Jim Phillips

James Jackson "Red" Phillips (February 5, 1936 – March 25, 2015) was an American professional football player who played wide receiver and tight end over ten seasons in the National Football League from 1958 to 1967. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers in the Southeastern Conference, where he excelled as both a receiver and defensive end, and was named a unanimous All-American in his senior year.

Phillips was the fifth player selected in the 1958 NFL draft. He spent the bulk of his career with the Los Angeles Rams before finishing with the Minnesota Vikings. A three-time Pro Bowler as a Ram from 1960 to 1962, he was named first-team All-Pro in 1961, the season he led the NFL in pass receptions with 78 over a 14-game schedule. He caught 52, 78, 60, and 54 passes from 1960 to 1963, respectively. His career changed course when he suffered a rare infection to his right hand before the 1964 season; it ultimately required multiple surgeries and undermined his ability to play in 1964 and 1965.

When his professional playing career ended in 1967, he ranked in the top ten all-time in receptions in NFL history, twelfth in combined NFL/AFL history, and in the top twenty all-time in total receiving yards in NFL/AFL history.