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Bum Phillips Bio
Born Oail Andrew Phillips, he got his famous nickname from his older sister who stammered
and could not say the word “brother”. The name Bum stuck, and he has always explained, “Bum’
s just a nickname, not a description!” The name, dry sense of humor, laid-back demeanor,
winning tradition, and ever-present cowboy hat and boots all became a part of the Bum Phillips
legend.
Said fellow coaching legend and friend, Sid Gillman, “You could place him in a crowd of a million
and ask a total stranger to pick out Bum Phillips, and I’m sure he’d walk right up to him.”
That distinctive persona, however, betrayed a shrewd football mind. When Gillman brought Bum
to Houston as his defensive coordinator in 1974, it took Phillips only one season to cut the
Oilers’ points-against total from 447 to 282. The team was just backing out of consecutive 1-13
seasons, but riding on the strength of Bum’s defense; the Oilers turned their fortunes around
that year, finishing 7-7 with more victories than the previous seasons combined. When Gillman
stepped down the following year, Phillips was the natural to take over the head-coaching job. He
responded by leading the 1975 Oilers to a 10-4 season revealing an uncanny ability to maximize
his players’ potentials.
“Coaching is not how much you know,” Phillips said, “It’s how much you can get your players to
do.”
Bum proved his adeptness at getting his players to perform at their highest levels when he took
the Oilers to the 1978 AFC championship game with 21 free agents on his roster. Playing in the
NFL’s toughest division, Phillips returned to the AFC championship the following year.
Unfortunately, the Oilers fell for the second consecutive year to their division rivals, the dynasty-
building Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Football is a game of failure,” Phillips said. “You fail all the time, but you aren’t a failure until you
start blaming someone else.” That willingness to shoulder responsibility made Bum a fan and
player favorite wherever he went. He was an instant hit when he took over as head coach of the
New Orleans Saints in 1980. He transformed the Saint’s NFL-worst defense into a unit that
finished among the top-five defenses in the league over the next five years. Having rebuilt the
Saints franchise through innovative scouting techniques and astute drafting, Bum retired from
coaching in 1985 and returned to his first love, ranching. His son, Wade,is the defensive
coordinator for the Houston Texans, and Wade’s son Wesley, is the offensive quality control
coach/assistant offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, to carry on Bum’s coaching legacy.
Although Bum has retired from football, he hasn’t quit working. He and his wife Debbie operate
a horse and cattle ranch in Goliad County, Texas. He does advertising and motivational
speaking and works in literally hundreds of charity events with his main focus Bum Phillips
Charities who raise funds and seek fundraising opportunites for the non-profits listed on our
home page.
Bum's daughters and their families are a source of great pride and joy as they love the Lord and
walk in His way. They all have great families that include 23 grandchildren and five great-
grandchildren. Wade is the firstborn and he and his wife, Laurie, have two children, Tracy who is
our Hollywood star and Wes and his wife, Anna. First daughter is Susan Phillips and her son
Brandon, second daughter is Cicely DeVore. Cicely and her husband Tom have seven children,
Elizabeth , Tommy, Madeline and husband Mark Brown, Mary and husband Jason Barnette,
Hughie, Cicely Anne and Michael. Third daughter is Dee Jean Hurta and husband Dickie who
have three, son Blake and wife Amy, daughter Rachel, and daughter Christine. Fourth daughter
is Andrea McCarthy and husband Jack who have four children, Daniel, twin boys Jim and Bob
and daughter Ellen. Last but not least is KimAnn England and her husband Mark. They have six
children, daughters Kyleigh, Kaitlin and Kendra and sons Andrew, Philip and John Mark. Mark's
mother was born deaf, so sign language was Mark's first language and when he and Kim
married, she quickly learned sign language. Their desire is to minister to "speaking and hearing
challenged" folks through their Heart Sign ministry. Click here to visit Heart Sign Ministries
and could not say the word “brother”. The name Bum stuck, and he has always explained, “Bum’
s just a nickname, not a description!” The name, dry sense of humor, laid-back demeanor,
winning tradition, and ever-present cowboy hat and boots all became a part of the Bum Phillips
legend.
Said fellow coaching legend and friend, Sid Gillman, “You could place him in a crowd of a million
and ask a total stranger to pick out Bum Phillips, and I’m sure he’d walk right up to him.”
That distinctive persona, however, betrayed a shrewd football mind. When Gillman brought Bum
to Houston as his defensive coordinator in 1974, it took Phillips only one season to cut the
Oilers’ points-against total from 447 to 282. The team was just backing out of consecutive 1-13
seasons, but riding on the strength of Bum’s defense; the Oilers turned their fortunes around
that year, finishing 7-7 with more victories than the previous seasons combined. When Gillman
stepped down the following year, Phillips was the natural to take over the head-coaching job. He
responded by leading the 1975 Oilers to a 10-4 season revealing an uncanny ability to maximize
his players’ potentials.
“Coaching is not how much you know,” Phillips said, “It’s how much you can get your players to
do.”
Bum proved his adeptness at getting his players to perform at their highest levels when he took
the Oilers to the 1978 AFC championship game with 21 free agents on his roster. Playing in the
NFL’s toughest division, Phillips returned to the AFC championship the following year.
Unfortunately, the Oilers fell for the second consecutive year to their division rivals, the dynasty-
building Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Football is a game of failure,” Phillips said. “You fail all the time, but you aren’t a failure until you
start blaming someone else.” That willingness to shoulder responsibility made Bum a fan and
player favorite wherever he went. He was an instant hit when he took over as head coach of the
New Orleans Saints in 1980. He transformed the Saint’s NFL-worst defense into a unit that
finished among the top-five defenses in the league over the next five years. Having rebuilt the
Saints franchise through innovative scouting techniques and astute drafting, Bum retired from
coaching in 1985 and returned to his first love, ranching. His son, Wade,is the defensive
coordinator for the Houston Texans, and Wade’s son Wesley, is the offensive quality control
coach/assistant offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys, to carry on Bum’s coaching legacy.
Although Bum has retired from football, he hasn’t quit working. He and his wife Debbie operate
a horse and cattle ranch in Goliad County, Texas. He does advertising and motivational
speaking and works in literally hundreds of charity events with his main focus Bum Phillips
Charities who raise funds and seek fundraising opportunites for the non-profits listed on our
home page.
Bum's daughters and their families are a source of great pride and joy as they love the Lord and
walk in His way. They all have great families that include 23 grandchildren and five great-
grandchildren. Wade is the firstborn and he and his wife, Laurie, have two children, Tracy who is
our Hollywood star and Wes and his wife, Anna. First daughter is Susan Phillips and her son
Brandon, second daughter is Cicely DeVore. Cicely and her husband Tom have seven children,
Elizabeth , Tommy, Madeline and husband Mark Brown, Mary and husband Jason Barnette,
Hughie, Cicely Anne and Michael. Third daughter is Dee Jean Hurta and husband Dickie who
have three, son Blake and wife Amy, daughter Rachel, and daughter Christine. Fourth daughter
is Andrea McCarthy and husband Jack who have four children, Daniel, twin boys Jim and Bob
and daughter Ellen. Last but not least is KimAnn England and her husband Mark. They have six
children, daughters Kyleigh, Kaitlin and Kendra and sons Andrew, Philip and John Mark. Mark's
mother was born deaf, so sign language was Mark's first language and when he and Kim
married, she quickly learned sign language. Their desire is to minister to "speaking and hearing
challenged" folks through their Heart Sign ministry. Click here to visit Heart Sign Ministries
9.15.04
10.02.04
10.30.04
Bum Phillips' Bio
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