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Super Bowl: 10 Greatest coaches to never win the Lombardi Trophy

By Steve Rivera

26 Nov 1995: Coach Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills watches his players during a game against the New England Patriots at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Patriots won the game 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport
26 Nov 1995: Coach Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills watches his players during a game against the New England Patriots at Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The Patriots won the game 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Rick Stewart /Allsport /
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1984: Head coach Bum Phillips of the New Orleans Saints stands on the sideline during a 1984 NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
1984: Head coach Bum Phillips of the New Orleans Saints stands on the sideline during a 1984 NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images) /

9. Bum Phillips

Bum Phillips was one of the most colorful coaches in the NFL. He is also one of the best to reach a Super Bowl despite having some tremendous talent when he was in charge of the Houston Oilers.

Phillips passed away in 2013 at the age of 90. His son, Wade Phillips, the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams before being fired after the 2019 season, honored his late father when the Rams arrived in Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII in a big white cowboy hat and jacket reminiscent of his father’s unique sideline attire.

Bum was the head coach and general manager of the Oilers well before the team relocated to Tennessee. In 1975, he replaced Sid Luckman as coach and GM in Houston in hopes of rebuilding a franchise that had fallen on hard times.

Immediately, Phillips reloaded with Hall of Famers Elvin Bethea, Curley Culp and Texas Longhorns running back Earl Campbell. It worked as the Oilers went to and lost in the AFC title game to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers in 1978 and 1979.

Bud Adams, owner of the Oilers, would fire Phillips in 1980 after a Wild Card loss to the Oakland Raiders. The cowboy hat-wearing coach would resurface with the New Orleans Saints, retiring before the end of the 1985 season with time still left on his contract.

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