There has never been an NFL coach more Texan than Bum Phillips. Imagine someone on the sidelines dressed in a cowboy hat and boots, wearing a sheepskin coat. That would never happen today in Roger Goodell’s antiseptic league, where coaches must be seen in NFL-approved team apparel.
Phillips was one of a kind, and that’s what made him the beloved coach of the Luv Ya Blue Houston Oilers. The documentary Luv Ya, Bum! is a love letter to a coach who not only cared about winning but also deeply cared about his players. While Phillips never reached the Super Bowl, he remains a Lone Star icon whose imprint on the game remains today. The Orange, Texas native was a players’ coach before that term was mainstream.
Too many people believe yelling is coaching, when it’s just screaming. Luv Ya, Bum! explains the origins of Phillips’ style. Coaches didn’t have to be tyrants. He didn’t like it when a drill sergeant berated him in the Marines. Therefore, he chose a different way to communicate and motivate his players. His methods were atypical of the coaches then and some now, but they worked. Phillips guided the Oilers to three straight playoff appearances, including back-to-back trips to the AFC Championship in 1978 and 1979.
Luv Ya, Bum!, directed by Sam Wainwright Douglas, David Hartstein, and Andrew Miller, shows how the Oilers at that time became a Texas cultural phenomenon. Led by Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell, they achieved a popularity that no pro football team in Houston has ever replicated. Through archival footage and present-day interviews, viewers will learn how Phillips’ folksy charm and charisma were at the heart of it all. Players from both sides and fans loved him. There’s a funny anecdote from Terry Bradshaw that tells you all you need to know about the man.
Phillips (55-35 in six seasons at Houston) would probably be discussed more in the modern game if he won more playoff games (4-3 in the postseason). Unfortunately for him, his Oilers ran into the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dynasty. In their three postseason losses, they were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion. (The Steelers in the AFC Championship twice and the Oakland Raiders in the wild card round). Despite those disappointments, the documentary has amazing scenes of fans greeting and celebrating the team following one of those losses. Seeing this kind of love from sports fans after a defeat is moving and refreshing.
While Bum Phillips never reached the Super Bowl, his son and grandson won it all as assistant coaches. Wade Phillips was the defensive coordinator for the 2015 Denver Broncos. Wes Phillips was the tight ends coach and passing game coordinator for the 2021 Los Angeles Rams. Both Wade and Wes are featured in this film. What stands out is how Bum Phillips’ philosophies on football and life have impacted them.
The Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997 to become the Titans, and Phillips passed away in 2013. But his legacy lives on. You get the sense that he was ahead of his time on how professional coaches should interact with their players.
Wade Phillips said after the passing of his father: “He treated people the way you’d like to be treated, and he made you feel special.”
Luv Ya, Bum! will be available on digital platforms on Nov 25.