O.A. (Bum) Phillips, a colorful Texan who served as head coach of the Houston Oilers for six years and the New Orleans Saints for the next five, died Friday at his ranch in Goliad, Tex. He was 90.
Oail Andrew Phillips was born Sept. 29, 1923, in Orange, Tex. His nickname originated when a little sister tried to say brother and it came out bumble. Years later, he said, I dont mind being called Bum, just as long as you dont put a you in front of it.
He played football at Lamar Junior College (now Lamar University) in 1941 and enlisted in the Marines shortly after Pearl Harbor. After World War II, he attended Stephen F. Austin State College and in 1950 earned a degree in education.
He became an assistant coach under Paul (Bear) Bryant at Texas A&M, Bill Yeoman at Houston, Hayden Fry at Southern Methodist and Sid Gillman with the Chargers and the Oilers. His specialty was defense, and he was an originator of the 3-4 alignment three linemen and four linebackers that many N.F.L. teams have used.
In his six seasons (1975-80) with the Oilers and five (1981-85) with the Saints, Phillips compiled a record of 82-77 in the regular season and 4-3 in the playoffs.
But he was known as much for his down-home aphorisms as he was for his coaching, and they helped turn him into an icon. Among his most well-known:
■ How do you win? By getting average players to play good and good players to play great.
■ The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.
■ Two kinds of ballplayers arent worth a darn: One that never does what hes told and one who does nothing except what hes told.
■ Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half.
■ When I die, they should put on my tombstone: He would have lived a whole lot longer if it wasnt for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
& be kind.