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Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2024
When talking about the greatest head coach in the history of Brown Football, for many, there is just one name on that list – Phil Estes.
Phil arrived on College Hill in 1994 with then-head coach Mark Whipple, and together, they immediately changed the culture of Brown Football.
Where losing had, unfortunately, become a regular occurrence, winning and competing for championships became the norm.
When Whipple left Brown, former Athletic Director Dave Roach stated, “It was an easy decision to elevate Phil Estes to the head coaching position in 1998.” One year later, Estes led Brown to its first Ivy League Championship in 23 years – only the second in program history. He followed that up with two more Ivy titles (2005, 2008).
Estes, the son of a Navy man and a mother who was the daughter of a Baptist minister, instilled Brown’s mission and core values in his student-athletes. Love, respect, and hard work were the cornerstones of his teams, and Phil would always be there for them. Estes’ greatness as a coach went far beyond just X’s and O’s; his caring for others set him apart. Competing for and winning championships made him very proud, but he enjoyed seeing the young men he recruited to Brown become successful husbands, fathers, businessmen, and mentors.
Former Athletic Director Mike Goldberger said, “Phil accomplished unparalleled success while never once compromising his integrity, his sense of fairness, or his principles. He was a man who treated his players as he would want his children to be treated - with knowledge, discipline, and love.”
He told recruits that choosing Brown wasn’t just a four-year decision but a 40-year decision. He lived by those words, assigning mentors to his players and helping them get internships and jobs by giving them access to the fantastic network of Brown alumni.
Choosing Phil Estes wasn’t just a four-year decision; it was a 24-year decision by Brown that led to 115 victories and 76 Ivy League wins, the most in program history.
He coached four Ivy League Players of the Year, and five players won Super Bowl rings. Only two Brown teams have won nine or more games in a season, both coached by Phil. He won 50 games faster than any coach in Brown football history and was named the 2005 New England Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation’s top coach. In 2008, he was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. All three of his championship teams were ranked in the top 20 of what is now the FCS.
In summarizing Brown's experience, Phil said, “I love the game, and I just really feel like you have a chance to change people’s lives with football. Any time a coach has the opportunity to teach values and change people’s lives, there’s nothing more rewarding than that.”
He and his wife, Katie, have three children: Meaghan, Kelly, and Brett ’18.Â
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