Phillips was born in West Point, Mississippi. He graduated from Macon High School where he was a football standout and softball player in 1946. He was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi (then Mississippi Southern College) and was a multi-sport athlete. He excelled in baseball and football and began being watched by major league-scouts in 1946. He received "Little All-America" football honors as captain (running back) of the football team his senior year in 1950. While in college he chose a professional baseball career over a football career turning down the San Francisco 49ers of the All-America Football Conference for a contract with the Detroit Tigers organization in 1948.\n', '

Phillips was signed and sent to the Stroudsburg Poconos (Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania) of the North Atlantic League where he hit .302 in 11 games played in 1948. In 1949, he moved up to Thomasville (Thomasville, Georgia) Tigers\' farm club in the Class D Georgia-Florida league where he hit .329 in 138 games. For the Class A Flint Arrows in 1950 he hit .290. In 1951 Phillips hit .314 combined for Toledo and Williamsport. In 1952, he hit .291 with the Tigers\' International League farm team at Buffalo, New York.\n', '

Phillipa was then drafted into military service for two years and spent 1953 and 1954 with the United States Army.\n', '

Return to Bubba Phillips Autograph Profile