Former UTEP Player Retains Coaching Job With Dallas Cowboys

Wes Phillips, who played quarterback for UTEP from 1997-2001, will remain an offensive assistant coach/club’s quality control assistant with the Dallas Cowboys after head coach Jason Garrett announced his staff recently.

Phillips dad, Wade Phillips, was fired as Cowboys head coach during the 2010 season.

Phillips joined the Dallas Cowboys in 2007 as the club’s quality control/offensive assistant coach after coaching quarterbacks at the collegiate level for four years. In 2008 Phillips will continue in his role of breaking down film of upcoming opponents’ defenses, composing each week’s playbooks while also running the scout team in practices.

Before landing in Dallas, Phillips coached the quarterbacks in 2006 at Baylor under offensive coordinator Lee Hays. His work with quarterback Shawn Bell paid dividends as Bell threw for career-highs in attempts (383), completions (241), yards (2,582) and touchdowns (19) before his season was cut short with a season-ending knee injury. Despite missing the final three games of the 2006 campaign, Bell’s passing numbers established school single-season records.

Prior to his one-year stint at Baylor, Phillips spent two seasons as the quarterbacks coach at West Texas A&M University under Hays. The Buffaloes celebrated their most successful season in almost 55 years in 2005, finishing 10-2 to post their first winning season since 1998, and the program’s first 10-win season since 1950. WTAMU won the Lone Star Conference with an 8-1 record, its first league title since 1986 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA D-II Playoffs for the first time in school history.

Phillips was an assistant coach at WTAMU and helped the school lead the 2005 Division II ranks in passing offense, racking up 363.8 yards-per-game. He tutored quarterback Dalton Bell who was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, which goes to the top Division II player. Bell completed 68.5 percent of his passes for 3,799 yards and 30 touchdowns with 13 interceptions on 454 attempts. He finished third nationally in total offensive yards (349.2) and established school and conference single-season records for total offense (3,843) and passing yards (3,799).

Prior to joining the WTAMU staff, Phillips spent one season as a student assistant coach at his alma mater, UTEP, and played two seasons at quarterback for the San Diego Riptide of the af2.

A three-year letterwinner at UTEP (1999-2001), Phillips was a member of the 2000 Miners team that shared the WAC title, posted the school’s highest win total in more than a decade and played in the Humanitarian Bowl. Phillips still ranks among the school’s single-season leaders in both pass efficiency (ninth – 120.0 in 2001) and completion percentage (eighth – 55.6 in 2001).

Phillips received his degree in philosophy from UTEP in 2001.