TEXAS FOOTBALL LEGEND, DEAD AT 90

Bum Phillips, the folksy Texas football icon who coached the Houston Oilers during their Luv Ya Blue heyday, died Friday at his ranch in Goliad. He was 90.

O.A. "Bum" Phillips 1923-2013
O.A. "Bum" Phillips
1923-2013

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.

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 became the face of the Oilers’ franchise.

He left Texas to coach the Saints in 1981, before retiring after the 1985 season.

Among his top Bumisms: "

"I always thought I could coach. I just thought people were poor judges of good coaches."  “There's two kinds of coaches, them that's fired and them that's gonna be fired."

"Dallas Cowboys may be America's team, but the Houston Oilers are Texas' team."

"You can't practice being miserable."

"I never scrimmage Oilers against Oilers...what for? Houston isn't on our schedule."

Bum Phillips
Bum Phillips

"How do you win?  By getting average players to play good and good players to play great.  That's how you win."

"Two kinds of ballplayers aren't worth a darn: One that never does what he's told and one who does noting except what he's told."

(To an official) "Hey, can I, can I tell you one thing? That's three holding penalties on one football team in a quarter and a half. (Pauses) That ain't funny."

(To an official) "Now, you can't do that! If you do it, I'm telling you you'll have more hell over it than a little bit."

(referring to Don Shula) "He can take his'n and beat your'n and take your'n and beat his'n."

(referring to Houston Oilers’ quarterback Warren Moon) "That man could throw a football through a car wash and not get it wet."

(when asked about Earl Campbell's finishing last is a 1 mile run during training camp) "When it's first and a mile, I won't give it to him"  

(to Johnny Carson when asked why he takes his wife on all the roadtrips “It’s ‘cuz she’s too darned ugly to kiss goodby.”

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