Wade Phillips is the son of legendary Texas coach “Bum” Phillips. When asked if his hometown was Groves or Port Neches, Wade replied that he lived in both. He attended Port Neches-Groves High School in Port Neches, Texas, where he played quarterback on offense for his father, “Bum” Phillips, who was the head coach. His wife, Laurie, whom he began dating in high school, was the head cheerleader.

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In 1965, Bum was hired as the defensive coordinator at the University of Houston. Wade followed him there and became a three-year starter at linebacker. He set a career record for tackle assists that stood until 2011. Phillips began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1969 before moving to Oklahoma State in 1973 and Kansas in 1975.

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Phillips’s first professional coaching job came under his father with the Houston Oilers, where he spent five seasons from 1976 to 1980. He then served as defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 1981 to 1985 and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986 to 1988. Phillips later joined the Denver Broncos, where his defense led the AFC in fewest points allowed one season and reached Super Bowl XXIV, though the team lost to the San Francisco 49ers.

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Wade became the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills from 1995 to 1997 and was promoted to head coach from 1998 to 2000. During his tenure, the team recorded 29 wins and made two playoff appearances.

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In 2007, Phillips was hired as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The team made the playoffs in each of his first two seasons. In 2008, however, the Cowboys’ offense, led by Jason Garrett, managed only three points in a playoff loss — a sign of struggles that would continue for years. The Cowboys ended a 12-year playoff win drought with a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2009 Wild Card game, the longest such streak in franchise history. Despite receiving a two-year contract extension after that season, Phillips was dismissed midway through 2010 and replaced by Garrett following a disappointing start. The Cowboys would go on to win only two playoff games over the next nine years.

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Shortly after, Phillips joined the Houston Texans as defensive coordinator, where he once again transformed the defense into one of the league’s best units.

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He returned to the Denver Broncos in 2015 as defensive coordinator, reuniting with head coach Gary Kubiak. Phillips’s aggressive, ball-hawking defensive schemes turned Denver’s defense into the NFL’s top-ranked unit. In Super Bowl 50, his defense shut down the league’s number-one offense, the Carolina Panthers, securing a 24–10 victory and giving Phillips his first Super Bowl championship.

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Following his success in Denver, Phillips became the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. Once again, he built a top-tier defense. In only his second season, the Rams reached the Super Bowl, where they held Tom Brady’s New England Patriots to just 13 points, though they ultimately lost 13–3.

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Counting interim stints, Wade Phillips has served as head coach for six different NFL teams — more than any other person in league history. Multiple players coached under Phillips have won the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award, including Reggie White, Bryce Paup, Bruce Smith, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald. Two of his players, Mike Croel and Shawne Merriman, earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

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After Denver’s Super Bowl victory, Phillips received the Associated Press NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Award. His 2015 Denver defense is still ranked among the top 10 greatest defensive units in NFL history. A Super Bowl 50 trophy donated by the Phillips family is on display at the Museum of the Gulf Coast, where Wade is enshrined alongside his father.

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Phillips came out of retirement in 2022 to coach the Houston Roughnecks, leading them to a 7–3 record in the XFL’s first season before losing the South Division Championship to Arlington, Texas. After the XFL–UFL merger, he became head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas, guiding the team to an 8–3 record in 2024. His Brahmas squad boasted one of the league’s best defenses, allowing a UFL-best 15.3 points per game, and advanced to the UFL Championship before falling to the Birmingham Stallions.

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Wade Phillips and his wife, Laurie, reside in Houston. He regularly attends the presentation of the Bum Phillips Award, given annually at the Museum of the Gulf Coast to the Southeast Texas High School Football Coach of the Year.