Joker Phillips

NFL player


DateOfBirth=Birth date and age|1963|4|12|mf=y
Birthplace=flagicon|USA Franklin, KY
DateOfDeath=
number=80, 84
College=Kentucky
Position=Wide receiver
DraftedYear=
DraftedRound=
Awards=
Honors=
Records=
Retired #s=
ProBowls=
years=1985,1987
teams=Washington Redskins
DatabaseFootball=PHILLJOE01
PFR=PhilJo21
NFL=PHI392340

Joseph "Joker" Phillips, Jr. (born April 12, 1963 in Franklin, Kentucky) is the offensive coordinator for the University of Kentucky Wildcats football team. He is widely considered as one of the top assistant coaches in all college football and has been announced as being the next head coach at Kentucky when current head coach Rich Brooks retires.cite web |url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jUakVMyJpUUjKRaLjXS66509iwvQD8U8H5J01 |title=Phillips Said to Succeed Brooks |accessdate=2008-01-18 |author=Jeffrey McMurray |date=2008-01-18 |publisher=Associated Press]

Playing years

After a standout career at Franklin-Simpson High School, including being the quarterback for two state Class AAA championship teams, Phillips played wide receiver for the University of Kentucky Wildcats from 1981 through 1984. During his playing career, Phillips caught 75 passes for 935 yards and nine touchdowns at the wide receiver position. At the time of his departure from Lexington, he stood fifth on the University's receiving list.

After college, he played two seasons in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins.

Coaching years

After his career in the NFL, Phillips became a graduate assistant on the Kentucky football team. In 1990, he was promoted to assistant recruiting coordinator and in 1991 to wide receivers' coach. In 1997, he was hired as wide receivers coach at the University of Cincinnati. Following two seasons in Cincinnati, Phillips made coaching stops at the University of Minnesota, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of South Carolina. Phillips succeeded Urban Meyer as wide receivers coach at Notre Dame.

When Rich Brooks was hired as head football coach at Kentucky in late 2002, Phillips returned to his alma mater to serve as recruiting coordinator and wide receivers' coach. With the departure of Ron Hudson late in the 2004 season, he was named offensive coordinator of the Wildcats.

Phillips helped to rejuvenate Kentucky's offensive scheme, which was one of the worst-performing in the country under Hudson. Under Phillips' balanced offense, Andre Woodson established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. In his first full season as offensive coordinator, Kentucky finished with a 8-5 record and defeated Clemson in the 2006 Music City Bowl. In 2007, Kentucky finished the season with another 8-5 record, defeating Florida State University in the 2007 Music City Bowl. Winning the Music City Bowl for the second year in a row was the first time the Wildcats had won two consecutive bowls in over 50 years. The Wildcats finished in the top 15 nationally in points scored per game and averaged 460 yards of offense.

References

External links

* [http://www.ukathletics.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=39&change_well_id=2&url_article_id=10503 Official Biography]