to the playoffs that year. They beat the Detroit Lions but then lost to the Green Bay Packers. During his time with the Bucs, he won more games than any other quarterback in the team's history. He also led them to their first playoff game in 15 years.

In a 1995 game, Dilfer was ejected for throwing a punch. This made him one of the few NFL quarterbacks to ever be thrown out of a game.

Dilfer threw 21 touchdowns in both the 1997 and 1998 seasons for the Buccaneers. In 1999, he got injured and missed the rest of the season. He started 76 games for Tampa Bay, winning 38 of them.

Winning the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens

Dilfer joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 as a backup quarterback. After the team struggled, Dilfer became the starting quarterback. The Ravens then went on a winning streak, winning seven games in a row. They finished the season with a 12–4 record.

In the playoffs, Dilfer led the Ravens to three wins. They reached Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa, Florida. They played against the New York Giants. The Ravens won the Super Bowl 34–7. Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown in the game. Even though he helped the Ravens win the Super Bowl, the team decided not to re-sign him. This made him the only starting quarterback to be let go after winning a Super Bowl.

Time with the Seattle Seahawks

On August 3, 2001, the Seattle Seahawks signed Dilfer as a backup. He played when the starting quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, was injured. Dilfer started and won two games. He continued to play when Hasselbeck was injured again. Dilfer started the last two games of the season and won both. He ended the season with a 4–0 record as a starter for Seattle.

In 2002, Dilfer signed a four-year deal with the Seahawks. He was expected to be the starter. However, he injured his knee in a practice game and lost the starting job to Hasselbeck. Later that season, he suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury. This ended his season.

In 2003 and 2004, Dilfer played less often. He mostly helped mentor Matt Hasselbeck. Dilfer and Hasselbeck are still good friends today.

Playing for the Cleveland Browns

In 2005, Dilfer was traded to the Cleveland Browns. The team hoped he would help guide their rookie quarterback, Charlie Frye. Dilfer started as the Browns' quarterback for the 2005 season. He passed for 2,321 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Final Seasons with the San Francisco 49ers

In 2006, Dilfer was traded to the San Francisco 49ers. His role was to mentor Alex Smith, a young quarterback. Dilfer wore the retired number 12 jersey to honor former 49ers quarterback John Brodie.

In 2007, Dilfer took over as starter when Alex Smith was injured. He started several games. In December 2007, Dilfer suffered a head injury during a game. This injury ended his season.

Retirement from Playing

Trent Dilfer officially announced his retirement from playing football on July 9, 2008.

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular Season Games

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacked Fumbles
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Y/A TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
1994 TB 5 2 0–2 38 82 46.3 433 5.3 1 6 36.3 2 27 13.5 0 8 42 2 1
1995 TB 16 16 7–9 224 415 54.0 2,774 6.7 4 18 60.1 23 115 5.0 2 47 331 13 6
1996 TB 16 16 6–10 267 482 55.4 2,859 5.9 12 19 64.8 32 124 3.9 0 28 207 10 4
1997 TB 16 16 10–6 217 386 56.2 2,555 6.6 21 11 82.8 33 99 3.0 1 32 196 9 1
1998 TB 16 16 8–8 225 429 52.4 2,729 6.4 21 15 74.0 40 141 3.5 2 27 172 9 5
1999 TB 10 10 7–3 146 244 59.8 1,619 6.6 11 11 75.8 35 144 4.1 0 26 189 6 5
2000 BAL 11 8 7–1 134 226 59.3 1,502 6.6 12 11 76.6 20 75 3.8 0 23 135 8 2
2001 SEA 6 4 4–0 73 122 59.8 1,014 8.3 7 4 92.0 11 17 1.5 0 10 72 3 0
2002 SEA 6 6 2–4 94 168 56.0 1,182 7.0 4 6 71.1 10 27 2.7 0 7 36 2 1
2003 SEA 5 0 4 8 50.0 31 3.9 1 1 59.9 2 –1 –0.5 0 1 8 2 1
2004 SEA 5 2 2–0 25 58 43.1 333 5.7 1 3 46.1 10 14 1.4 0 4 21 1 0
2005 CLE 11 11 4–7 199 333 59.8 2,321 7.0 11 12 76.9 20 46 2.3 0 23 139 9 5
2006 SF 0 0 DNP
2007 SF 7 6 1–5 113 219 51.6 1,166 5.3 7 12 55.1 10 25 2.5 0 27 182 8 0
Career 130 113 58–55 1,759 3,172 55.5 20,518 6.5 113 129 70.2 248 853 3.4 5 263 1,730 82 31

Playoff Games

Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacked Fumbles
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Y/A TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
1997 TB 2 2 1–1 24 62 38.7 381 6.1 1 3 45.2 2 0 0.0 0 4 33 0 0
1999 TB 0 0 DNP
2000 BAL 4 4 4–0 35 73 47.9 590 8.1 3 1 83.7 13 7 0.5 0 10 82 3 0
2003 SEA 0 0 DNP
2004 SEA 0 0
Career 6 6 5–1 59 135 43.7 971 7.2 4 4 66.0 15 7 0.5 0 14 115 3 0

Broadcasting Career

After retiring from playing, Dilfer became a football analyst. He joined the NFL Network in 2006. In 2008, he became an NFL analyst for ESPN. He would often talk about football games and plays. He even created a segment called "Dilfer's Dimes," which showed great passes. ESPN let Dilfer go in 2017. He also worked as a football analyst for Fox Sports 1.

Coaching Career

In 2019, Dilfer became the head football coach at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

  • In his first year (2019), the team had a 5–5 record.
  • In 2020, his team went 8–2 and played in the state championship game. They lost 35–28.
  • In 2021, the Mustangs finished with a 13–1 record. They won the Division II Class AA State Championship game 27–0.
  • In 2022, the Mustangs had a perfect 13–0 season. They won their second straight state championship, 42–0.

On November 30, 2022, Dilfer was named the head football coach for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). This was his first college coaching job.

Head Coaching Record

College Coaching Record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
UAB Blazers (American Athletic Conference) (2023–present)
2023 UAB 4–8 3–5 T–8th
2024 UAB 3–9 2–6 T–11th
UAB: 7–17 6–11
Total: 7–17

High School Coaching Record

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

Trent Dilfer lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his family. He is married to Cassandra Dilfer. She was a swimmer at Fresno State. They have four children. Their only son, Trevin, passed away from heart disease in 2003 when he was five years old.

All three of their daughters play or played college volleyball.

  • Maddie played at Notre Dame and Pepperdine.
  • Tori played at TCU and Louisville.
  • Delaney played at Lipscomb and then at Liberty University.

Aptos High School, where Dilfer went to school, named their football field Trevin Dilfer Field in memory of his son.

Dilfer has spoken about facing personal challenges during his time with the Seahawks. He has shared that his friend Matt Hasselbeck helped him through a difficult period.

Dilfer is a Christian. He has said that his faith is very important to him.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Trent Dilfer para niños

  • List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders
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