 Dilfer as head coach at UAB in 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 12, 8, 4 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1972-03-13)March 13, 1972 (age 53) Santa Cruz, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Aptos (Aptos, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Fresno State (1991–1993) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1994: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Trent Farris Dilfer (born March 13, 1972) is an Americanfootball coach and formerquarterback who played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Dilfer achieved his greatest professional success as the starting quarterback of theBaltimore Ravens during theirSuper Bowl-winning season in 2000. Following his playing career, he served as the head coach for theUAB Blazers from 2023 to 2025.
Dilfer playedcollege football for theFresno State Bulldogs, winning theSammy Baugh Trophy in 1993. He was selected sixth overall by theTampa Bay Buccaneers in the1994 NFL draft. Dilfer spent his first six seasons with Tampa Bay, earningPro Bowl honors in 1997, but was released due to inconsistent play. He signed with the Ravens in 2000 as a backup before becoming the team's starter midway through the year, which concluded with the franchise's first Super Bowl victory inSuper Bowl XXXV. Despite the championship, Dilfer was not re-signed by the Ravens, becoming the first starting quarterback to be released after a Super Bowl win. His next four seasons were spent primarily as a backup with theSeattle Seahawks and he had stints with theCleveland Browns and theSan Francisco 49ers before retiring in 2008.
Shortly after announcing his retirement, Dilfer was hired byESPN as an NFL analyst, a position he held until 2017.[1] He is also the head coach of the quarterback campElite 11.[2] In 2023, Dilfer was named the head coach of the Blazers, but was fired during his third season.[3]
Dilfer attendedAptos High School inAptos, California, where he earned first team All-County honors as a free safety.
Dilfer attendedFresno State, starting at quarterback for2+1⁄2 seasons. Dilfer helped Fresno State win or share the conference title for three straight seasons and started in two bowl games. In his junior season, Dilfer led the nation in pass efficiency en route to being named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year. He also set the NCAA record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception (271). That stood until 2007, whenKentucky quarterbackAndre' Woodson broke it. Dilfer then declared himself eligible for the1994 NFL draft, forgoing his senior season.[4] He also won theSammy Baugh Trophy for top collegiate passer.
| Fresno State Bulldogs | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
| Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | QB rating | Yds | TD | |||
| 1991 | 69 | 109 | 832 | 2 | 3 | 128.0 | 177 | 0 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wonderlic | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft3+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[5] | ||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[6] | ||||||||||||
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, afterHeath Shuler and ahead ofPerry Klein)[7] after his junior season at Fresno State.[8] When the Indianapolis Colts passed on Dilfer in the draft in favor of linebackerTrev Alberts, ESPN Draft expertMel Kiper, Jr. heavily criticized their decision. This led to Colts GM Bill Tobin responding on television by asking "Who in the hell is Mel Kiper" and challenged Kiper's credentials to evaluate the draft. This exchange is often shown as one of the classic moments of ESPN draft coverage.[9]
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 rookieWarrick Dunn and the emergence ofMike Alstott, Dilfer was the first Tampa Bay quarterback to ever go to thePro Bowl, which some say was a reward for a highly efficient season in the Buccaneers' limitedoffense. In the first 12 games of that year Dilferpassed for 2213 yards, 19touchdowns and fiveinterceptions. However, Dilfer's performance was perceived to decline in his last four games. In theplayoffs, the Buccaneers defeated theirNFC Central rivals, theDetroit Lions, before losing to their long-timedivision rivals, and defendingSuper Bowl champions, theGreen Bay Packers. While with the Bucs, he won more games than any quarterback in franchise history and took the team to their first playoff game in 15 years.
In a 1995 game against Minnesota at the Metrodome, Dilfer was ejected for throwing a punch at Vikings defensive linemanJohn Randle, making him only the second NFL quarterback to be ejected from a game (Fran Tarkenton of the Vikings was the first quarterback to be ejected after he was thrown out of a 1974 game against theNew England Patriots, which coincidentally also took place in Minnesota).
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]
Dilfer signed with the Ravens on March 8, 2000, and became the backup forTony Banks. After two straight losses and four straight weeks without an offensive touchdown, the Ravens replaced Banks with Dilfer. The Ravens would lose their third straight game and fail to score a touchdown for the fifth straight week. It would be the last time the Ravens would lose a game that season, or go without a touchdown. The Ravens finished the season winning seven straight to earn awild card berth at 12–4. The 7–1 run also gave Dilfer a 45–39 record as a starter at that point.
During the playoffs, Dilfer went 3–0, and the Ravens advanced toSuper Bowl XXXV inTampa, Florida to meet theNew York Giants. The Ravens won their firstSuper 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 linebackerJessie Armstead and returned for a touchdown, the play was negated due to a holding penalty against the Giants.[11] TheLos Angeles Times described Dilfer as agame 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.
Dilfer acknowledged that he still felt bitter about the Ravens moving on from him in a 2021 interview, noting 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]
On August 3, 2001, the Seattle Seahawks signed Dilfer as a backup quarterback to starterMatt Hasselbeck. Dilfer saw his first action when Hasselbeck injured his groin in week three against the Oakland Raiders. Dilfer started and won the next two games, before being replaced by a healthy Hasselbeck. Dilfer came on in a relief role against theWashington Redskins, when Hasselbeck struggled. He continued as the starter when Hasselbeck suffered a separated left shoulder. Dilfer started the final two games of the season, and with Seattle in the playoff hunt, won them both. He ended the season by throwing five touchdowns and two interceptions in two three-point victories. The Seahawks' AFC (they were still in the AFC in 2001) wild-card hopes ended when the Ravens (Dilfer's former team the year before) beat theMinnesota Vikings 19–3 onMonday Night Football. At the end of the season, Dilfer's passer rating was 92.0 and he had won 15 straight starts with a 4–0 record with Seattle.
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 hismedial collateral ligament in his right knee. With the injury, Dilfer lost the starting job to Hasselbeck. Dilfer returned to the starting position against theArizona Cardinals with a Week 2 13–24 loss. On October 28, 2002, in Week 8, he suffered a season-ending tornAchilles tendon against theDallas Cowboys on the synthetic turf atTexas 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 theMiami Dolphins, 24–17, and December 26 versus theArizona Cardinals, 24–21.
Hasselbeck and Dilfer remain close friends since their time together in Seattle.
In March 2005, Dilfer was traded to theCleveland Browns where it was hoped he would mentor rookie quarterbackCharlie Frye. Naming Dilfer the starting quarterback for the 2005 NFL season, the idea was to work Frye into the lineup under the veteran's tutelage, but a behind-the-scenes dispute with then-offensive coordinatorMaurice Carthon resulted in Dilfer's wanting out of Cleveland almost immediately. In his lone season for the Browns, Dilfer passed for 2,321 yards and 11touchdowns, throwing 12interceptions and fumbling 9 times (losing 7 of those). His passer rating was 76.9. He did however have the highest completion percentage of his career at 59.8 percent. The Browns would fall to 6–10.
In May 2006, Dilfer was traded to theSan Francisco 49ers, this time to serve as a mentor to the 2005 first round draft pickAlex Smith. In return, the 49ers gave the BrownsKen Dorsey and a 7th round pick in the2007 NFL draft.[14] A close friend of former 49ers quarterbackJohn Brodie, Dilfer received permission from Brodie and the 49ers to wear his retired number 12 in support of Brodie eventually going into thePro Football Hall of Fame.
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 backupShaun Hill.
Dilfer officially announced his retirement on July 9, 2008. Although he had suffered an Achilles tendon injury playingbasketball 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]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
Dilfer joined theNFL Network as a guest analyst in 2006.[17] On September 15, 2007, he appeared on the NFL Network's pregame show.[18] He was the NFL Network's color analyst for the 2008Senior Bowl as well as a studio analyst during the2008 NFL playoffs. On July 14, 2008, Dilfer signed on as an NFL analyst forESPN. He joinedBrad Nessler to call the second game of the network'sMonday Night Football doubleheader on September 13 of that year.[19] Dilfer also coined the phrase "turned a stinky sandwich into an ice cream cone," which means that a player has turned a potentially negative play into a positive one.[20] During his tenure with ESPN Dilfer presented a segment called "Dilfer's Dimes", which featured highlight passes. ESPN dismissed Dilfer in a cost-cutting move in April 2017, replacing him withRex Ryan.[21]
Dilfer also was a football analyst forFox Sports 1, appearing regularly onThe Herd with Colin Cowherd.
In 2019, Dilfer became head football coach atLipscomb Academy inNashville, 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.[23]
On November 30, 2022, Dilfer was named the head football coach of theUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), his first coaching job of any type at the collegiate level.[24] UAB fired Dilfer on October 12, 2025. Dilfer's record at the time was 9–21.Alex Mortensen succeeded him as interim head coach.[25][26]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAB Blazers(American Athletic Conference / American Conference)(2023–2025) | |||||||||
| 2023 | UAB | 4–8 | 3–5 | T–8th | |||||
| 2024 | UAB | 3–9 | 2–6 | T–11th | |||||
| 2025 | UAB | 2–4[a] | 0–3 | ||||||
| UAB: | 9–21 | 5–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 9–21 | ||||||||
Dilfer recorded a total record of 44-10 as high school coach ofLipscomb Academy inNashville, Tennessee.
| Year | Team | Overall record | Conference record | Conference standing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Dilfer resides with his family inBirmingham, Alabama. He is married to Cassandra Dilfer, a former Fresno State swimmer, and they have four children together. Their only son, Trevin, died of heart disease at the age of five on April 27, 2003. All three surviving daughters are or were collegevolleyballsetters—the oldest, Maddie, played atNotre Dame andPepperdine; middle daughterTori played atTCU andLouisville; and youngest daughter Delaney completed her freshman season atLipscomb in 2021.[27] and then went on to have a successful volleyball setting career at Liberty University.[28]
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.[29]
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.[30]
Dilfer is aChristian. 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.”[31]
