Super Bowl 50 champion · Defensive coordinator & head coach
Wade Phillips spent more than four decades on NFL sidelines. In 2015 he coordinated Denver’s defense — the league’s best in yards allowed — and won Super Bowl 50. He now works privately with coaches, staffs, and audiences.
About
Harold Wade Phillips was born in Orange, Texas, and was a three-year starting linebacker at the University of Houston. The son of longtime NFL coach Bum Phillips, he began his NFL career in 1976 on his father’s Houston Oilers staff. He has coached ever since — more than 50 years in the profession, and more than four decades in the NFL.
He is best known as a defensive coordinator, especially for his work in the 3–4. He has held that job in eight stints with seven franchises, including two tours in Denver. As a head coach he led the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys, and served as interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Texans. His NFL regular-season record as a head coach is 82–64.
The 2015 Denver defense, which Phillips coordinated, led the NFL in yards allowed (283.1 per game) and ranked fourth in points allowed (18.5). That unit won Super Bowl 50, 24–10, over the Carolina Panthers on February 7, 2016, in Santa Clara. Linebacker Von Miller was named Super Bowl MVP. Phillips was the Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year in 2015.
He later coordinated the Los Angeles Rams defense from 2017 to 2019, including Super Bowl LIII. In recent years he has also been a head coach in the XFL and UFL, and he contributes to The 33rd Team, a football think tank of former coaches and executives. His memoir, Son of Bum, was published in 2017. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame that same year.
Career highlights
The facts below are drawn from the public record. Stats, titles, and dates are limited to what could be verified.
Linebackers coach, then defensive line coach, beginning his NFL career on Bum Phillips’s staff.
Defensive coordinator, then interim head coach for the final four games of 1985.
Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Buddy Ryan, including the 1988 NFC East title.
Defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1992, including a Super Bowl XXIV appearance. Head coach in 1993 and 1994 (16–16).
Defensive coordinator under Marv Levy, then head coach from 1998 to 2000 (29–19 regular season, two playoff berths).
Falcons defensive coordinator and 2003 interim head coach (2–1), then Chargers defensive coordinator from 2004 to 2006.
Head coach, 34–22 in the regular season. The 2007 team went 13–3 and won the NFC East. In January 2010, Dallas beat Philadelphia in the wild-card round for Phillips’s first playoff win as a head coach, ending a 13‑year club drought.
Defensive coordinator. In 2011 the Texans ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed and fourth in points allowed, after finishing near the bottom of the league in both the year before. Interim head coach late in 2013.
Defensive coordinator of the Super Bowl 50 champions. The 2015 defense led the NFL in yards allowed (283.1 per game). Phillips won the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award and was a PFWA co-Assistant Coach of the Year.
Defensive coordinator under Sean McVay, including a Super Bowl LIII appearance. In that game the Rams held New England to 13 points in a 13–3 loss.
Head coach of the XFL Roughnecks in 2023 (7–3, first in the South Division). Head coach of the UFL Brahmas in 2024 (7–3), reaching the UFL Championship Game.
Defensive Players of the Year who played in Phillips’s system include Reggie White, Bryce Paup, Bruce Smith, J. J. Watt, and Aaron Donald. Mike Croel and Shawne Merriman won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Von Miller was Super Bowl 50 MVP.
Phillips contributes to The 33rd Team, a football think tank founded for coaches and executives. He has taken part in its weekly coaching discussions and has appeared in its written and video features on scheme, personnel, and the profession.
Services
Four ways to book his time. Payment is handled through Stripe. Travel, when it applies, is billed separately.
Virtual
A 60-minute video call for a coach, player, or analyst. Bring a scheme question, a personnel problem, or a slice of film. Phillips will walk through how he would teach it.
$1,500 60-minute video call
Book & payStaffs
A prepared session for a coaching staff: your defense, an opponent, or an installation question. Includes scheme notes and teaching points, delivered virtually or in person.
$5,000 Up to two hours; travel billed separately for on-site work
Book & payEvents
A talk for a clinic, banquet, corporate gathering, or football event. Topics can include leadership, building a defense, and lessons from a life on the sideline.
$20,000 Deposit; travel billed separately. Final rate may depend on the event.
Book & payOn site
A half-day or full-day clinic for a team or coaching staff. Built around fundamentals, 3–4 principles, and film teaching that a staff can use the next morning.
$12,500 half day $20,000 full day Plus travel
Checkout is currently in Stripe test mode, so these links will not take a live payment until the Stripe account is activated. Travel is billed separately for on-site work and speaking dates.
How booking works
Select a consult, film breakdown, keynote, or clinic from the list above and use the Book & pay button.
Tell Phillips what you want to cover, who will be in the room, and a few dates that work. Custom scope is confirmed before anything is final.
Use the Book & pay button for the service you want. Payment is processed through Stripe. These links are in test mode until the Stripe account is activated for live payments.
You will receive the meeting link or on-site plan, any film or prep to send ahead, and travel arrangements when they apply.
Contact
If you are not ready to book, send a note with what you have in mind, or email [email protected]. Please do not send confidential scheme material until a session is confirmed.
The form opens your email app with a message to Wade. If that does not work, use the address above: [email protected].