Phillip Savage Jr. (born April 7, 1965) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

executive. In 2019 he was the general manager for the Arizona Hotshots of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan area ...

. He was the senior vice president and general manager of the Browns from 2005 to 2008. He served as Director of Player Personnel for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

under General Manager

Ozzie Newsome Ozzie Newsome Jr. (born March 16, 1956) is an American former professional football player and executive who is the executive vice president of player personnel of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Newsome was a tight e ...

, a former Browns' player and member of the

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coa ...

, from 2003 to 2004. He was a scout for the Browns from 1993 to 1995. He was also the former general manager of the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

and the executive director for the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

Early years

Savage attended high school at Murphy High School in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

and played football and baseball at the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

(

Sewanee, Tennessee Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home of ...

). He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and was a three-time all-conference

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. He received a master's degree in

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

from the University of Alabama in 1989.

College coaching career

Savage spent the first seven years of his career in the coaching ranks at

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

, and with the San Antonio Riders of the World League.

Executive career

First stint with Browns

Savage began his career in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL) as an intern with the Cleveland Browns in 1991. Savage was hired by the new Browns head coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

as a coach and made the transition to scouting and personnel in 1994. During his first stint in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, he worked with several talented young scouts and assistant coaches that Belichick had assembled, including

Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. (; born October 31, 1951) is an American football coach who has been the head football coach at the University of Alabama since 2007. Saban previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphi ...

Kirk Ferentz Kirk James Ferentz (born August 1, 1955) is an American football coach. He is the current head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since the 1999 season. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the ...

Pat Hill Lawrence Patrick Hill (born December 17, 1951) is an American football coach, former player, and broadcaster. He served as the head football coach at California State University, Fresno, Fresno State from 1997 until his dismissal following the 2 ...

, and Jim Bates.

Baltimore Ravens

Savage worked his way up the ladder in the front office as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, secti ...

and personnel evaluator with the Browns, eventually following Cleveland's former owner

Art Modell Arthur Bertram Modell (June 23, 1925 – September 6, 2012) was an American businessman, entrepreneur and National Football League team owner. He owned the Cleveland Browns franchise for 35 years and established the Baltimore Ravens franchis ...

and the rest of the front office to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

in 1995. Savage then played an important role in the drafting of 10

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

players: offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, linebacker

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played ...

, receiver Jermaine Lewis, linebacker Peter Boulware, cornerback

Chris McAlister Christopher James McAlister (born June 14, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played college football for the University of Ariz ...

, running back Jamal Lewis, linebacker Adalius Thomas, tight end

Todd Heap Todd Benjamin Heap (born March 16, 1980) is a former American football tight end who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in ...

, safety Ed Reed and linebacker

Terrell Suggs Terrell Raymonn Suggs (born October 11, 1982), nicknamed "T-Sizzle", is an American former professional outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona State, and was recognized as a unanimous A ...

Second stint with Browns

Savage was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of the

on January 6, 2005. On December 30, 2005, reports surfaced that Savage was on the verge of being fired after less than one year on the job, an item that was quickly denied by Browns management. The speculation was based on a reported personality conflict between Savage and Browns team president John Collins. Four days after the organizational rift became public, it was Collins who resigned his post after losing the power struggle with Savage. Savage stole the headlines in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft as the Browns drafted

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict in ...

Joe Thomas with the third pick overall, and then acquired Notre Dame

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

Brady Quinn Brayden Tyler "Brady" Quinn (born October 27, 1984) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame, where he won the Maxwell Award, and w ...

with the 22nd pick, acquired through a trade with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. The Browns gave up their 2007 second-round pick and 2008 first-round draft selection to Dallas for the chance to pick Quinn. The Browns signed Savage to a three-year extension through 2012 on May 2, 2008. However, after a poor 2008 season and an email controversy involving a fan, Savage was fired on December 28, 2008.

Philadelphia Eagles

On February 4, 2010, Savage was hired by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

as a player personnel consultant. In his role, Savage worked with general manager

Howie Roseman Howard Roseman (born June 23, 1975) is the executive vice president and general manager for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was hired by the team in 2000 and served in various administrative and executive roles ...

and director of player personnel Ryan Grigson in preparation for the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the fir ...

, specifically in the evaluation of draft prospects in the southeast part of the country. He was re-hired during training camp.

Senior Bowl

Savage was named the executive director for the

in May 2012 where he served until May 2018. During that time he worked as the color analysis for the Crimson Tide Sports Network.

Arizona Hotshots

In June 2018, Savage joined the Arizona Hotshots of the

as their general manager.

Analyst career

In April 2009, with Savage no longer in the NFL, he was asked to provide color commentary for the University of Alabama A-Day game along with Eli Gold. Savage voiced an interest in the open position left vacant by

Ken Stabler Kenneth Michael Stabler (December 25, 1945 – July 8, 2015) was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Nicknamed "Snake", he played c ...

. In June 2009, Savage was officially named part of the Crimson Tide Sports Network (CTSN).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Phil 1965 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches Alabama Crimson Tide football announcers Baltimore Ravens executives Cleveland Browns executives Philadelphia Eagles executives Sewanee Tigers baseball players Sewanee Tigers football players UCLA Bruins football coaches National Football League general managers College football announcers University of Alabama alumni Sportspeople from Mobile, Alabama Players of American football from Alabama