In his Hall of Fame induction, all-time great NFL cornerback Deion Sanders gave UH Co-Offensive Coordinator and wide receivers coach Jason Phillips received some unexpected praise.
As a credit to Phillips work ethic, Sanders complimented him for his competitiveness in practice.
“Jason Phillips who is the offensive coordinator at the University of Houston, but when we went at it against each other in Atlanta on the scout team,” Sanders said in his speech. “He didn’t have Sundays to play. He had Wednesdays and Thursdays, and he went at my butt. We had a battle every day, and I love you Jay for that.”
As a player Phillips was one of the most successful wide receivers in UH history. He played in the NFL from 1989-1994 for the Detroit Lions and the Falcons. Afterward Phillips played three seasons in the Canadian Football League.
He was in Canton, Ohio at the time of Sanders’ speech, but said he had no idea he would be involved in it.
“I’m still in a surreal state of mind,” Phillips said. “There’s a guy who is one of the greatest of all time to ever play that position. It says a lot about him as an individual, him respecting the way I approached the game and how we went at each other and competed. I’m very honored for him to mention me in his Hall of Fame speech.”
-John Brannen
