bigred360 Posted August 8, 2010 Report Posted August 8, 2010 Thought I knew just about everything there was to know about Bum Phillips’ sports background until I talked to him recently for a piece for Lamar University’s website counting down to the Cardinals’ Sept. 4 football opener at McNeese State. Bum, as I discovered, was not only a two-year captain and football starter for Lamar Junior College in the 1940s, he was also a captain and starter on the basketball team. He’s proud of the fact he helped the 1947-48 Cardinals win the Texas state Junior College Championship. From his description, it sounds like he was mostly what used to be referred to as a “hatchet man.†“I wasn’t much of a shooter, but I could guard,†he told me with a chuckle. “I could bump people around. I was just real aggressive. I could take pivot men out of their game.†. . . That Lamar Countdown to Kickoff series, by the way, can be read by going to www.lamar.edu and clicking on athletics. It started with the McNeese game 75 days away and takes a daily look at somebody with either direct or indirect ties to Cardinal football reflecting on their memories. Among those who have been featured are former PN-G football coach Matt Burnett, former LU trainer Paul Zeek, former LU football assistant John Payton, current LU baseball coach Jim Gilligan, Kelly football coach Mike Long, former Cardinal basketball star Clarence Kea, recently retired Lamar State College-Port Arthur athletic director Bill Worsham and even a certain sports editor from Port Arthur. The piece on Bum Phillips is tentatively scheduled to run around Aug. 15 to coincide with the release of his autobiography.http://panews.com/sportsbobwest/x1243789679/Bum-s-basketball-prowess-helped-Lamar-win-title
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