 Phil Estes |
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The Howard D. Williams '17/Joseph V. Paterno '50
Football Coaching Chair
Since Phil Estes became head coach of the Bears 11 years ago,
his Brown football teams have captured three Ivy League titles
(1999, 2005, 2008), finished second twice, third three times, and
overall has finished in the top half of the Ivy League in nine
seasons, compiling an impressive 47-30 Ivy mark (.610), 66-43
(.605) overall. Estes may very well be the greatest coach in Brown
football history with three Ivy League Championships in 11 seasons
as head coach of the Bears. Prior to his arrival on College Hill,
Brown had earned one Ivy League Championship in the previous 42
years of Ivy League competition. Estes, the 19th head coach in
Brown history, is the fourth most successful coach in Brown
football history, guiding the Brown football program to an
unprecedented level of success, winning three Ivy League
Championship, including Brown's first ever Ivy outright title in
2005. He has also coached and recruited Brown's only three Ivy
League Players of the Year - Sean Morey '99, James Perry '00 and
Nick Hartigan '06. Since the Ivy League was formed in 1956, only
two Brown teams have won nine or more games in a season, both teams
coached by Estes, in 2005 (9-1) and 1999 (9-1). Prior to Ivy League
play, Brown teams won nine or more games just once before, in 1894
(10-5). Estes has also earned 50 wins faster than any coach in
Brown history, taking 78 games to get to the half-century mark. It
took coach John Anderson 79 games to reach 50 victories from 1973
through 1982. Edward North Robinson coached 84 games for the Bears
before reaching 50 wins from 1898-01 and 1904-1907. Last year
(2008), Estes was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as the
Football Championship Subdivision (FCS/ I-AA) national coach of the
Year for the third time in his career. He guided the Bears to a 6-1
Ivy League mark, equaling the most Ivy wins ever for a Brown team.
His Ivy League Championship squad featured a Brown record 15
All-Ivy players, including eight first team All-Ivy selections.
Estes was also honored by the Rhode Island Chapter of the National
Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for his "Contribution
to Amateur Football." In 2005, Estes was named the New England
Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as
the nation's top coach, following Brown's remarkable season where
his team posted a 9-1 overall record, including a 6-1 Ivy mark,
winning their last eight games to earn the Ivy title outright.
Brown also earned its highest national ranking ever, being ranked
15th in the final Sports Network poll. Overall, 15 Brown players
earned All-Ivy honors that season as the Bears led the Ivy League
and ranked 10th nationally in scoring offense with 36.8 points per
game. Estes has also coached the most storied running back in Brown
football history, Hartigan, the leading rusher in Brown football
history (4,492 yards), who was also a final-three Walter Payton
Award Finalist, the 2005 Ivy Player of the Year, the ECAC Player of
the Year, the New England Senior Player of the Year, an NCAA Top
VIII Award Winner, the National Academic All-American of the Year,
a first team All-American (Walter Camp, AP, Sports Network, AFCA),
and holder of three Ivy League records, including new marks for
career rushing touchdowns (52), career points (324), and career
touchdowns (54). He also played in the East-West Shrine Game. Estes
has always been known as an offensive guru, with his teams reaching
the 1,000 point scoring mark faster than any coach in Ivy League
football history, scoring 1,022 points in his first 32 games as
head coach of the Bears, while averaging 31.9 points per game.
Estes' 2000 team set an Ivy League record with 375 points,
averaging 37.5 points per game. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and
runningbacks have reaped the rewards of Estes' successful offense,
spinning off three Walter Payton Award finalists, several
All-Americans, national record holders, annual NCAA receiving
champions, and an NCAA rushing champion. Among his many
All-Americans and record setters are Perry, the Ivy League's
all-time leading passer with 9,284 career passing yards, and a
Walter Payton Award finalist. All-American wide receiver Stephen
Campbell '01, a Walter Payton Award finalist, who set an NCAA
record with 120 catches in 2000. All-American wide-out Chas Gessner
'03 finished 6th in the Walter Payton Award balloting in 2002, and
led the nation in receiving. All-American RB Mike Malan '02,
finished his career as Brown's all-time leading rusher twice
running for 1,000 or more yards. Quarterback Kyle Slager '04 took
over the Bears offense and tied the NCAA record with 25 consecutive
completions against Rhode Island in 2002. Hartigan provided the
icing on the cake by placing among the top three of all Payton
candidates, the highest finish ever for an Ivy League player. And
let's not forget Zak DeOssie on the defensive side of the ball, a
Buck Buchanan Award finalist for the Bears and a linebacker and
long snapper for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants.
Versatility is the key to Estes' offense, with the term "Receiver
U." being attached to the program for his first six years. But
while the Bears were known for their vaunted passing game, Estes
also produced two All-American runningbacks - Hartigan and Michael
Malan '02 - who have turned in the top five single-season rushing
performances in Brown football history. Estes helped the Class of
2001 to become the most successful class in Brown football history,
compiling a 30-10 mark, besting the 28 wins won by Brown teams from
1894 to 1897, and 1996 to 1999. The Brown Class of 2002 was just
behind, posting a 29-10 four-year mark. A finalist in 1999 for the
Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the top coach in NCAA
I-AA, Estes guided 1999 Bears to their second-ever Ivy League
Championship and first title since 1976, leading the Bears to a 9-1
record and 6-1 Ivy mark, and posting the most wins for a Brown team
since the 1926 Iron Men (9-0-1). Estes' squad finished the season
with a seven-game winning streak, capturing 15 of its last 16 games
over two years, and finishing with a 25th place national ranking.
Brown's 1999 team also set six team and 12 individual records,
including team marks for most points in a season (324), touchdown
passes in a season (27), single-season passing completion
percentage (66.2% - 469 of 310), single game pass completions (42
vs. Princeton), first downs in a season (252), and average gain per
play (5.9). Estes was also instrumental in developing Perry '00,
the 1999 Ivy League Player of the Year, who finished his career as
the finest passer in Ivy League football history, walking away with
10 Ivy League passing records and 18 Brown football records. In his
first season as head coach of the Bears, Brown finished with a 7-3
overall mark, winning its last six games, Brown's longest winning
streak since 1949. The Bears also posted a 5-2 Ivy League mark,
good for second place in the Ivy League standings, and the most Ivy
wins at Brown since 1987. In 1998, Estes' Brown team defeated
league champion Penn, 58-51, in the highest scoring game in Ivy
League football history. In addition, Brown's 1998 offense
established 25 team or individual records, and five Ivy League team
or individual marks. Among the Brown records set were passing yards
in a season (3,316), first downs (240), pass completions (292),
touchdown passes (26), and passing yards in a game (483 vs. Penn).
Estes was Brown's highly successful recruiting coordinator from
1994 to 1997, coaching the Bears' receivers in 1997 after three
years as running backs coach. He was instrumental in bringing many
of the talented athletes into the program, who have been the
cornerstone of the program's success. One of Estes' protege's, Zach
Burns '99, went on to become a first team Associated Press I- AA
All-American, the first Brown player to ever earn AP first team
honors. Burns also earned a berth in the Blue-Gray Senior All-Star
game and was an ESPN/USA Today first team All-American. As
receivers coach in 1997, Estes helped develop Morey, the Special
Teams Captain of the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, into
the nation's premier wide receiver. After two solid seasons, Morey
took a quantum leap into being named the Ivy League's 1997 Player
of the Year. In 1997, Morey led the nation in receiving (143.4
yards a game) and set single game Brown records for yards (221 vs.
Cornell) and TD receptions (3). He also shattered the Brown and Ivy
League record books with 15 touchdown receptions, and 1,434
receiving yards, 6th best in NCAA I-AA history. In 1998, Morey
became the first athlete in Brown history to have his number
retired. He competed in the Hula Bowl, and finished his career with
five Ivy League and 11 Brown individual records. In three years as
running backs coach, Estes helped guide Marquis Jessie '97,then
Brown's all-time career rusher, to 910 yards in 1996, the second
best rushing performance in Brown history. Jessie's 3,098 career
yards was 6th best in Ivy League football history. Estes arrived at
Brown in 1994 after three highly successful years as the offensive
coordinator at the University of New Hampshire. During his tenure
at New Hampshire, Estes developed the Wildcats into an offensive
power. His offense ranked in the top three in the Yankee Conference
in total offense from 1991 to 1993. As offensive coordinator in
1991, Estes was instrumental in leading the Wildcats to their first
ever appearance in the NCAA I-AA Playoffs and the Yankee Conference
Championship. Estes began his collegiate coaching career as
offensive line coach at the University of New Hampshire in 1984
after a successful two-year stint at Concord (NH) High School.
While at New Hampshire, Estes worked with former Brown coach Mark
Whipple, who was offensive coordinator for two years, from
1986-1987. Estes also developed several All-Americans at UNH,
including first team Kodak All-American John Driscoll, who was
drafted by the Buffalo Bills, and two-time All-American Barry
Bourassa, who led the nation in all-purpose running in 1991. Born
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Estes grew up in Laconia, NH. An offensive
and defensive tackle at Laconia High School, Estes was team captain
and Athlete of the Year as a senior. He is a member of the Laconia
High School Hall of Fame. A 1980 graduate of the University of New
Hampshire, Estes was a three-year starter and team captain for the
Wildcats. He was a first team All-New England and Yankee Conference
selection as a senior and played for the Wildcats' 1976 Yankee
Conference Championship team. He and his wife, Katie, reside in
East Greenwich, Rhode Island with their two daughters, Meaghan and
Kelly, and their son, Brett.
Phil Estes' Career Coaching Record:
Year School Overall RecordIvy League Record
1998Brown7-3 5-2 (Second)
1999Brown9-1 6-1 (First)Ivy League Champions
2000Brown 7-34-3 (Third)
2001Brown 6-35-2 (Third)
2002Brown 2-82-5 (Sixth)
2003Brown 5-54-3 (Second)
2004Brown6-43-4 (Fourth)
2005Brown9-16-1 (First)Ivy League Champions
2006Brown3-62-5 (Sixth)
2007Brown5-54-3 (Third)
2008Brown7-36-1 (First)Ivy League Champions
All-Time Brown Coaching Wins
E.N. Robinson24 seasons (1898-01, 1904-07, 1910-25) 140-82-12
D.O. McLaughry15 seasons (1926-40) 76-58-5
Phil Estes 11 seasons (1998-07)66-43
John Anderson11 seasons (1973-83) 60-39-3
Estes In The Ivy League
3 Ivy Championships
2 Second Place Finishes
3 Third Place Finishes
1 Fourth Place Finish
