Jeff Gross/Getty
MINNEAPOLIS – OCTOBER 17: Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips looks on during the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field on October 17, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings defeated the Cowboys 24-21. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips responded on X/Twitter to reports of his death. On Thursday, several accounts began posting obituaries for Phillips, noting his career achievements and larger-than-life status within the football community.
Phillips responded to the reports on Friday after several users tagged him in the replies to inform him of the circulating rumors. He called out the false rumors and those spreading them, putting to rest the notion that Phillips might have passed.
“A sick and cruel person sent this false information on me,” Phillips said. “Me, my family and friends were very upset. Why would anyone want to do this? I am in good health and feel great except for this,” he said with a dry note of humor.
Phillips spent 12 seasons as an NFL head coach at five different teams, including the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta Falcons. He compiled a 82-64 regular-season record as a head coach, with his best years coming in Dallas. He’s perhaps best-known as one of the league’s better defensive coordinators, engineering some fantastic defense on teams that reached the Super Bowl with the Broncos and Rams, among others.
Wes Phillips’ Most Successful Head Coaching Years Came with the Dallas Cowboys
Larry French/GettyLANDOVER – SEPTEMBER 12: Head coach Wade Phillips of the Dallas Cowboys coaches during the NFL season opener against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on September 12, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 13-7. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
In 2007, Phillips replaced the retired Bill Parcels as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, with owner/GM Jerry Jones expressing his full confidence in the former Bills head man. He hired future NFL head coaches Ron Rivera and Jason Garrett as his coordinators and made the playoffs in 2007, though he lost in the wild card round.
Though his Cowboys missed the playoffs in 2008, he broke through in 2009, winning in the wild card round against the Eagles and ending Dallas’ drought of 13 years without a playoff win. However, after an atrocious start to the 2010 season, Phillips was let go, ending his Cowboys tenure.
How Will the Dallas Cowboys Rebound from a Tough Opening Night Loss?
The Dallas Cowboys dominated headlines in the lead-up to the 2025 NFL season with the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade. After months of contentious comments and public spats between the two sides, Dallas shipped Parsons off to the Packers for DT Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.
The decision to trade away a franchise cornerstone may haunt Cowboys fans for some time, but they had to be encouraged by their offense. Even in a loss, QB Dak Prescott looked phenomenal in his return from a serious hamstring injury suffered last season. Some late drops from star WR CeeDee Lamb killed the hopes of a comeback, but there was a lot to like from a resurgent offense.
The defense is a different story, as despite the Cowboys’ offseason emphasis on stopping the run, they were helpless against Philadelphia’s potent rushing attack. They’ll have to play better moving forward if Dallas wants to get back to the playoffs.
Ethan Woodie is an accomplished sports writer specializing in the NFL and college football for Heavy.com. He’s written for Heavy since 2025 and has years of experience writing for NFL Trade Rumors and Pro Football Focus (PFF). Woodie is an expert in draft scouting and his final 2025 Big Board was included in Arif Hasan’s media consensus board for Wide Left. More about Ethan Woodie
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