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HOUSTON - Bum Phillips, the folksy Texas football icon who coached the Houston Oilers during their Luv Ya Blue heyday and later led the New Orleans Saints, died Friday. He was 90. "Bum is gone to Heaven," son Wade Phillips tweeted Friday night. "Loved and will be missed by all — great Dad, Coach, and Christian." Phillips died at his ranch in Goliad. Wade Phillips is the Houston Texans defensive co-ordinator. Born Oail Andrew Phillips Jr. in 1923 in Orange, Phillips was a Texas original in his blue jeans, boots and trademark white Stetson — except at the Astrodome or any other dome stadium because he was taught it was disrespectful to wear a hat indoors. "Mama always said that if it cant rain on you, youre indoors," Phillips said. Phillips loved the Oilers and when coaching the team in the 1970s, he famously said of the Cowboys: "They may be Americas Team, but were Texas team." He took over as coach of the Oilers in 1975 and led Houston to two AFC Championship games before he was fired in 1980. He was responsible for drafting Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell, the player who was largely credited with the success of the franchise. "He meant a great deal to this franchise, the NFL and the city of Houston, and he was instrumental to the Oilers during the Luv Ya Blue era," Titans owner Bud Adams said in a statement. "Growing up in Texas and working his way up through the Texas football ranks, he was a natural match for our team. Those were such magical years, and his leadership and personality helped our team rise to the top." His time with the team was marked by a frenzied fan base that filled the Astrodome to root for the Oilers and wave their blue and white pompons during games. Houston lost to Pittsburgh 34-5 in the AFC Championship game in Campbells rookie year. The Oilers returned to the game the following season only to be beaten again by the Steelers, this time 27-13. The Oilers went 11-5 in 1980 but lost to Oakland in the AFC wild-card round and Phillips was fired. He was 55-35 with the team in the regular season. Fans loved his no-nonsense demeanour and were entertained by his often blunt comments "Football is a game of failure," Phillips was quoted as saying. "You fail all the time, but you arent a failure until you start blaming someone else." Among his best Bumisms: "Theres two kinds of coaches, them thats fired and them thats gonna be fired." On Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula: "He can take hisn and beat yourn and take yourn and beat hisn." On Campbells inability to finish a mile run: "When its first-and-a-mile, I wont give it to him." On Campbell: "I dont know if hes in a class by himself, but I do know that when that class gets together, it sure dont take long to call the roll." He left Texas to coach the Saints in 1981, going 27-42 before retiring after the 1985 season. "We are saddened by the passing of Bum Phillips," Saints owner Tom Benson said in a statement released by the team. "I had the opportunity to work with him when I first purchased the team in 1985 and also enjoyed our friendship following his coaching career. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Debbie, Wade and the rest of his family." Phillips played football at Lamar Junior College before joining the Marines during World War II. After the war he went to Stephen F. Austin where he played two more football seasons before graduating with a degree in education in 1949. He spent about two decades coaching in high schools and colleges mostly in Texas — he assisted the likes of Bear Bryant at Texas A&M, Bill Yeoman at Houston, and Hayden Fry at SMU — before making the jump to the AFL in 1967 as an assistant under Sid Gillman with the San Diego Chargers. Phillips came to Houston in 1974 as Gillmans defensive co-ordinator and became coach and general manager when Gillman resigned after that season. Phillips picked up the nickname Bum as a child when his younger sister couldnt pronounce brother correctly and it sounded like bum. He embraced the nickname and was quoted as saying: "I dont mind being called Bum, just as long as you dont put a you in front of it." Phillips did some work as an analyst on television and radio football broadcasts for a bit before retiring to his ranch in Goliad. Although he left Houston, he always remained fond of the city. The Oilers moved to Tennessee and became the Titans in 1997 and Houston returned to the NFL in 2002 when the Texans began play. He was asked how he feels about the two teams in Texas in 2007 when son Wade was named coach of the Cowboys. "Your son is coaching one team and the other team is the town you love more than any other," he said. "Its kind of hard to pull. Theyre not on the schedule, so I dont have to make that decision this year." Wade Phillips said his father was still sharing tips with him this season. "He always gives me a little advice about why did you play this on that certain down and this stuff," Wade said. "Hes sharp on all the football stuff." Phillips is survived by his second wife, Debbie, and six children from his first marriage along with almost two dozen grandchildren. Puma Shoes Clearance Sale Uk . Its been a successful Games for Canada, which will finish near the top of the medal standings again. From repeat gold medal winners to multiple medal winners to undefeated teams to acts that define the Olympic spirit, there are many solid candidates who could be considered to receive the honour. Puma Shoes Uk Store . -- New York Yankees centre fielder Jacoby Ellsbury was sent for an MRI Thursday of his ailing right calf, which was negative. http://www.wholesalepumauk.com/ . Wheeler scored at 4:58 of overtime, with Scheifele getting an assist, and the Jets beat the slumping Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Sunday night. Cheap Puma Shoes Wholesale . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Cheap Puma Shoes Uk . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -- An accomplished veteran in open-wheel racing, Alex Tagliani probably could find a full-time ride in the IndyCar series if he wanted it badly enough. So whats he doing driving stock cars? Having the time of his life, apparently. "You need to throw some challenges into your life, into your career," Tagliani said. "If not, it gets boring. For me, when I drive a stock car, it doesnt come natural. It takes a lot of control. So when I get out of the car, I feel like I want more. Maybe thats what keeps the spark in you to be in love with what you do." Tagliani, a 40-year-old native of Montreal who made his name in Indy-style racing -- he won the pole position for the 2011 Indianapolis 500 -- is driving two road courses for Team Penske in the NASCAR Nationwide series this season. He dominated much of a rain-soaked race at Road America last weekend, only to run out of gas near the end; he refuelled and made a mad charge to a second-place finish in a green-white-checker overtime. Hell drive again for Penske at Mid-Ohio in August. Beyond that, Tagliani is racing in the relative obscurity of the Canadian Tire series, NASCARs humble attempt to establish a foothold for stock car racing north of the border. Hes also doing some sports car racing. He did drive in the Indianapolis 500 in May, finishing 13th, but he has very little desire to pursue a full-time IndyCar ride at this point in his career. Backing away from IndyCar has largely freed him from the money-fueled politics that frustrated him. "The Indianapolis 500 is a huge event," Tagliani said. "But running an Indy car for a full season, theres a price to pay, and I was not willing to continue to pay that price this year." When Tagliani says theres a price to pay, hes being literal; unlike other sports, where teams draft and sign the best players they can, talent is only one factor in deetermining who gets hired by a particular team in auto racing.dddddddddddd All teams expect a driver to be a good spokesman they can sell to a corporate sponsor -- but some teams take it one step further, actually expecting the driver to come to the table with sponsorship deals already in hand. "Youre actually funding, or helping, a team to survive, and youre helping their business, but theyre not helping you back," Tagliani said. "Youre helping them with your energy and your money and your work, and they use that, and theres always the grass is greener somewhere else, right? Youre never able to build something for the long term. To the point where it frustrates you, and I didnt want to drive frustrated. I just wanted to enjoy driving, you know? "And thats where I am now. Every step you make in your career has some consequences, and Im still glad I did them because I ended up in a Penske car. I cant ask for more." The move to the Canadian Tire series was actually a plus to his main sponsor, the Canadian division of drug manufacturing giant Pfizer. The company wants to promote its EpiPen allergy treatment -- a natural fit for Tagliani, who has a nut allergy -- in Canada. "They wanted a Canadian presence," Tagliani said. "So at some point, you can push and push and push, but theyre going to say you either race more in Canada and you give us a Canadian program, or we cut the money out. So I kind of revamped my program, and made sure it was beneficial to me." Now Tagliani doesnt plan on slowing down anytime soon. "Ill replicate this 2014 season again for the next five," Tagliani said. "Because Im having a lot of fun, Im able to do IndyCar at the speedway, that I like. Im able to please my sponsor in Canada and also race the 22 car for Team Penske and run prototypes when Im free. What else could a driver ask for?" ' ' '