Bum Phillips

Bum Phillips
AJ Guel · CC BY 2.0 · source
Name	Oail Andrew Phillips
Nickname	"Bum" Phillips
Birth date	June 29, 1923
Birth place	Orange, Texas, United States
Death date	October 18, 2013
Death place	Houston, Texas, United States
Occupation	American football coach
Years active	1948–1993
Known for	Head coach of the Houston Oilers, defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints

Bum Phillips

Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips was an American football coach best known for his leadership of the Houston Oilers during the 1970s and early 1980s. Renowned for his folksy persona and colorful quotations, Phillips became a prominent figure in National Football League coaching circles, influencing personnel decisions, defensive strategies, and franchise identity. His career spanned high school, collegiate, and professional ranks, including associations with institutions and figures such as Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M University, New Orleans Saints, Dan Reeves, Warren Moon, and Earl Campbell.

Early life and education

Phillips was born in Orange, Texas and raised in a region shaped by the oil industry, the Gulf Coast culture, and the social milieu of Texas in the interwar period. He attended Orange High School (Orange, Texas) where he played football under coaches connected to the Texas high school tradition alongside contemporaries who later moved into college football and professional football. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, he enrolled at North Texas State College (now University of North Texas), playing as a lineman and developing relationships with coaches who later influenced his coaching philosophy, including contacts from Southwest Conference programs and Texas A&M University alumni networks.

Coaching career

Phillips began his coaching career at the high school level in Texas, moving through assistant and head coaching roles that connected him to the broader web of college football programs in the Southwest Conference such as Southern Methodist University and Baylor University. He transitioned to collegiate coaching with positions at institutions including Tulane University and Louisiana State University, working with staff who had ties to the Southeastern Conference and forming professional bonds with coaches who later entered the National Football League. In the NFL he served as an assistant and defensive coach for franchises such as the Houston Oilers before taking coordinator posts with teams including the New Orleans Saints, where he worked alongside personalities like Tom Fears and established schemes that influenced later defensive coordinators in the league.

Head coaching tenure with the Houston Oilers

Phillips was appointed head coach of the Houston Oilers in the mid-1970s, inheriting a roster that featured key players and emerging stars tied to the franchise's history, such as running back Earl Campbell and quarterback Dan Pastorini. Under Phillips the Oilers adopted offensive and defensive identities influenced by college pedigrees from programs like Texas A&M University and University of Houston, and personnel decisions reflected the era's interactions with the NFL Draft and free agency trends. Phillips led the Oilers to multiple playoff appearances in the late 1970s and early 1980s, facing opponents from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins, and Oakland Raiders in postseason matchups that tested the coaching acumen of both staffs. His tenure was marked by memorable games, strategic adjustments against defensive coordinators from franchises such as the Dallas Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers, and publicized personnel controversies involving figures connected to the team's front office and ownership under Bud Adams.

Later career and retirement

After his departure from the Oilers, Phillips remained active in football, taking advisory and assistant roles with organizations that included consultative work for franchises and brief professional engagements with teams linked to coaches such as Jerry Glanville and Dan Reeves. He also returned to collegiate settings for short periods, interacting with programs in the Southwest Conference and the Southeastern Conference while offering mentorship to younger coaches. In retirement Phillips was a visible presence at NFL events, alumni gatherings, and ceremonies honoring figures like Earl Campbell and longtime executives. He wrote occasional memoirs and contributed to oral histories that connected his career to broader developments in professional football, including the modern evolution of coaching staffs and player management.

Personal life and legacy

Phillips's persona—characterized by Western attire, plainspoken aphorisms, and a public friendship with figures such as Houston Texans founders, former players, and regional politicians—made him a cultural icon in Texas and across professional football. His family included his wife and sons, one of whom, Wade Phillips, became a prominent NFL coach and defensive coordinator with franchises such as the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills, extending the Phillips coaching lineage. Bum Phillips's influence is recognized through hall of fame inductions and honors from institutions like the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and local athletic associations, and his approach to player relations, draft decisions, and team identity continues to be referenced in analyses of coaching leadership. His death in Houston, Texas prompted tributes from former players, coaches, and media outlets, underscoring his lasting place in the history of the National Football League and Texan sports culture.

Category:1923 births Category:2013 deaths Category:American football coaches Category:Houston Oilers head coaches