Coach Wade Phillips was born in Orange, Texas, the son of former NFL head coach Bum Phillips. He attended Port Neches-Groves High School and went on to be a three-year starter at linebacker at the University of Houston under head coach Bill Yeoman. Phillips began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1969, then coached at Orange High School for three years before moving to Oklahoma State in 1973 and Kansas in 1975. Phillips then spent five seasons with the Houston Oilers, coaching the linebackers in 1976 and the defensive line from 1977 through 1980. He served as the defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 1981 to 1985 and was the interim head coach for the final four games of the 1985 season, with a 1-3 record. Phillips then moved to Philadelphia, where he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1986 to 1988. From Philadelphia, Phillips moved to the Denver Broncos organization, where he became defensive coordinator. Under Phillips' leadership, the Broncos' defense led the AFC in fewest points allowed in 1989 and 1991 and the 1991, Denver team's defensive unit led the AFC in 12 different categories. Phillips also assumed the role of interim head coach during the 1990 preseason, posting a win over Indianapolis. Phillips became the tenth head coach in the Denver Broncos history on January 25, 1993, moving into the head-coaching slot from his previous position as defensive coordinator. The Broncos returned to the playoffs with the NFL's youngest club. The team led the AFC in points scored (373, third in the NFL and the fourth highest total in franchise history). The defense finished fifth in the AFC with points allowed (284) while the offense ranked third in both total offense and passing offense. Their 27 touchdown passes tied for the most ever by a Denver team. Following his time with the Denver Broncos, Phillips moved to the Buffalo Bills and worked as their defensive coordinator from 1995 - 1997. He then became the Bills' head coach from 1998 - 2000. During his time as head coach of the Bills, the team had 29 wins, 19 losses, and two playoff appearances. In 2002, Phillips became the defensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons. He worked with the Falcons through 2003. The following year, Phillips moved to the San Diego Chargers where he served as the defensive coordinator through 2006. On February 8, 2007, Phillips was named head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Wade served for several years as the honorary chairman of a charity fund raiser for Flight for Life. He and his wife, Laurie, have two children, Tracy and Wesley.

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