Former Clemson Athletic Director Dr. Terry Don Phillips Passes

Clemson, SC—Dr. Terry Don Phillips, who made some of the most significant coaching hires in Clemson history during his 10 years (2002-12) as athletic director, passed away early Tuesday morning in Clemson, S.C. Phillips, 78, had been in hospice care after being diagnosed with dementia over a decade ago.

Among the coaches he hired are current football coach Dabo Swinney, current men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell, current men’s soccer coach Mike Noonan and current women’s soccer coach Eddie Radwanski.

Swinney is the winningest football coach in Clemson history and Brownell is the winningest men’s basketball coach. Clemson is the only Division I school in the nation where the current men’s basketball and football coaches are the winningest in school history. Additionally, Radwanski became the first coach to lead a Clemson women’s program to a final four, reaching the 2023 College Cup  

Noonan has won two national championships (2021 and 2023), and Swinney has won two national championships (2016 and 2018). Those are four of the six national titles in school history. A fifth, the 2003 golf national championship under Larry Penley, was earned in Phillips’ first year as athletic director.

Over his 10 years as Clemson athletic director, Clemson won 13 ACC Championships in eight different sports, including five different women’s sports. Clemson athletic programs had 57 top-25 national finishes, 37 top-20s, and 14 top-10s during his time leading the program. Fifteen different sports had a top-25 finish, including six different sports that recorded a top-10 finish in that time frame.

Clemson went to the Final Four of national tournaments in three different sports during this time: baseball, women’s tennis and men’s soccer. 

A major facility enhancement took place in every program over his 10 years, with an investment over $140 million with just $25 million of debt. The combined unrestricted fund reserve grew approximately 90 percent between 2002–12.

Phillips was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 and was also made an Honorary Alumnus of Clemson University by the Clemson Alumni Association on August 22, 2019.

Phillips came to Clemson after serving as the athletic director at Oklahoma State from 1994-2002. During his career in Stillwater, Oklahoma State won a pair of national championships in men’s golf, reached the Final Four in men’s basketball and made two trips to the College World Series. Additionally, Oklahoma State won 13 Big 12 Championships and had 11 individual national champions across various sports. 

Phillips began his 42-year career in college athletics as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, his alma mater, in 1970. He then became an assistant coach at Virginia Tech from 1971-78, where he worked with former Clemson head coaches Danny Ford and Charley Pell.

He then moved into administration and became the athletic director at Liberty University in 1980-81, then at Southwestern Louisiana from 1981-88.

Phillips returned to his alma mater as a senior associate athletic director under Frank Broyles in 1988 and remained there until 1994, when he became the athletic director at Oklahoma State.

Phillips was a three-year letterman as a defensive lineman at Arkansas under Broyles and played in the famous Arkansas vs. Texas game of 1969. He lettered in 1966, 1968 and 1969, and the Razorbacks posted a 27-5 record.

Phillips was inducted into the University of Arkansas Hall of Honor in 2010.

Phillips earned his undergraduate degree from Arkansas in 1970, earned a Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in 1974 and his Ph.D from Virginia Tech in 1978. He earned his J.D. degree from Arkansas in 1996.

He continued to teach a sports law class while he was the athletic director at Clemson.

Born in Longview, Texas, Phillips was the third son to Verna (Zimmerman) and Loyd Fay Phillips, and raised in east Texas with his two brothers, David Neal and Loyd Wade.

When Terry Don was diagnosed with an unspecified type of dementia after his 2012 retirement, he and Tricia were determined to “make the best of a journey nobody wants.” Their intentionality to find joy in every day brought laughter, traveling backroads across the U.S. with their beloved yellow lab, Atticus, and a lot of ice cream. It also created an opportunity for friends and family across the country to share visits, fond memories and special words of affirmation when it meant the most to Terry Don.

Phillips is survived by his wife Tricia Brown Phillips, beloved children, Sarah-Jane Mayer, Fayetteville, Ark.; husband Jonathan; John Dennis Phillips, Phoenix, Az.; Meagan Stone, Duncan, SC; Marshall Stone, Carrollton, Ga; wife Ashley; Madison Archer Stone, Jupiter, Fla. and grandchildren Shelby and Will Mayer, both students at The University of Arkansas; Darcy and Derek Schall; Ozzy Stone.

A private burial and service will be held at a later date in Quitman, Texas.

Any memorials may be made to one of two programs that support and provide a variety of services to people with disabilities, mental health challenges or special needs.