Bum Phillips joins Board of Directors of Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, Texas
(Rockport, Texas – March 2010) 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, who is the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and Wade’s son Wesley, who is the offensive quality control coach for the Cowboys, 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 at their home in Goliad County, Texas. He does advertising and motivational speaking and works in literally hundreds of charity events with his main focus being the Mike Barber Ministries and Coaches Outreach ministries.
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 two great-grandchildren.
Debbie and Bum joined the Camp Aranzazu board in September, 2009, after watching campers’ lives being changed during a tour of the facilities. With tears in her eyes, Debbie shared, “we are just so humbled to be asked to join your board and pitch in to help you grow your vision and mission.” Bum continually asks to be “put to work”. Executive Director Tammie Shelton shares, “We are thrilled to have Debbie and Bum join our board. Their commitment to children and adults with special needs through their ministries is inspiring, and we feel fortunate to have them on our team!”
Camp Aranzazu is dedicated to enriching the lives of children and adults with chronic illnesses and disabilities by providing unique camping, environmental studies, and retreat experiences to groups with special needs. For more information, call 361.727.0800 or go to www.camparanzazu.org.
(Pictured in the Photo is Tammie Shelton, Executive Director of Camp Aranzazu and Bum Phillips)
