Former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips, well known for his trademark 10-gallon cowboy hat, passed away Friday night at the age of 90 at his ranch in Goliad, TX. Phillips had been fighting a long undisclosed illness.
Bum’s son, Houston Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, broke the news Friday night.
Throughout his career, Bum coached at many iconic Texas institutions. He served as an assistant coach at Texas A&M to Paul “Bear” Bryant before becoming the head coach at Texas Western (now known as UTEP), defensive coordinator at the University of Houston and assistant coach at SMU.
He began his professional career with the San Diego Chargers in 1967 as a defensive coordinator, then moved onto the Houston Oilers in 1974 as defensive coordinator and then head coach in 1975. As head coach of the Houston Oilers, he transformed the former 16-52-2 (over the previous five seasons) into a 55-35 team with three playoff appearances during his six season tenure. Two of those playoff runs ended in the AFC Championship game, where the Oilers lost to Pittsburgh in 1978 and 1979. Bum then coached the New Orleans Saints for five seasons with less success, ending his tenure with the Saints with a 27-42.
Bum Phillips always had an extremely gentle heart, even though he had a tough demeanor on the field. At the time of his death, he was working to build a home for deaf children. Instead of flowers, his family asks all donations to go towards helping to build his dream home for deaf children.
Go to bumphillipscharities.com to donate and help Bum’s final dream come true!
