thependulumswings

There were football coaches back then.  But, there was but one Bum (Oail Andrews) Phillips.  Bum coached through every level and had a ten year NFL head coaching run with the then Houston Oilers and the New Orleans Saints.  He was the ultimate players coach.  His players loved him.   Loved him.   Bum was born and raised in Southeast Texas.  He coached a mega star who was born and raised in Northeast Texas.  His name was Earl Campbell, aka The Tyler Rose.

Campbell was an incredible runner at the University of Texas and won the Heisman before turning pro.  Campbell had tree trunks for legs, and a strong desire to find the goal line.   If you need your memory refreshed, click here.  Bum had many pearls of wisdom, colloquialisms, and funny thoughts.  He suggested to Earl that when he got to the end zone he hand the ball to the referee.  In the late 70’s and early 80’s spiking the ball or doing a dance in the end zone had become all of the rage.  “Act like you’ve been there before,” he suggested in a deep Texas drawl.

Campbell scored 74 NFL times.

He politely handed the ball to the ref 74 times. Bum was polite too.  He wore cowboy boots and a cowboy hat like a second skin.   Except.  Except he never wore the hat in the Astrodome nor the Superdome.  When asked why, Bum said, ” My mama taught me that when you walk indoors you take off your hat.”

Sixty-nine of those TD’s were in his first six years.  Bum worked him like a plow horse.  Defenses knew what was coming.   And what was coming just kept on keeping on.  Bum admired Earl so, “I wouldn’t say Earl is in a class by himself, but I’ll tell you one damn thing: It don’t take long to call the roll.”

Bum passed away in 2013.  Earl works for the University of Texas’ athletic dept.  One too many rushes and way too many hits have taken a toll on Earl’s health.

Their careers and dignity are forever intertwined.  Together they taught us a lesson.  Embrace success, stay humble, and most of all “act like you’ve been there before.”