Mawae Takes Reins of High School Program

The Pro Football Hall of Famer who spent the last two years on the Indianapolis Colts' staff replaces Trent Dilfer as football coach at Lipscomb Academy.

Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports

Former Tennessee Titans center and Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae is going back to school.

Lipscomb Academy, a private high school in Nashville that has made a significant investment in athletics in recent years, introduced Mawae as its new high school football coach Tuesday. The football program has won the state championship each of the last two years.

Mawae replaces another former NFL player, Trent Dilfer, who built Lipcomb’s program into a national power over the past four seasons. Dilfer left to become head coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

School officials reportedly also interviewed three other former NFL players, Jason Witten, Jon Kitna and Ty McKenzie, for the position.

Mawae spent the past two seasons as assistant offensive line coach with the Indianapolis Colts. Before that he was an offensive analyst for three years at Arizona State (2018-20). His first NFL job was as an offensive assistant with the Chicago Bears in 2016-17.

The 52-year-old (his birthday was Monday) does have experience in the prep football scene. After his playing career ended in 2010, he spent time as an assistant coach at Montgomery Bell Academy, another Nashville private institution.

Mawae spent the last four seasons of his 14-year career with the Titans (2006-09). In that time, he missed just three games and Tennessee’s offense ranked seventh or better in rushing each of those seasons. In 2009, Chris Johnson rushed for 2,006 yards and set an NFL record with 2,509 total yards.

A second-round pick (36th overall) by Seattle in 1994, he also played four seasons with the Seahawks and eight with the New York Jets.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019.