09/18/2026
FPL’S On a Screen Near You – Luv Ya, Bum!
Once again, football is back, and if you’re looking for a good football story, check out Luv Ya Bum!, a 2025 documentary about legendary NFL coach Oail Andrew “Bum” Phillips (now available on Kanopy, the movie streaming app available free with your Franklin Public Library card). Narrated by actor Dennis Quaid, the film gives a good overview of Phillips’ career (particularly his years with the Houston Oilers in the 1970s), his coaching style, and how he influenced the game. The football personalities praising Bum in the film include his former players such as Earl Campbell and Dan Pastorini, players who faced his teams such as quarterback Terry Bradshaw (whose dominant Pittsburgh Steelers handed Bum’s Oilers several crucial losses), and later players who were inspired by Bum’s career like JJ Watt and Peyton Manning. The players praise the coach for his straightforward approach to football, his folksy personality, and his creation of a player-friendly team culture (something that wasn’t necessarily common at the time). One of the most interesting clips included is his appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson after his surprising firing as the Oilers head coach in 1980, in which he quipped “There’s two kinds of coaches, them that’s fired and them that’s gonna be fired.” The film also does a good job of portraying Bum’s relationship with his son, Wade, who went on to a successful coaching career in the NFL himself. Luv Ya Bum is a nice portrait of a colorful and one-of-a-kind sports figure.
