HOUSTON - Bum Phillips, the folksy Texas football icon who coached the Houston Oilers during their Luv Ya Blue heyday and later led the New Orleans Saints,
died Friday.
Jonathan
Quick Kings Jersey . He was 90. "Bum is gone to Heaven," son Wade Phillips
tweeted Friday night. "Loved and will be missed by all — great Dad, Coach, and
Christian." Phillips died at his ranch in Goliad. Wade Phillips is the Houston
Texans defensive co-ordinator. Born Oail Andrew Phillips Jr. in 1923 in Orange,
Phillips was a Texas original in his blue jeans, boots and trademark white
Stetson — except at the Astrodome or any other dome stadium because he was
taught it was disrespectful to wear a hat indoors. "Mama always said that if it
cant rain on you, youre indoors," Phillips said. Phillips loved the Oilers and
when coaching the team in the 1970s, he famously said of the Cowboys: "They may
be Americas Team, but were Texas team." He took over as coach of the Oilers in
1975 and led Houston to two AFC Championship games before he was fired in 1980.
He was responsible for drafting Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, the player
who was largely credited with the success of the franchise. "He meant a great
deal to this franchise, the NFL and the city of Houston, and he was instrumental
to the Oilers during the Luv Ya Blue era," Titans owner Bud Adams said in a
statement. "Growing up in Texas and working his way up through the Texas
football ranks, he was a natural match for our team. Those were such magical
years, and his leadership and personality helped our team rise to the top." His
time with the team was marked by a frenzied fan base that filled the Astrodome
to root for the Oilers and wave their blue and white pompons during games.
Houston lost to Pittsburgh 34-5 in the AFC Championship game in Campbells rookie
year. The Oilers returned to the game the following season only to be beaten
again by the Steelers, this time 27-13. The Oilers went 11-5 in 1980 but lost to
Oakland in the AFC wild-card round and Phillips was fired. He was 55-35 with the
team in the regular season. Fans loved his no-nonsense demeanour and were
entertained by his often blunt comments "Football is a game of failure,"
Phillips was quoted as saying. "You fail all the time, but you arent a failure
until you start blaming someone else." Among his best Bumisms: "Theres two kinds
of coaches, them thats fired and them thats gonna be fired." On Miami Dolphins
coach Don Shula: "He can take hisn and beat yourn and take yourn and beat hisn."
On Campbells inability to finish a mile run: "When its first-and-a-mile, I wont
give it to him." On Campbell: "I dont know if hes in a class by himself, but I
do know that when that class gets together, it sure dont take long to call the
roll." He left Texas to coach the Saints in 1981, going 27-42 before retiring
after the 1985 season. "We are saddened by the passing of Bum Phillips," Saints
owner Tom Benson said in a statement released by the team. "I had the
opportunity to work with him when I first purchased the team in 1985 and also
enjoyed our friendship following his coaching career. Our thoughts and prayers
go out to his wife Debbie, Wade and the rest of his family." Phillips played
football at Lamar Junior College before joining the Marines during World War II.
After the war he went to Stephen F. Austin where he played two more football
seasons before graduating with a degree in education in 1949. He spent about two
decades coaching in high schools and colleges mostly in Texas — he assisted the
likes of Bear Bryant at Texas A&M, Bill Yeoman at Houston, and Hayden Fry at
SMU — before making the jump to the AFL in 1967 as an assistant under Sid
Gillman with the San Diego Chargers. Phillips came to Houston in 1974 as
Gillmans defensive co-ordinator and became coach and general manager when
Gillman resigned after that season. Phillips picked up the nickname Bum as a
child when his younger sister couldnt pronounce brother correctly and it sounded
like bum. He embraced the nickname and was quoted as saying: "I dont mind being
called Bum, just as long as you dont put a you in front of it." Phillips did
some work as an analyst on television and radio football broadcasts for a bit
before retiring to his ranch in Goliad. Although he left Houston, he always
remained fond of the city. The Oilers moved to Tennessee and became the Titans
in 1997 and Houston returned to the NFL in 2002 when the Texans began play. He
was asked how he feels about the two teams in Texas in 2007 when son Wade was
named coach of the Cowboys. "Your son is coaching one team and the other team is
the town you love more than any other," he said. "Its kind of hard to pull.
Theyre not on the schedule, so I dont have to make that decision this year."
Wade Phillips said his father was still sharing tips with him this season. "He
always gives me a little advice about why did you play this on that certain down
and this stuff," Wade said. "Hes sharp on all the football stuff." Phillips is
survived by his second wife, Debbie, and six children from his first marriage
along with almost two dozen grandchildren.
Robyn Regehr
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clutch 3-pointers in overtime that carried the New Orleans Pelicans to a 111-106
victory over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Alec Martinez
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scoreless draw at the New England Revolution on Saturday.
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scheduled with an NFL team next week and isnt expected to sign a deal with any
team until then.NEW YORK -- Adam Wainwright threw seven neat innings before
leaving with a knee injury, and Jon Jay hit a two-run single that sent the St.
Louis Cardinals to a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. Left
fielder Matt Holliday robbed Chris Young of a tying homer, one night after the
Metss played some dazzling defence of their own to post a shutout in the series
opener.
Peter
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and outpitched Dillon Gee. It was the second consecutive scoreless start for
Wainwright, who tossed a two-hit shutout last Thursday at Washington.
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