The XFL is going to return in 2023. Their next crop of coaches will have some Buffalo Bills influence.
Amongst all the next bench bosses, the most well known is Wade Phillips.
Phillips, 74, was Buffalo’s defensive coordinator under Marv Levy. Upon Levy’s retirement, Phillips took over as head coach.
The team was competitive under Phillips, making the playoffs–An appearance which led to the infamous “Music City Miracle.” His head coach tenure in Buffalo was from 1998 to 2000.
Phillips continued coaching in the NFL, also serving as the Dallas Cowboys head coach from 2007-2010. He has not worked in the NFL since 2019 but has expressed a desire to do so.
Eventually, Phillips started to catch some notoriety on social media in recent years. His Twitter account handle is, “Son of Bum,” which is a tribute to his late father, Bum Phillips:
So excited and honored to be picked as an XFL Head Coach. Great that XFL is back and so happy to be back myself!
— Wade Phillips (@sonofbum) April 13, 2022
The other Buffalo connection is Jim Haslett.
A second-round pick of the Bills in 1979 NFL draft, Haslett was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year from his linebacker position. Haslett played with the Bills until 1985, briefly attempting a return to football after suffering an injury with the New York Jets in 1987.
Most recently, Haslett was the Tennessee Titans linebackers coach. He was also the New Orleans Saints head coach from 2000 to 2005.
Reportedly the XFL has not yet announced if the league will operate in individual locations–teams representing one city each–or if all will play from a centralized location. The XFL previously returned in 2020 and worked from different markets, but things were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other head coaching hires made by the XFL thus far include:
- Bob Stoops
- Terrell Buckley
- Hines Ward
- Rod Woodson
- Reggie Barlow
- Anthony Becht
[lawrence-related id=99655,99670,99701]