Bum Phillips Quotes That Can Motivate and Inspire You

If you’re going to do something, do it with style. Bum Phillips certainly coached football with his own unique style, wearing an almost cartoonish cowboy hat as he prowled the sidelines. Working his way up the ranks in both the NFL, as well as in college under coaches like Bear Bryant, Philips was finally named the head coach of the Houston Oilers in 1975. His time there included three trips to the playoffs before he left at the start of the 1981 season for New Orleans. Phillips couldn’t find the same magic there, though, never producing a season better than 8-8 before he resigned in 1985.

Along with his cowboy hat, Bum Phillips is remembered for being one of the most quotable figures in NFL history. Here are a few of the best quotes he ever produced.

10 Best Quotes From Bum Phillips.

1. “There’s two kinds of coaches, them that’s fired and them that’s gonna be fired.”
2. “The harder we played the behinder we got.”
3. “Mama always said that if it can’t rain on you, you’re indoors.”
4. “Dallas Cowboys may be America’s team, but the Houston Oilers are Texas’ team.”
5. “Respect all. Fear none.”
6. “I done drew the line. Just like the Alamo. You’re either on one side of the line or the other. I don’t want to ever leave Texas again.”
7. “You fail all the time, but you aren’t a failure until you start blaming someone else.”
8. “Two kinds of ballplayers aren’t worth a darn: One that never does what he’s told, and one who does nothin’ except what he’s told.”
9. “I don’t mind people thinking I’m stupid, but I don’t want to give them any proof.”
10. “The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.”

Inspirational Quotes From Phillips

• “An expert is an ordinary fella away from home.”
• “You don’t know a ladder has splinters until you slide down it.”
• “Last year we knocked on the door. This year we beat on it. Next year we’re gonna kick the son of a bitch in.”

Leadership Quotes From Bum Phillips

• “I never scrimmage Oilers against Oilers… what for? Houston isn’t on our schedule.”
• “The trouble with most coaches is that they start with the assumption that everybody is a turd. And that ain’t right.”
• “I’d rather have preparation than motivation. Everyone likes to play, but no one likes to practice.”
• “Coaching is not how much you know. It’s how much you can get players to do.”

Funny Quotes From Phillips

• “I’ve never seen a hammer and tong game like that one.”
• “The film looks suspiciously like the game itself!”
• “That boy (Warren Moon) could throw a football through a car wash and not get it wet.”
• “If I drop dead tomorrow, at least I’ll know I died in good health.”

Team Attitude Quotes From Bum Phillips

• “Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half.”
• “Loyalty, up and down the line. That’s one quality an organization must have to be successful.”
• “I always thought I could coach. I just thought people were poor judges of good coaches.”

Success Quotes From Phillips

• “The road to the Super Bowl runs through Pittsburgh, sooner or later you’ve got to go to Pittsburgh.”
• “Rogers sees daylight. Campbell makes daylight.”
• “How do you win? By getting average players to play good and good players to play great. That’s how you win.”
• “Yeah, that test says he’s dumb as a fence post, but when he hits he looks like Einstein to me.”