Three Franchise Leaders to be Added to Ring of Honor
The Tennessee Titans will add two former head coaches and one general manager to their Ring of Honor during the 2021 season.
Jeff Fisher, Floyd Reese and Bum Phillips are closely connected to high points in the franchise history, both in Houston, when the team was known as the Oilers, and in Nashville, when it became the Titans.
Their inclusion will bring to 17 the number of individuals in the Ring of Honor.
”
Fisher is the winningest coach in team history with 147 victories and is the only coach to take the franchise to the Super Bowl. Following the 1999 season, the Titans lost to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.
In addition to the fact that he went 142-120 I the regular season and 5-6 in the playoffs as head coach, Fisher is credited with guiding the franchise through its transition from Houston to Nashville, a period during which the team had four different home stadiums in four seasons and often played before spare and/or disinterested supporters. Beginning with the final season in Houston (1996), the team put together an eight-year stretch in which it finished with a losing record just once (7-9 in 2001).
“Football coaches are never overwhelmed emotionally, but it was a special moment,” Fisher said. “I think back to 1994, I had six games as an interim head coach, it was Floyd Reese and Bud Adams that believed in me and gave me that opportunity. From that day on to present day, I’m forever grateful and indebted to them for the opportunity. Twenty-plus years as a head coach in the National Football League doesn’t happen. It’s rare. I have no regrets. I owe everything to the Adams family because they gave me that opportunity. We’ve made Nashville – it’s always been our home. The whole Titans family has remained very, very close to us. Our affection for the organization has never wavered.”
Reese was named general manager in 1994 and before the end of that first season he fired coach Jack Pardee and replaced him with Fisher. He remained in charge of the team’s personnel through 2006 but never made another coaching change.
He joined the franchise in 1986 as linebackers coach and transitioned to the front office four years later. As GM, Reese drafted two Offensive Rookies of the Year (Eddie George in 1996 and Vince Young in 2006) and one Defensive Rookie of the Year (Jevon Kearse in 1999). His teams made four playoff appearances in five seasons beginning with the Super Bowl run in 1999.
“The way Amy explained it, this is one of the highest, if not the highest honor, that we could bestow on somebody that’s not in the NFL Hall of Fame,”said Reese. “And so that kind of makes you realize that this is special. I know it is special too because there’s been so much time and effort that we put in – not just me, but Jeff, and everybody involved, I mean, for years and years and years. To have this come true for me is a special treat. It’s really an honor to go in with two guys that you were able to watch do their work, understand the kind of craft and effort they put into it, and see their success.”
Fisher and Reese will be honored together at a date yet to be determined. Phillips will be formally added to the Ring of Honor on Sept. 26, when the Titans host the Indianapolis Colts.
Charismatic and colorful, Phillips won 60.8 percent of his games as head coach of the Houston Oilers from 1975-80, which is the best winning percentage of any coach in franchise history. The native Texan became the personification of the team’s Luv Ya Blue era, which featured Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell (another Texan) and included back-to-back appearances in the AFC Championship (1978-79).
He got the job after one season as defensive coordinator and led the team to a 10-4 record in his first season in charge. In his six seasons as head coach the Oilers won at least 10 games four times, including once when the regular season consisted of 14 games.
Phillips died in 2013 and will be honored posthumously.
“Obviously, it has special meaning to our family,” said Bum Phillips’ son Wade. “We all thought so much of our dad, and of course the times that he was coaching for the Oilers were just special times for all of us. We’re just deeply honored, and my sisters, when Amy called, all cried. That’s how much it means. It’s a great thing that Amy has done for us and the Oilers, keeping the Oilers alive.”
