Joker Phillips facts for kids
Phillips visits the Kentucky Army National Guard in 2010.
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Assistant head coach Wide receivers coach |
| Team | NC State |
| Conference | ACC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | May 12, 1963 Franklin, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1981–1984 | Kentucky |
| 1985 | Washington Redskins |
| 1986 | Toronto Argonauts |
| 1987 | Washington Redskins |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1988–1989 | Kentucky (GA) |
| 1990 | Kentucky (assistant RC) |
| 1991–1996 | Kentucky (WR) |
| 1997 | Cincinnati (WR) |
| 1998 | Cincinnati (DB) |
| 1999–2000 | Minnesota (WR) |
| 2001 | Notre Dame (WR) |
| 2002 | South Carolina (WR) |
| 2003 | Kentucky (RC/WR) |
| 2004 | Kentucky (RC/PGC/WR) |
| 2005–2009 | Kentucky (OC/WR) |
| 2010–2012 | Kentucky |
| 2013 | Florida (WR/RC) |
| 2015 | Cleveland Browns (WR) |
| 2016 | Ohio State (OQC) |
| 2017–2018 | Cincinnati (WR) |
| 2019–2020 | Maryland (co-OC/WR) |
| 2021–present | NC State (AHC/WR) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 13–24 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
Joe "Joker" Phillips Jr. is an American football coach and former player. He was born on May 12, 1963. Currently, he works as the assistant head football coach and wide receivers coach at North Carolina State University. He has held this position since the 2021 season. Before this, Phillips was the head football coach at the University of Kentucky from 2010 to 2012.
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Playing Football
Joker Phillips had a great high school career at Franklin-Simpson High School. He played quarterback and helped his team win two state championships. After high school, Phillips played as a wide receiver for the University of Kentucky from 1981 to 1984.
During his time with the Kentucky Wildcats, he caught 75 passes. He gained 935 yards and scored nine touchdowns. Phillips was part of the 1984 Kentucky team that won the 1984 Hall of Fame Classic Bowl. This team finished the season ranked #19 in the country. When he left Kentucky, he was one of the top receivers in the school's history.
After college, Phillips played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins. He also played for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Coaching Football Teams
After his playing career, Joker Phillips started coaching. He began as a graduate assistant for the Kentucky football team. A graduate assistant helps coaches while also studying at the university.
In 1990, he became an assistant recruiting coordinator. This role involves finding and attracting new players to the team. In 1991, he became the wide receivers coach at Kentucky.
Coaching at Different Universities
Phillips then coached at several other universities. In 1997, he became the wide receivers coach at the University of Cincinnati. He also coached at Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina.
In 2002, Phillips returned to his old school, Kentucky. He worked as both the recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach. In 2004, he was named the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats. The offensive coordinator plans the team's plays for scoring points.
Success as Offensive Coordinator
Phillips helped make Kentucky's offense much better. Under his leadership, quarterback André Woodson became one of the best players in the country.
In 2006, Kentucky finished with a good record and won the 2006 Music City Bowl. The next year, in 2007, they won the 2007 Music City Bowl again. This was the first time in over 50 years that the Wildcats won two bowl games in a row. In 2008, they won the Liberty Bowl.
Becoming Head Coach
In January 2008, Phillips was chosen to be the next head coach for Kentucky. He officially became the head coach on January 4, 2010. He was the second African-American head football coach in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
In 2011, Phillips led the Wildcats to a big 10–7 victory over Tennessee. This win ended a very long losing streak against Tennessee that had lasted 26 years.
Kentucky's athletic director announced in November 2012 that Phillips would not continue as coach after the season. He coached the remaining games that year.
Later Coaching Roles
After leaving Kentucky, Phillips joined the University of Florida in December 2012. He worked as their wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. He later resigned from this position in June 2014 due to a rule violation.
In January 2015, the Cleveland Browns hired Phillips as their wide receivers coach. He worked there for one season. In June 2016, Ohio State hired him as a Quality Control Assistant. This role helps coaches review game footage and strategies.
Phillips returned to the University of Cincinnati in 2017 to coach wide receivers again. He stayed there through the 2018 season. From 2019 to 2020, he was a co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Maryland. Since 2021, he has been with NC State.
Personal Life
Joe Phillips Jr. got his nickname "Joker" from his grandfather. This helped tell him apart from his father, who was also named Joe.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Wildcats (Southeastern Conference) (2010–2012) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Kentucky | 6–7 | 2–6 | 5th (Eastern) | L BBVA Compass | ||||
| 2011 | Kentucky | 5–7 | 2–6 | 5th (Eastern) | |||||
| 2012 | Kentucky | 2–10 | 0–8 | 7th (Eastern) | |||||
| Kentucky: | 13–24 | 4–20 | |||||||
| Total: | 13–24 | ||||||||
