UFL title game features veteran coaches in Wade Phillips, Skip Holtz (2024)

Regardless of the opposition, St. Louis Battlehawks coach Anthony Becht was staring across the field in 11 games this season at a coach with more experience.

His resume includes wins over Wade Phillips and Bob Stoops, among others. Becht has taken down some of the big names.

Ultimately, though, two veterans won out when it came to the teams reaching the championship game of the United Football League, scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday at the Dome at America’s Center.

Phillips will lead the San Antonio Brahmas against Skip Holtz’s Birmingham Stallions in a battle of veterans who followed their famous fathers to remain in the business for decades. They might be the most recognizable names in the game.

Phillips began his coaching career in 1969, was a head coach in the NFL for 12 seasons and won a Super Bowl as defensive coordinator with Denver. Holtz has been at it since 1987, including 22 seasons as a college head coach.

“I have great respect for the quality of coaches and the resumes in this league,” Holtz said. “It’s part of the value with this league that spring football has the quality of coaches it’s attracting along with the players.”

Becht was in his second season, making him the least-experienced head coach. He beat Phillips head-to-head twice before losing the conference championship game last weekend.

Phillips coached Houston in the XFL last season before moving down the road to San Antonio for the UFL’s first season. Holtz has been with Birmingham the last two years. After beating the Battlehawks, Phillips didn’t sound as if he plans to go anywhere.

“I love coaching and appreciate the XFL giving me the opportunity,” Phillips said. “My wife doesn’t like me hanging around the house, so I needed to do something. It’s a great opportunity to be coaching at my age. I get to be around guys who make you feel a little big younger. It’s fun to be with this group.”

Besides Phillips, Holtz and Becht, the other coach who reached the semifinals was Michigan’s Mike Nolan, who coached the San Francisco 49ers for four seasons after starting his career in 1982 and spending time with eight NFL teams.

Stoops, who coaches Arlington, spent 1999 to 2016 at the University of Oklahoma and won a national championship. Houston’s C.J. Johnson has 40 years of coaching experience with 33 in the NFL. D.C.’s Reggie Barlow coached at two colleges for 13 years, and Memphis’s John DeFelippo was with six NFL teams.

“These guys are legends, right, so I have a responsibility to work harder,” Becht said. “I know they’ve got all this experience, and I don’t take it lightly. As much as I respect them, I want to beat these guys if I want to prove myself as a leader.”

Phillips is the most veteran of the bunch at 76 years old. He had an 82-64 record in the NFL after following his father, Bum Phillips, into the profession. Bum went 82-77.

But the elder Phillips didn’t win a Super Bowl as did Wade Phillips, who is finishing his career on an upswing. His Denver defense helped the Broncos to the 2016 Super Bowl win before he helped get the Rams to the Super Bowl in 2019 as defensive coordinator.

“I look up to Coach Phillips,” Holtz said. “I’ve been a fan of his. I haven’t had a lot of interaction with him before this league. … It’s very difficult to be a head football coach and more difficult with his type of tenure and success. He’s done it with character.”

Their paths didn’t cross much because while Phillips was in the NFL, Holtz was coaching college football at Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida and Louisiana Tech for 22 seasons.

That came during and after the career of his father, Lou Holtz, who spent 33 years as head coach at six college programs, most famously Notre Dame.

Combined, the two coaches going at it Sunday at the dome have nearly 100 years of coaching experience at all levels.