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R.I.P. Bum Phillips

26CornerBlitz

By 26CornerBlitz
in The Stadium Wall Archives

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Vark Practice Squad

Vark

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Always loved this quote of his:

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

reddogblitz Hall of Famer

reddogblitz

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Sad news in greater Footballdom.

 

I have fond memories of Bum as HC for Houston. The Welcome Home speech at the Astro Dome was epic.

 

He wore a cowboy hat but not for home games. In an interview once I saw they asked him why and he responded that his mama taught him not to wear a hat indoors.

 

He had a really good team there in Houston with Earl and Dan Pastorini and Mike Renfro etc. He fed Earl heavily. He could not be stopped. I don't think Roger Goodell would Earl him play in today's NFL citing player safety. But one year in the playoffs Earl was injured and couldn't play the first game. They won without him. A great coaching job by Bum.

 

A true legend who will be missed.

machine gun kelly Hall of Famer

machine gun kelly

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I'm sorry to hear that for Wade. At the end of the day, our last good coach was Wade. I know all of his mistakes, but he helped create a top defense, and we competed during those years. More importantly, everyone who ever knew Wade has said he was one of the classiest and nicest guys in the NFL. I hate to hear he lost his dad. I know just from interviews how they were very close.

26CornerBlitz Hall of Famer

26CornerBlitz

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Bum Phillips brought a lot of fun to the NFL with his big personality and he was one helluva football coach. Those Oiler teams were fantastic and were only held back from a championship because they were in the era of the great Steelers dynasty.

 

A couple of my favorite Bum Phillips lines are:

 

When asked why he always took his wife on the road with the Oilers he replied "She's too ugly to kiss goodbye"

 

On Coach Don Shula. "He can take his and beat yours and He can take yours and beat his"

\GoBillsInDallas/ All Pro

\GoBillsInDallas/

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyGpzdnVMRE

 

“If I could be remembered for one thing, that would be for being myself. You may not always be right, but you do what you think is right. If you’re wrong, have the ability to admit it. Both are damned important.”

 

“There are people, maybe two or three, that ain’t gonna like you. Not everybody likes everybody. My grandpa used to say, ‘Just nod and grin.’”

 

“You can lead me a lot further than you can drive me…You can’t win today by embarrassing your football players. If I played for a guy who shouted at me, I’d sock him…If you gripe at everybody you accomplish nothing. To motivate somebody, you have to explain why something needs to be done before you can ask someone to do it. Tell me why and I’ll do just about everything.”

 

“How do you win? By getting average players to play good and good players to play great.”

 

“I always thought I could coach. I just thought people were poor judges of good coaches.”

 

“Bear Bryant had by far the biggest influence on my life. He just had a way with people, a way of explaining things without having to curse, holler and scream. He’d brag about people, make you feel like you were the most important person in the world to him.”

 

“Two kinds of ballplayers aren’t worth a darn: One that never does what he’s told and one who does nothing except what he’s told.”

 

“You can’t practice being miserable.”

 

“Don Shula? Now there’s a good football coach. He can take his’n and beat your’n, or he can take your’n and beat his’n.”

 

“The Dallas Cowboys may be America’s team, but the Houston Oilers are Texas’ team.”

 

“I never scrimmage Oilers against Oilers. Houston isn’t on our schedule.”

 

“I think (Oilers owner Bud Adams) likes me. But that doesn’t mean he won’t fire me. You know, I’ve got to prove something. Bud doesn’t. He owns the team…There are two types of coaches: them that’s been fired and them that are gonna be fired.”

 

“Friendship is nothin’ you can take from a guy. He has to give it.”

 

“Every team better have good morale. The team that feels like, ‘Boy, this is a great place to be,’ is the team that’s gonna win.”

 

“I consider kickers to be football players. In a 10-7 game, one of ‘em is going to be the difference.”

 

“Defense is so much easier to play than offense. It’s a matter of determination and courage and want-to. Defense is a guy going out there and reacting to something. Offense? You gotta plan something. It takes 11 people to put a running play together. One guy can make a tackle.”

 

“If you gouge a guy, he’ll strike back. If he don’t strike back, he ain’t worth a damn. Them good ol’ boys will get you beat 21-7.”

 

“You gotta have rules, but you also gotta allow for a fella to mess up every once in awhile.”

 

“Playing Pittsburgh is like eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Sometimes before you can get it all in your mouth, it gets all over you.”

 

“When people say we gotta play Pittsburgh twice a year, I remind them, ‘Well, they gotta play us twice, too.’”

 

“I like effort and extra effort. If you don’t like my attitude, see your friendly player rep.”

 

“You want a guy who ain’t afraid to play with a little pain. I don’t mean an injury – there’s a difference. What if you have a headache? You play. Well, a sprained ankle is the same as a headache. You tape it up and play.”

 

“The officials, they got a tough job. Gawdalmighty, they got a tough job. You can’t be bitchin’ at ‘em all the time.”

 

“I joined the Marine Corps. I learned my lesson. I never joined anything again in my life. I went in as a private and, 31 months later, I came out a private. I thought they couldn’t win that war without me. Then I got in there and I thought they couldn’t win because of me. I was no hero. The guys who died fighting were the heroes. And the Marine Corps was real spit and polish. I wasn’t.”

Edited by \GoBillsInDallas/
Mickey Veteran

Mickey

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I was very sorry to hear of his passing, Bum Phillips was one of the great characters of pro football, he and others like him made it a game worth watching.

CookieG RFA

CookieG

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He doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves as a coach, and the lasting legacy he provided to modern NFL defenses.

 

The shifting, stunting 1 gap 3-4 defense he brought to the NFL is as much a legacy as the WCO is to NFL offenses.

 

He just portrayed himself as a good ole boy, rather than a football guru.

 

He was actually both.

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