Ted Phillips facts for kids

Ted Phillips, born on June 27, 1957, is an American businessman. He used to be the president and CEO of the National Football League's Chicago Bears football team. He worked with the Bears for a very long time, starting in 1984. He was only the fourth person to lead the Chicago Bears in their 100-year history. Other leaders included Michael McCaskey, George Halas Jr., and "Papa Bear" George Halas. Kevin Warren later became the fifth president. Ted Phillips is one of only two people in the NFL to serve on two important committees. These committees look at the money and football rules for the league.

Early Life and Education

Ted Phillips was born in Oneida, New York. He grew up in Nashua, New Hampshire. He went to The University of Notre Dame. There, he studied business and accounting. From 1979 to 1983, he worked as an auditor and tax accountant. He helped companies check their money records. Phillips has three sons named Matthew, Max, and Frank.

Working with the Chicago Bears

Phillips started working for the Chicago Bears on September 28, 1983. His first job was the team's controller. This meant he helped manage the team's money. After about four years, he became the director of finance. In this role, he managed the team's business. He also helped with player contracts. While working for the Bears, he kept studying. He earned a master's degree in marketing and management. He got this degree from Northwestern University in 1989. In 1993, he became the vice president of operations. He held this job for six years.

Becoming President and CEO

The Chicago Bears team saw how hard Phillips worked. They promoted him to a very important role. On February 10, 1999, Ted Phillips became the CEO and president of the Chicago Bears. He was the fourth president in the team's history. He was also the first president who was not part of the Halas-McCaskey family.

Phillips made many important changes. In 2001, he hired Jerry Angelo as the team's general manager. He extended Angelo's contract in 2003 and 2006. This helped keep the team's leadership stable. He also brought the Bears' summer training camp back to Illinois in 2002. Fans loved this change! Over 10,000 people often came to watch practices. The camp is held at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois.

The team's value grew a lot over time. This often means ticket prices go up. But in 2009, Phillips decided to keep ticket prices the same. He did this because of the country's economic situation. Even with this, the Bears stayed one of the Top 10 Most Valuable NFL teams. By 2011, the team was worth over $1 billion. Phillips also voted against a new NFL rule about kickoffs. He thought it would hurt the Bears' special teams. However, the rule still passed.

During his 24 years as team president, the Bears made the playoffs six times. After the 2021 season, Phillips' job changed. The team fired coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace. From then on, the general manager reported directly to chairman George McCaskey. On September 2, 2022, Phillips announced he would retire. He left his role after the 2022 NFL season. The Bears announced that Kevin Warren would take his place.