Jim Phillips (American football)

Jim Phillips

Phillips on a 1963 trading card
No. 82
Position:	Wide receiver
Personal information
Born:	(1936-02-05)February 5, 1936 Alexander City, Alabama, U.S.
Died:	March 25, 2015(2015-03-25) (aged 79) Auburn, Alabama, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:	Alexander City (AL) Benjamin Russell
College:	Auburn
NFL draft:	1958 / round: 1 / pick: 5
Career history
Los Angeles Rams (1958–1964) Minnesota Vikings (1965–1967)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pro (1961) Second-team All-Pro (1960) 3× Pro Bowl (1960–1962) NFL receptions leader (1961) National champion (1957) Unanimous All-American (1957) First-team All-SEC (1957) 2× Second-team All-SEC (1955, 1956)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 401 Receiving yards: 6,044 Yards per reception: 15.1 Receiving touchdowns: 34 Stats at Pro Football Reference

James Jackson "Red" Phillips (February 5, 1936 – March 25, 2015) was an American football wide receiver who played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings for 10 seasons, from 1958 to 1967. Phillips was a three-time Pro Bowler as a Ram from 1960 to 1962 and was first-team in 1961. Phillips attended Auburn University. He was on 11 All-American teams his senior year at Auburn. He was co-captain on Auburn's 1957 national championship team.

NFL career

As a rookie in 1958, Phillips led the NFL with the longest reception for that season: 93 yards. In 1961, he led the NFL in total receptions with 78.^[1]

Post NFL

After leaving the NFL, Phillips held coaching positions with the Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, and Florida State. He later ran a successful insurance business and was appointed to the Alabama Department of Insurance.^[2]

Phillips was inducted into Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1985. In 2004, Phillips was named Auburn's SEC Football Legend for the SEC Championship Game of that year.

NFL career statistics

Legend
	Won the NFL championship
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Receiving
		GP	GS	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1958	RAM	12	8	35	524	15.0	93	2
1959	RAM	9	8	37	541	14.6	64	4
1960	RAM	12	12	52	883	17.0	61	8
1961	RAM	14	14	78	1,092	14.0	69	5
1962	RAM	14	14	60	875	14.6	65	5
1963	RAM	14	14	54	793	14.7	52	1
1964	RAM	7	6	17	245	14.4	33	2
1965	MIN	12	9	15	185	12.3	43	1
1966	MIN	12	11	32	554	17.3	68	3
1967	MIN	13	9	21	352	16.8	42	3
Career		119	105	401	6,044	15.1	93	34

Personal life

Phillips married "Mickey" Kennedy in 1957. They had three children. Phillips died on March 25, 2015, at Bethany House (Hospice) in Auburn.^[3]

References

1. "Red Phillips Stats". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
2. "Community mourns loss of AU legend 'Red' Phillips". AlexCity Outlook.
3. "Auburn All-American, NFL All-Pro Jimmy 'Red' Phillips dies". AL.com.