The Memphis Showboats are reportedly looking for a new head coach and general manager on Friday after head coach John DeFilippo resigned according to UFL News Hub’s Mark Perry. This news also comes after general manager Dennis Polian left the team seven days ago. The UFL has not announced DeFilippo’s resignation.
The 46-year-old from Youngstown, Ohio, led the Showboats to a 2-8 record finishing in third place in the USFL Conference in the 2024 UFL season. They beat the Houston Roughnecks on the final week of the season to secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 UFL College Draft.
The Showboats drafted quarterback Jason Bean from Kansas. The Showboats were projected to be on the top contending teams in the UFL after surviving the merger between the USFL and XFL but fell below expectations. The Showboats averaged 6,893 fans in the 2024 season.
Before Memphis, DeFilippo was the head coach of the New Orleans Breakers (USFL). He led the team to a 7-3 record but the Breakers were blown out in the South Divisional Final by the Birmingham Stallions 47-22.
John DeFilippo played college football at James Madison (1996-99) for four years. After college, he went into coaching as a quarterback’s coach at Fordham. Later, he went to Notre Dame as a Graduate Assistant for two seasons, then over to Columbia as a quarterback’s coach for an additional two seasons.
In 2005, DeFilippo became the offensive quality control coach for the New York Giants. He was with the Giants for two seasons before joining the Oakland Raiders in 2007 as a quarterback coach. Then, in 2009, he joined the New York Jets as an Assistant quarterback’s coach before heading back to college at San Jose State in 2010 as the Quarterback’s coach.
In 2011, DeFilippo became San Jose State’s Offensive Coordinator along with remaining the team’s Quarterback’s coach. In 2012, he left for a second stint with the Oakland Raiders as the Quarterback’s coach for three seasons before becoming an Offensive Coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2015. After one season in Cleveland, DeFilippo joined Doug Pederson’s staff with the Philadelphia Eagles as the Quarterback’s coach.
DeFilippo was with the Eagles for two seasons, including helping then-starter Carson Wentz and Nick Foles win Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots 41-33 for the Eagles’ first Super Bowl in franchise history.
Not long after the Super Bowl, DeFilippo became the Offensive Coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 but was fired in the same season. In 2019, he was the Offensive Coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars before spending his last two seasons with the Chicago Bears as a Quarterback’s coach and Passing Game Coordinator.
