Inducted 2005. Captain of First QND Football Team. Legendary Quincy Jets Coach. Class of 1941.
Phillips gained local notoriety for his success as a baseball and softball coach during the summers in Quincy, but his athletic career got its start at Quincy College Academy and Quincy Notre Dame.
Phillips, a 1941 graduate of Quincy Notre Dame, played right tackle on the football team and was captain of the first QND team after going to Quincy College Academy for three years. He also was an outfielder on the baseball team.
After serving from 1943-46 in the Navy, Phillips graduated from Quincy College in 1949. His coaching career started with the American Legion baseball team, which he coached from 1952-59.
Phillips organized and coached the Quincy Jets fast-pitch softball programs. In 1969, he organized the women’s team and compiled a record of 164-78, taking the Jets to second-place finishes in the state tournament in 1972 and 1973. He organized the Junior Jets team for 13-to-15 year-olds in 1974 and took them to the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) national tournament nine consecutive times, placing second twice, fourth twice and fifth and sixth once each. He organized the Jets for 16-to-18 year-olds in 1976, and he took the older group to the national tournament three times.
Phillips retired from coaching in 1983, the same year he was inducted into the Illinois ASA Hall of Fame. His coaching record stands at 1,031 victories and 348 losses — a 74.4 winning percentage. His teams were known nationwide for how many games they won, Phillips also saw to it that they could be equally proud of how they lived their lives as well as they played the game.
Phillips owned Phillips Furniture before his retirement. He lives in Quincy with his wife, Bernice.
Thank you to the QND Hall of Fame Committee. This award is a reflection of everything I have loved about sports throughout my lifetime. From the first team I played with, coached by the inspirational Mart Heinen, I have wanted to do my part to help athletes perform to the best of their ability. I would like to thankfully remember the late Pat Keane, who got me started in coaching, and my good friend, the late Don Ostermiller, with whom I first shared coaching responsibilities. I would also like to thank all of the players and their families who have made coaching such an enjoyable and memorable part of my life.