Jan. 1, 2007
Former University of Houston All-America wide receiver Jason Phillips has been hired as Baylor's new inside receivers coach, Bears' head coach Guy Morriss announced today. Phillips, who joins the Baylor staff from his alma mater, begins his new duties at Baylor on Jan. 2.
"Jason is a guy that knows the position and is a good, solid teacher," Morriss said of Phillips. "And one of the most important things for me was to get a coach who can recruit Houston. Jason's recruited in inner-city Houston and really knows that area. We've got to do a better job recruiting that area and Jason will play a key role in that."
At Houston, Phillips was a member of Art Briles' staff that took the Cougars to three bowl games in the last four seasons, capped off with a 10-4 record, a Conference USA championship and a berth in the Liberty Bowl in 2006. He coached the Cougar wide receivers in three of his four seasons and spent one year (2005) as their cornerbacks coach.
"I think the corner is being turned," Phillips said upon joining the Bears' staff. "I don't think it's turned yet, but you can tell that Baylor is a team on the rise. I like what Coach Morriss and his staff have done there. And it seems to be a place where we're going to be given the time to get it done. It's not that far off right now."
Under Phillips' tutelage in 2003, Brandon Middleton was named first-team, All-Conference USA as well as an honorable mention All-America selection after setting a Conference USA receiving record with his 1,250 yards on just 55 receptions. In 2005, Vincent Marshall was named a second-team, All-Conference USA wide receiver. Marshall, the MVP of the 2006 Conference USA championship game, ended his career as Houston's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards. Phillips also has mentored two Conference USA All-Freshman receivers in Leonard Gibson and Donnie Avery.
Prior to his return to Houston, Phillips coached wide receivers at Southwest Texas State in 2002 and was an offensive assistant under head coach Dana Dimel at Houston in 2001.
As an All-America athlete at UH, Phillips was on the receiving end of many "Run-n-Shoot" passes from Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware. Under the leadership of head coach Jack Pardee, Phillips led the nation in receiving in 1987 and 1988, becoming the first NCAA player in 23 years to accomplish such a feat in two consecutive seasons.
Phillips garnered All-Southwest Conference honors, was the 1987 SWC Newcomer of the Year and received All-America recognition from United Press International (UPI) in his rookie season at UH. In addition to earning All-SWC First-Team honors and being named SWC Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Phillips was a consensus first-team, All-America in 1988. He was also selected to the SWC's All-Decade Team for the 80s.
After a successful playing stint at Houston, Phillips was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1989 and played for two seasons under head coach Wayne Fontes. In his first season with the Lions, Phillips hauled in 30 receptions for 352 yards including a rookie-record 10 passes for a 155-yard performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Phillips was acquired by the Atlanta Falcons in 1991 and played for four seasons under head coach Jerry Glanville and offensive coordinator June Jones. As a Falcon, he was part of a receiving core that included Pro Bowl receiver Andre Rison, Mike Haynes, Drew Hill and Mike Pritchard.
He continued his professional playing career and joined Pardee, his former UH coach, in the Canadian Football League in 1995. Phillips spent the 1995 season with the Birmingham Barracudas and was named to the South All-Star Team before being acquired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1996. In two seasons with the CFL, Phillips totaled 136 receptions for 2,029 yards and 16 touchdowns. Phillips began his coaching career with the Spring Football League's Houston Marshals in 1999. He tutored wide receivers and served as an assistant offensive coordinator for two seasons, helping guide the Marshals to a league championship in 1999.
In 2001, Phillips returned to the NFL as an offensive intern coach for the Minnesota Vikings. Under the direction of head coach Dennis Green and offensive coordinator Sherman Lewis, Phillips worked closely with wide receivers Randy Moss, Chris Carter, Jake Reed and Chris Walsh. He earned another offensive intern coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 under head coach Dan Reeves.
A Houston native, Phillips was a football standout at Ross Sterling High School where he earned All-District and All-Greater Houston honors as a senior quarterback. He continued his football and academic career at Taft Junior College, playing both quarterback and wide receiver.
Phillips was named team MVP as well as a first-team all-conference selection as a rookie quarterback and earned all-state honors as a wide receiver at Taft before transferring to UH.
Phillips earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from UH in 2001. He is married to the former Kimberly Robinson. Phillips was inducted into the Houston Hall of Honor in 2006, joining his teammate Andre Ware in the illustrious hall.
