Motte to join Memphis baseball staff
Former St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte is joining the Memphis baseball staff as the team’s director of player development, the school announced Thursday afternoon.
According to the university’s press release, Motte will assist in a variety of roles within the program.
Motte played nine major league seasons and won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011. He finished with a National League-leading 42 saves in 2012.
“We are thrilled to have Jason join our program in this capacity,” Memphis baseball coach Daron Schoenrock said in a statement. “His knowledge of the game, his impact on
The decision was an easy one to make for Norvell, who has watched his protege rise since the two met at a spring practice at Arizona State and Dillingham showed then he was driven to be a great coach.
“He’s relentless in everything he does. He puts his heart into it, and he’s got a great football mind,” Norvell said. “We’ve been together so long (that) he’s got a pretty good sense of how I think and what we need to accomplish.”
Norvell-Dillingham dynamic
The two coaches are so in sync that Dillingham often can finish Norvell’s sentences. Dillingham’s familiarity with the offense allowed him to help get the new assistant coaches up to speed after being hired this winter.
“He knows what Coach Norvell’s going to do before he even does it because he’s been with him so long,” associate head coach/tight ends coach Will Hall said. “He cares about Coach Norvell’s vision and cares about his players.”
It’s a part of Dillingham’s philosophy that started when he began coaching junior varsity at 17 years old as a high school senior. Ask questions, know what your boss wants and make sure they look good on the field.
It led Dillingham to seek out Norvell, then Arizona State’s offensive coordinator, and Norvell returned the favor by inviting Dillingham to coaches meetings that spring.
“I went to every single meeting and practice so I could selfishly implement it at our school because what he was doing was cutting edge,” Dillingham said.
“He showed with his actions how important it was, so I’ve known from the beginning he was passionate,” Norvell added.
The persistence not only made Dillingham a successful offensive coordinator for Chaparral, but it also led to him being hired as an offensive assistant at Arizona State in 2014 under Norvell. When Norvell came to Memphis, Dillingham wanted to follow even if was a lateral move as a graduate assistant.
The Rise
Dillingham’s work with the quarterbacks the past two seasons made him a natural fit at offensive coordinator. He also spent last year working with the tight ends, which gave him an even better grasp of the offense.
As Memphis became known as one of the nation’s best offenses, Dillingham stuck to his simple rule that made him want to make his bosses better.
“When I was a graduate assistant, my job was to make Chip Long the best offensive coordinator in the country,” Dillingham said. “After I got promoted to quarterbacks coach, my job was to make Darrell Dickey the best offensive coordinator in the country and Mike Norvell the best coach in the country.
Norvell stamped his approval of Dillingham in a radio interview earlier this year by saying he “knows this offense as well as anybody that I’ve been around.”
Now Dillingham’s hands again will play a key role in where this offense goes next. The quarterback battle that began between David Moore and Brady White this spring will continue in the fall. Dillingham praised Moore’s arm strength and White’s accuracy, but now he wants to see who will master this offense come fall camp.
“What I’m looking for is guys that continue to improve. I want to see a difference physically in how they work and mentally in how they understand this offense,” Dillingham said.
Those are words he could have said about himself. After 12 years of coaching, he is still motivated to keep learning. Even with a new title, his excitement for the job hasn’t changed his mindset, his love for Memphis or his eagerness to continue to get better.
“That’s something Coach Norvell instilled in me when I got to ASU,” Dillingham said. “A lot of people fly around and jump around. We’re people committed to people, and I want to make my boss the best coach in the country. Now with my role as offensive coordinator, I also want to be the best offensive coordinator in the country.”