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Mark Schlabach
UAB fired former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer as its head coach on Sunday, a day after the Blazers lost their third straight game, 53-33 at Florida Atlanticto fall to 2-4 this season.
Dilfer, 53, had a 9-21 record in two-plus seasons at UAB.
“We agree that — unfortunately — our on-field performance has not lived up to the standard of winning we have for the program,” athletic director Mark Ingram said in a statement announcing the decision. “I wish Coach Dilfer the best and thank him for his class, tireless work and commitment during his tenure at UAB.
“While his efforts did not translate into a winning record, each young man who played for him will be a better person as a result.”
Alex Mortensen, the son of late NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, will serve as interim coach.
A 14-year NFL veteran, Dilfer was a surprising choice to take over the UAB program after Bill Clark retired for health reasons before the 2022 season. Then-interim coach Bryant Vincent, now at Louisiana-Monroe, guided the Blazers to a 7-6 record that season, and Dilfer’s hiring was announced Nov. 30, 2022.
Dilfer had never coached in college, and his only experience had come during a highly successful four-year stint at Lipscomb Academy, a private high school in Nashville, from 2019 to 2022.
The Blazers went 4-8 in Dilfer’s first season in 2023 and 3-9 in 2024.
This season, UAB’s only victories came in narrow wins against FCS program Alabama State and Akron.
The Blazers rank last in scoring defense (41.3 points) in the American Athletic Conference. UAB and Tulane are the league’s most penalized teams, averaging 8.5 penalties per game.
Dilfer, a former ESPN analyst, was the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft by Tampa Bay in 1994. A 1997 Pro Bowler, Dilfer appeared in 130 games, throwing for 20,518 yards, 113 touchdowns and 129 interceptions.
