BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer was fired as the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s football coach Sunday, a day after the Blazers fell to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in American Conference play this season with a 53-33 loss at Florida Atlantic.
UAB has lost three straight games — falling at Tennessee and against Army before Saturday’s setback — leaving the Blazers 9-21 in 2 1/2 seasons under Dilfer, whose previous head coaching experience was in the high school ranks as he spent four seasons at Nashville’s Lipscomb Academy.
The Blazers were 4-8 in 2023 and 3-9 last year.
“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 release announcing the move.
Alex Mortensen, the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach will serve as interim coach. He’s the son of the late Chris Mortensen, whose sports journalism career included a stint at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and TV work as an NFL analyst.
Dilfer, 53, spent 14 seasons in the NFL from 1994 to 2007, winning the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens to cap the 2000 season. He spent the decade after his playing career ended working in TV as an analyst, including with ESPN, before taking the job at Lipscomb.
The Mustangs went 7-6 and reached the TSSAA Division II-AAA state semifinals in his debut season in 2019, then won three straight region titles and reached the BlueCross Bowl state championship game each year to complete Dilfer’s tenure. They won back-to-back titles his final two seasons, with their 42-0 victory against Christ Presbyterian Academy to repeat on Dec. 1, 2022, coming the day after his hire at UAB was announced.