Free Republic

Bum Phillips, the folksy Texas football icon who coached the Houston Oilers during their Luv Ya Blue heyday and also led the New Orleans Saints, died Friday. He was 90. "Bum is gone to Heaven," son Wade Phillips tweeted Friday night. "Loved and will be missed by all — great Dad, Coach, and Christian." Phillips died at his ranch in Goliad.

Bum Phillips, who helped turn the Houston Oilers into a playoff team in the mid-1970s and was a beloved figure in the state of Texas, died Friday at the age of 90, according to his son. Wrote Wade Phillips, the Texans defensive coordinator, late Friday night: After coaching high school for many years, Phillips spent a number of seasons coaching in college, including apprenticing under Bear Bryant at Texas A&M before moving on to SMU and Oklahoma State.

Okay, okay... I know this is late for The Birthday, but I just received it.  I checked snopes and they don't seem to have it yet.  The e-mail came from a woman whose brother went to high school with Bum at French High School (Beaumont, Tx), so I'm thinking he really wrote it.  It sure sounds like him, anyway.  Does anyone know him personally so we can verify? HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEXAS -- FROM BUM PHILLIPS  Being Texan by Bum PhillipsDear Friends,   Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My...

You've seen them. Maybe down the street. Maybe across the breakfast table behind the newspaper. Maybe hogging the remote control for your new high-definition TV. You know them. You might work with one. You might live next door to one. You might even sleep with one. Cowboys fans. Like humidity, traffic and fire ants, they're a fact of life around here. Truth is, like cell phones, Dr. Phil and those incredibly annoying commercials for "Clarinex," you can't get away from them. Can't live with 'em. Can't spray something on 'em. They show up in the places you think would be...