Trent Dilfer certainly did not take the traditional path to becoming a Division I football coach.

Dilfer did not steadily work his way up from lowly assistant to coordinator before ultimately ascending to run an entire program. Heck, the former NFL quarterback did not even coach at the collegiate level before being tabbed to lead Alabama-Birmingham.

It was somewhat surprising when UAB athletic director Mark Ingram hired Dilfer, whose coaching experience consisted of four years at Lipscomb Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

“When I went into the high school game it wasn’t to climb the ladder by any stretch of the imagination,” Dilfer told Capital Gazette in an interview this week in advance of Saturday’s game against Navy. “I was not looking to move up [to the collegiate ranks]. I didn’t even have an agent. It kind of just happened more than anything else.”

Ingram, now in his ninth year at UAB, was a bit taken aback when a member of the search committee suggested going after Dilfer.

“You really think I ought to hire a high school coach?” Ingram replied.

At the insistence of the search committee member, Ingram agreed to talk to Dilfer for 10 minutes. Their phone conversation wound up lasting an hour and a half.

Truth be told, Dilfer had to be convinced to become a collegiate head coach more than the other way around. Ingram was one of three athletic directors that reached out to Dilfer during his final season at Lipscomb Academy.After much discussion with his wife, Cassandra, Dilfer determined that Alabama-Birmingham offered the best opportunity and had to decide whether to pull the trigger.

“As I went through the process and got to know Mark better and liked what I heard, my wife and I started discussing the possibility. I spent a lot of time vetting the program, thinking about it and praying on it,” Dilfer said.

“I remember there was one moment when I was sitting on the couch contemplating and I suddenly told my wife, ‘I don’t think I want to do this.’ My wife just looked at me and said, ‘You are going to do this. You’re better when you’re in the battle.’ My wife was the one who always thought I was wired for coaching.”

It makes sense on a lot of levels for Dilfer to lead a Football Bowl Subdivision program. He was always known as a very cerebral quarterback during a 14-year NFL career, highlighted by leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship.

During his final season in the NFL (2007 with the San Francisco 49ers), Dilfer had several offers to transition directly into the coaching ranks.

“The feedback I always got was that I was a really good teacher. All the coaches would say ‘Hey, go teach the running back this pass protection’ or ‘Can you work with the offensive line on this technique?’ I got a lot of feedback from all the coaches I played for that I had a way of communicating and teaching my fellow players,” Dilfer said.

Instead, Dilfer went to work for ESPN as a studio analyst for nine years. He worked on NFL Primetime and Monday Night Countdown and was nominated for a Sports Emmy in 2012 for Outstanding Sports Personality in the Studio Analyst category.

Once college coaching offers came rolling in, Dilfer chose UAB over others because of the school’s move from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference. He also cited the “investment” the UAB administration has made in the football program, most notably the construction of a $20 million football operations center and practice facility. Ingram described Dilfer as a “proven winner” on and off the field and at all levels of football. He said the fact Dilfer played at the highest level and helped develop some of the top quarterbacks in the game were pluses.

“Trent’s goals and visions 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 into the American Athletic Conference,” Ingram said in a statement when Dilfer was hired. “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.”

‘Incredible Experience’

After a prolific college career at Fresno State, Dilfer was the sixth overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dilfer spent six seasons with Tampa Bay and was a Pro Bowl pick in 1997, but was ultimately released. He signed with the Ravens in 2000 to backup Tony Banks, but took over as the starter midway through the season.

Baltimore closed the 2000 regular season with seven straight wins to earn a wild card berth. Dilfer was described by multiple media outlets as a “game manager” who didn’t make costly mistakes as the Ravens went on to rout the New York Giants, 34-7, in Super Bowl 35.

“It was an absolutely incredible experience,” Dilfer said of the Super Bowl run. “This is what I’ve always said about that season: I was a role player one of the greatest teams that ever existed. Collectively, we had something really special that season. We were a really special football team, a lot because of our dominant leadership.”

Dilfer was coming off a “devastating” injury suffered during the 1999 season and was never 100% healthy during the 2000 campaign. He was widely respected by Ravens teammates for playing through pain and displaying general toughness.

Dilfer remains a footnote in NFL history as the only starting quarterback ever released after winning a Super Bowl the previous season.

He has never gotten over the slight and was angry with Billick and general manager Ozzie Newsome for a long time.

“I was devastated. It’s still something I fight. I try not to have any bitterness inside me, but that’s probably the biggest one I’ve had to fight,” Dilfer said.

Dilfer understood the reasoning behind the decision based on practice and game tape. However, he was disappointed the organization’s decision-makers did not recognize he was playing hurt and was only 60% healthy during the 2000 season.

“I knew there was so much more left in me and I knew my teammates knew that. They knew what I was capable of doing when I got healthier,” Dilfer said. “We felt like we could be a dynasty. I’m still crushed that I didn’t get a chance to repeat.”