When the Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV, they had a college football star with 12,541 career passing yards and 84 touchdowns to back up Trent Dilfer. Now, 26 years later, that same backup is the champion head coach in the United Football League, leading the Louisville Kings to their title in the debut season. The player in question is Chris Redman, who spent four years in Baltimore after being drafted 75th overall in the 2000 NFL draft, and now finds himself at the pinnacle of the UFL in his first season as head coach.

“Chris Redman, a former 3rd-round pick by Ravens in 2000, wins the UFL title as a head coach with some help from former teammates,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reported on X. “Four members from the 2000 title team are on his coaching staff: Jamie Sharper (DC), Brad Jackson (LBs), Chris McAlister (DBs), and Tony Banks (WRs).”

After being drafted in 2000 and winning the Lombardi Trophy in his rookie year, Chris Redman was part of the Ravens roster for the next three years, playing predominantly as a backup. He spent time with the New England Patriots (2005), the Tennessee Titans (2005), and the Atlanta Falcons (2007-11), throwing for a career total of 3,179 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, before hanging up his boots in 2012 after being released.

Since then, Redman took up various jobs in and around football, like owning an indoor football team, the Louisville Xtreme, until 2021, before pivoting to an assistant/QB coach role at Arlington/Midlothian High School in Texas from 2023 to 2024. However, when the UFL came calling, the former Ravens quarterback was ready for a new challenge and brought on his teammates from Baltimore as his coaching staff.

As Hensley reported, Chris Redman had four of his former Ravens teammates on his coaching staff. Former Ravens linebackers Jamie Sharper and Brad Jackson were Redman’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, while former cornerback Chris McAlister coached the defensive backs. On the offensive side of the ball, one of the quarterbacks that Redman backed up, Tony Banks, was the wide receivers coach.

With this group, Redman led the Kings to a 27-20 win over the D.C. Defenders at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. The victory was even sweeter for Redman and Co. as the Defenders were the reigning UFL champions and the Kings started their debut UFL season with a 0-3 record. Now, after winning the United Bowl, Redman described his coaching staff as the Ravens locker room from his playing days.

“It feels like I’m back in the locker room again,” Redman said, per Ravens Wire, before highlighting the trust they had because of playing with each other. “Just once you play and bleed and sweat with somebody, you trust them.”

However, for Chris Redman, head coaching in the UFL was never part of his plan, and he was even surprised when he first got the call for this job.

Ravens’ Redman reflects on being the Kings’ head coach after winning the UFL

When the UFL announced an expansion team, league co-owner Mike Repole and UFL President & CEO Russ Brandon shocked everyone by naming Chris Redman as the head coach of the Louisville Kings. While Redman was a Louisville football royalty as a three-year starting quarterback at the University of Louisville, where he was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year and won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also inducted into Louisville’s prestigious Ring of Honor in 2014.

However, he didn’t have any major coaching experience, barring his assistant/QB coach role at Arlington/Midlothian High School. Furthermore, the doubts over Redman gathered steam as the Kings began their season with a 0-3 record. But the tables quickly turned as Louisville went 6-1 in its remaining games to clinch the playoffs and then bring home the United Bowl trophy.

Reflecting on his journey, Chris Redman expressed excitement about the opportunity during an appearance on The Lounge podcast days before the championship game.

“This opportunity came up to coach for a professional team in my home city of Louisville. I was like, ‘Absolutely, man,'” Redman said. “It’s kind of my calling. I knew I would like [coaching]. I didn’t know I would like it this much. It has been an incredible year.”

Chris Redman’s journey from Super Bowl-winning backup quarterback to UFL champion head coach is one of the more unlikely stories in recent football history. After years away from the spotlight, he returned to his home city, reunited with his old Ravens teammates, and delivered Louisville its first-ever professional football title.