After false report of death, ex-Broncos boss Wade Phillips is fine, may continue to coach

Wade Phillips is alive and well and attended last Friday’s Colorado at Houston game.

There was a post on Facebook early this month that claimed with a headline “Breaking News” that Phillips, 78, a former Broncos head coach and defensive coordinator, had died. Phillips then went on X on Sept. 5 and wrote that a “sick and cruel person sent this false information on me” and “me, my family and friends were very upset.”

Phillips was the Broncos’ head coach from 1993-94 and had stints as their defensive coordinator from 1989-92 and 2015-16. In a phone interview with The Denver Gazette, he discussed how upset he was at the false report.

Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, left, and cornerback Kayvon Webster acknowledge the crowd at a rally following a parade through downtown Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016 in Denver. Fans crowded into Denver’s downtown to salute the Broncos for the team’s victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

“One of my friends from Denver was crying when she called my wife (Laurie),’’ said Phillips, who lives in the Houston area. “It caused a lot of consternation, really. It’s kind of unhuman really to do something like that.”

Phillips said a “lot of people” reached out to the family after seeing the Facebook post, including some who called his phone. What was the reaction when he answered?

“I think they were glad to hear me,’’ he said. “I hope so. But I’m not going to laugh about it. It’s really not funny.”

OK, Phillips did get at least one chuckle.

“I had one friend who texted, ‘Rest in peace, Wade,’’’ Phillips joked about the friend sending the message after he knew Phillips was fine.

Phillips had first heard about the false report when a Broncos fan reached out to him on X with a screen shot of the posting to inquire how he was doing. That’s when Phillips put up his response saying he is “in good health and feel great except for this.”

Phillips’ son, Wes Phillips, is offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. He didn’t learn about the Facebook post until after he knew it was false.

“It may be for clicks or whatever, but people put false information out there,” Wes Phillips told The Denver Gazette. “You see it more and more these days. It’s hard to know what to trust. … It’s a shame that (the family) had to deal with that. … There are things better than getting some clicks or some likes, whatever they’re looking for, but when you they post something like that, you can affect people’s lives in a negative way.”

Phillips has been a football coach for 56 years and might not be done. He coached the San Antonio Brahmas of the spring United Football League to the league championship game in June 2024. However, last April, after the Brahmas started 0-3, he took a leave of absence for the rest of the season for health reasons.

Phillips is the oldest coach in pro football history, having been two months shy of 78 when last on the sideline. He said the leave was due to an adverse reaction to a different medicine he was prescribed for diabetes.

“The medicine I was taking was giving me bad side effects,’’ Phillips said. “And I actually changed medicine and I’m a lot better.”

Asked about his overall health, Phillips said, “I’m doing well.” His son agreed.

“He’s doing great,’’ said Wes Phillips, who last saw his father before the start of training camp in late July. “He’s lost a lot of weight. He looks good. He feels good. His knees aren’t bothering him as much. He’s had to buy new pants (due to the weight loss).”

With his health not a concern, Phillips said he has an opportunity to return to coach the Brahmas next spring.

“I still haven’t decided, so we’ll see,’’ said Phillips, the defensive coordinator on the 2015 Broncos, who won Super Bowl 50 and had perhaps the best defense in team history. “I love coaching. It was a good gig for me (in the spring) because it’s only four months and I can go to NFL games during the NFL season, especially with my son coaching.”

The oldest NFL head coach ever is Pete Carrroll, who returned to head the Las Vegas Raiders this season after not coaching in 2024. He turned 74 on Monday.

Phillips, the son of legendary NFL coach Bum Phillips, began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Houston in 1969. After some other college stints and one in high school, he entered the NFL in 1976 as an assistant under his father with the Houston Oilers.

Phillips remained in the NFL through 2019, when he was defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams at age 72. He also had head coaching stints in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills and interim head coaching stints with the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans. His career coaching record is a strong 82-64.

Phillips was head coach of the Houston Roughnecks of the spring XFL in 2023. Then he took over Brahmas in 2024 after the XFL merged with the USFL to form the UFL.

“He doesn’t have any hobbies,’’ Wes Phillips said of why his father has continued to coach. “Football is just his thing. … He just enjoys the game, enjoys being around the players and coaches and watching tape is kind of his hobby.”

His son has mixed feelings on whether he wants his dad to coach again.

“There’s a part of me that if that’s ultimately what he wants, then absolutely,’’ he said. “And then there’s the other part of me that it’s been a good career, a good run. Let’s relax and take some of that stress off and just enjoy life.”

In the meantime, Phillips plans to attend the 10-year reunion of the Super Bowl 50 team during the weekend in which Denver plays host Oct. 19 to the New York Giants. Phillips called the plays for the only team in Broncos history to have finished No. 1 in the NFL in total defense.

“I’m excited to get to see the guys again,’’ Phillips said. “It’s a special group. Winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate in our profession.”

Wes Phillips, 46, won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 season as their tight ends coach and pass game coordinator, and his father jokes about how much bigger his son’s Super Bowl ring is than his. Phillips is optimistic his son one day will be an NFL head coach, which would make the family the first in league history to have three generations of head coaches.

“He’s a better coach than I was,’’ Phillips said of his son. “He knows what I know and he also knows what he knows.”

Wes said “that’s a good line” by his father but he doesn’t agree with it. He said his father passes on a lot of “wisdom” to him before and after Vikings games.

“Maybe I’m a better offensive coach,’’ Wes quipped.

For now, Phillips is making plans to see how many Vikings games he will attend this season. He already is loading up on college games. In addition to going to last Friday’s 36-20 win by Houston over Colorado, he went to last Saturday to Lamar’s 31-7 victory over Texas Southern in Houston.

Phillips is indeed alive and well.