A time to honor Bum Phillips
Former Oilers coach who won Houston’s hearts will be added to franchise’s Ring of Honor
If you were a fan of the Oilers, Nashville is a good place to be on Sunday when the legacy of Bum Phillips will be honored at the Titans’ game against Indianapolis.
Former Oilers from across the country traveled to Nashville this weekend to celebrate Phillips’ induction into the team’s Ring of Honor at Nissan Stadium.
Phillips, who died in 2013, will be represented by his son, longtime NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, as well as 28 other family members.
The pregame and halftime ceremonies honor Phillips as the 15th member of the organization to be inducted into the Ring of Honor that circles the top deck of the stadium.
Previous inductees from the Oilers/Titans were Bud Adams, Elvin Bethea, George Blanda, Robert Brazile, Earl Campbell, Eddie George, Kenny Houston, Mike Holovak, Bruce Matthews, Steve McNair, Warren Moon,
Mike Munchak, Jim Norton and Frank Wycheck.
Bethea, Blanda, Brazile, Campbell, Houston, Matthews, Moon and Munchak are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of their extraordinary careers during the Oilers’ 37 years in Houston.
Phillips is the first of three members of the Oilers’ organization who’ll be inducted this year. When the Titans host the Texans on Nov. 21, coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Floyd Reese — both of whom started with the Oilers before experiencing success in Tennessee — will join Phillips in the Ring of Honor.
To commemorate Phillips’ induction, Amy Adams Strunk, the team’s controlling owner and daughter of franchise founder Bud Adams, is hosting an Oilers reunion for more than 70 players from every era during two days of festivities.
Players representing the 196061 American Football League championship teams, Phillips’ Luv Ya Blue (1978-80) Oilers and the run-and-shoot (1987-93) era are participating in the event that honors a beloved coach whose .608 winning percentage is the best in franchise history.
Phillips, a native Texan who never forgot his high school coaching roots, was hired in 1974 as the Oilers’ defensive coordinator by coach Sid Gillman, who was also the general manager.
Gillman, who’s also enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, elevated Phillips to head coach in 1975. Phillips took over a team that hadn’t reached the playoffs in eight seasons, and his first team finished 10-4.
One of the best trades in pro football history was made by Phillips, who had been given the general manager title by Adams when Gillman resigned.
Before the 1978 draft, Phillips traded with Tampa Bay to get the first overall pick. He selected Campbell, the Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Texas, and he became the best player in franchise history.
With Campbell, quarterback Dan Pastorini receiver Kenny Burrough and a defense ignited by Bethea, Brazile and Culp, the Oilers reached the AFC Championship Game after the 1978 and 1979 seasons, losing to Pittsburgh both times at Three Rivers Stadium.
That 1979 game, when Pastorini’s pass to Mike Renfro wasn’t ruled a touchdown in a controversial decision that helped spark the instant replay debate, was the last time a Houston team got beyond the divisional round of the playoffs.
In 1980, the Oilers finished 11-5 and, once again, reached the playoffs as a wild-card team. In the regular season and the playoffs, they couldn’t win the AFC Central title or get past the Steelers’ Steel Curtain dynasty that may have been the greatest in NFL history.
Rather than come one step short of the Super Bowl for a third consecutive season, the Oilers lost in the wild-card round at Oakland. Like the Steelers the previous two seasons, the Raiders went on to win Super Bowl.
One day after that Oakland loss, Adams fired Phillips in what became known as the New Year’s Eve Massacre. It’s still the most unpopular decision in the history of Houston sports.
Not only was Phillips liked and respected by his players, fans and media, but he became a treasured figure in other NFL cities, too, especially Pittsburgh, where the Oilers were held in high regard because of their rivalry with the Steelers.
Soon after being fired by the Oilers, Phillips was hired by New Orleans Saints owner John Mecom Jr. When that didn’t work out, Phillips returned to Houston. He was so popular and had so many demands for his time, he and his wife, Debbie, moved to a ranch in Goliad.
Phillips loved his horses almost as much as he loved his players. As his health deteriorated, his players and coaches went to Goliad to visit and pay their respects. When he died, family members and former tight end, Mike Barber, a minister, were by his side.
No matter how long football is played in Houston, there may never be a more popular coach or player than Bum Phillips, whose Luv Ya Blue legacy lives on and will continue to inspire so many from so many generations.