Former Arkansas football player and Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips dies at 78

Terry Don Phillips, a former Arkansas defensive tackle and longtime athletics administrator, died Tuesday at age 78 following a diagnosis of dementia more than a decade ago. Born in Longview, Texas, Phillips played for Arkansas from 1966 to 1969 under coach Frank Broyles, with his brother Loyd Phillips earning All-America honors and the Outland Trophy in 1966. Phillips began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Arkansas before joining Virginia Tech from 1971 to 1978. He transitioned into athletics administration, serving as athletics director at Liberty (1980–81) and Southwestern Louisiana (1983–88). He later returned to Arkansas under Broyles as senior associate athletics director from 1988 to 1994 before leading Oklahoma State from 1995 to 2002, where he hired Les Miles as head coach. Phillips took over as Clemson’s athletics director in 2002, where he made key hires including Dabo Swinney as football coach and Brad Brownell as men’s basketball coach. Under his leadership, Clemson won 13 ACC championships across eight sports, including five in women’s programs, and achieved 57 top-25 national finishes. Swinney later led the Tigers to national championships in 2016 and 2018, while Brownell became the winningest men’s basketball coach in school history. Clemson announced Phillips’ death in a statement, noting his impact on the university’s athletic success. His career spanned decades of influence in college sports, from playing and coaching to shaping programs as an administrator.