Wes Phillips

Wes Phillips was born on February 17, 1979, in Houston, Texas, when his grandfather Bum Phillips was the head coach of the Houston Oilers and his father Wade Phillips was serving as their defensive line coach. The younger Phillips attended the University of Texas at El Paso, where he earned three letters playing football for the Miners after playing and graduating from Williamsville North High School.{{Cite web|last=Reporter|first=Jay Skurski News Sports|title=Williamsville North graduate, Rams tight ends coach Wes Phillips looks back fondly on his time in Buffalo|url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/williamsville-north-graduate-rams-tight-ends-coach-wes-phillips-looks-back-fondly-on-his-time/article_742d2ce6-8acd-11ec-bba6-87ed9cd90645.html|access-date=2022-02-26|website=Buffalo News|date=February 11, 2022 |language=en}} He was a backup quarterback during the 2000 season, when UTEP won the Western Athletic Conference title. As a senior, Phillips became the starting quarterback, completing 143 of 257 passes for 1,839 yards with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while also scoring two rushing touchdowns. In 2001, he graduated from UTEP with a bachelor's degree in philosophy.

Phillips played professional football in 2002 and 2003 as a quarterback with the San Diego Riptide of the af2 arena football league.

Following his playing career, Phillips returned to his alma mater UTEP, where he spent one season as a student assistant. In 2004, he was hired as quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M University. In 2005, the Buffaloes went 10–2 and won the Lone Star Conference with an 8–1 mark with NCAA Division II's top-ranked passing offense. Phillips helped guide the development of quarterback Dalton Bell, who was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy. After two seasons, Phillips was then hired for the same position{{Cite web|title=Phillips Hired As QB Coach|url=https://baylorbears.com/news/2005/12/21/phillips_hired_as_qb_coach.aspx|access-date=2021-04-19|website=Baylor University Athletics|language=en}} at Baylor in 2006.

After his father (Wade) was hired as head coach of the Cowboys in 2007, Wes joined his father's staff as a quality control/offensive assistant coach. Working together for the first time, the coaches Phillips helped the Cowboys to win NFC East titles in 2007 and 2009. But after a 1–7 start in 2010, Wade Phillips was fired. Wes remained in Dallas working under his father's successor Jason Garrett, and was promoted to the position of assistant offensive line coach in 2011 and 2012, before being named tight ends coach for the 2013 season.{{cite web|date=September 11, 2019|title=Meet Wes Phillips: Three things to know about the Rams' new tight ends coach|work=TheRams.com|url=https://www.therams.com/news/meet-wes-phillips-three-things-to-know-about-the-rams-new-tight-ends-coach|accessdate=September 1, 2019}}

In 2014, Phillips joined the Washington Redskins as tight ends coach{{Cite news|date=January 17, 2014 |title=Redskins hire Wes Phillips to coach tight ends|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2014/01/17/redskins-hire-wes-phillips-to-coach-tight-ends/}}{{Cite web|date=2014-01-16|title=Dallas Cowboys TE coach Wes Phillips interviews with Redskins|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2014/01/16/dallas-cowboys-te-coach-wes-phillips-interviews-with-redskins/|access-date=2021-04-19|website=Dallas News|language=en}} under new head coach Jay Gruden. It was here that Phillips first began working with Sean McVay, who had preceded Phillips as Washington's tight ends coach before being elevated to offensive coordinator. With the Redskins, Phillips worked with notable tight ends like Vernon Davis and Jordan Reed, the latter of whom made the Pro Bowl following the 2016 season.

On February 12, 2019, Phillips joined the Los Angeles Rams as tight ends coach,{{Cite web|last=Klein|first=Gary|title=Wes Phillips joining Rams staff as tight ends coach|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/la-sp-rams-wes-phillips-20190211-story.html|access-date=2021-04-19|website=sun-sentinel.com}} where he was again reunited with both McVay, now the Rams' head coach, and his father,{{Cite web|date=2019-03-03|title=Watch: Wes Phillips talks about his dad Wade, Rams coaching staff|url=https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2019/03/03/nfl-rams-wes-wade-phillips-coaching-staff/|access-date=2021-04-19|website=Rams Wire|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last= Associated Press |title=Wes Phillips leaves Redskins to join dad on Rams coaching staff|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/feb/25/rams-announce-changes-to-coaching-staff/|access-date=2021-04-19|website=The Washington Times|language=en-US}} who was the Rams' defensive coordinator.{{cite web|last=Klein|first=Gary|date=February 12, 2019|title=Wes Phillips joining Rams staff as tight ends coach|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-wes-phillips-20190211-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=February 12, 2019}} He remained with the organization in 2020 even though his father did not. In 2021, Phillips added the title of pass game coordinator in addition to his role as tight ends coach. Phillips earned his first Super Bowl ring when the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals - February 13th, 2022 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202202130cin.htm |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}

On February 20, 2022, Phillips was hired by the Minnesota Vikings to serve as the team's offensive coordinator for the 2022 season.{{Cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33341841/minnesota-vikings-hiring-los-angeles-rams-wes-phillips-offensive-coordinator-source-says | title=Vikings hire Rams' Phillips as new O-coordinator | date=21 February 2022 }}

On April 2, 2024, the Vikings suspended Phillips for the first three weeks of the ensuing season as a repercussion for his 2023 DUI arrest.{{Cite web|title=Vikings' Wes Phillips suspended after careless-driving resolution|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39859445/vikings-wes-phillips-suspended-careless-driving-resolution|access-date=April 2, 2024|website=espn.com|date=April 2, 2024 |language=en}}

Wes has been married to his wife Anna since 2009 and they have three children.{{cite web|url=https://www.vikings.com/news/wes-phillips-offensive-coordinator-5-things-to-know|title=5 Things to Know About New Vikings Offensive Coordinator Wes Phillips|first=Lindsey|last=Young|work=Vikings.com|date=21 February 2022|accessdate=28 December 2024}}{{Cite news|last=Tomassen|first=Chris |title=Grandson of Bum, son of Wade, Vikings’ Wes Phillips carving out own niche in coaching |url=https://www.twincities.com/2022/07/21/grandson-of-bum-son-of-wade-vikings-wes-phillips-carving-out-own-niche-in-coaching/ |access-date=2024-12-28 |website=TwinCities.com |date=July 23, 2022 |language=en}}

On April 4, 1999, Phillips was arrested for public intoxication.{{Cite web|url=https://www.manoanow.org/miners-qb-gets-dui-sentence/article_b0b00210-c7d6-58a3-aa0f-f100bde58553.html|title=Miner's QB gets DUI sentence|first=Richard R.|last=Ferris|date=October 5, 2001|website=Ka Leo O Hawaii}} On August 1, 2000, Phillips was arrested by UTEP police, and later pled guilty to a drunken driving charge.{{Cite web|url=https://tulsaworld.com/archive/sports-fyi-humphrey-suspended/article_c2fadcb3-e952-55a4-8ad2-5f61f246f73a.html|title=Sports FYI: Humphrey suspended|first=|last=|date=October 4, 2001|website=Tulsa World}}

On December 8, 2023, Philips was arrested in Minneapolis at approximately 9:45 PM CST on suspicion of drunken driving after showing signs of impairment during a routine traffic stop for speeding, with his blood alcohol content later revealed to be 0.10. He was released early the next morning after posting $300 bond.{{cite news|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/vikings-offensive-coordinator-wes-phillips-arrested-for-dwi|title=Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips arrested for DWI|first=Michael|last=Baca|work=NFL.com|date=9 December 2023|accessdate=12 December 2023}}{{Cite web |last=Goessling |first=Ben |title=Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips suspended without pay for three weeks |url=https://www.startribune.com/vikings-offensive-coordinator-wes-phillips-suspended-without-pay-for-three-weeks/600355724/ |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=Star Tribune |date=April 2, 2024 |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Vikings OC Wes Phillips to plead guilty to careless driving from Dec. 8 arrest |url=https://www.fox9.com/sports/vikings-oc-wes-phillips-dwi-arrest-careless-driving.amp |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=www.fox9.com}} Three days later, Phillips publicly admitted to driving while drunk and apologized.{{cite news|url=https://www.startribune.com/vikings-offensive-coordinator-wes-phillips-dwi-apologizes/600326385/|title=Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips apologizes for drunken-driving arrest|first=Andrew|last=Krammer|publisher=Star Tribune|date=December 12, 2023|accessdate=December 12, 2023}} On February 15, 2024, Phillips pled guilty to an amended misdemeanor charge of careless driving. He paid $378 in fines and was ordered to serve eight hours of community service. On April 2, 2024, the Vikings announced that Phillips would be suspended without pay for three weeks as a result of the conviction, with the ability to return to the team on April 23, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Seifert |first=Kevin |date=2024-04-02 |title=Vikings suspend Phillips 3 weeks over traffic stop |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39859445/vikings-wes-phillips-suspended-careless-driving-resolution |access-date=2024-05-22 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

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Category:1979 births

Category:Living people

Category:American football quarterbacks

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Category:NFL offensive coordinators

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