Great coach....great man. He really resurrected a bad Oilers franchise in the mid 70s. He managed to grow a fanbase for the Oilers at the same time Dallas Cowboys were in their prime
His biggest win had to be the 1979 playoff game at San Diego when both Earl Campbell and Dan Pastorini were out due to injury. No one thought the Oilers would win
In 1980 the Houston Oiler’s team owner Bud Adams, fired famed Coach, and beloved Houstonian, Bum Phillips following another disappointing 1979 playoff season.. It was rumored, and later confirmed, that there existed a handshake agreement, between the owner and Phillips, that Bum would resign if he failed to reach the Super Bowl in 1979..
Although plagued by major injuries, of their top players, and the domination of the league leading Pittsburg Steelers, the team, and it’s extraordinarily loyal, and faithful fans, the team advanced to the playoffs, as it had the year before, but failed in their final game..
In an unprecedented display of support of the franchise by a grieving but ever faithful “LOV YA BLUE” fan base, the team returned to an impromptu gathering of some 80 thousand fan filled Houston Astrodome.. The late night rally, that welcomed the losing team’s return, brought tears to the eyes of the typically macho players, and the beloved coach.. With unwavering support, they cheered their team home with deafening alternating singing and applause, till the break of dawn..
However, that loyalty was repaid the following week, by the Team owners’ acceptance of the promised, letter of resignation, by Coach Phillips, to the utter shock of the entire league, but to the fans of the Oilers, it was an act of “in your face”, disloyalty..
The following week, at a regular Monday morning breakfast gathering, at my hotel, the team owner was greeted with an extraordinary event.. The entire audience, some 250 businessmen and community leaders, rose in unison, and left the ballroom in total silence when Adams arrived, late as usual, to take his regular chair at the head table, leaving him stunned and embarrassed..
That incident marked the end of the Luv Ya Blue era.. The attendance fell dramatically, including the presold ticket holders, abandoning their pre-bought seats in droves, until the owners left the city in disgrace, within three years, relocating to Tennessee..