Phil Savage
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Phil Savage (born April 7, 1965 in Mobile, Alabama) was named Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cleveland Browns on January 6, 2005. Previously, Savage served as Director of Player Personnel for the Baltimore Ravens under General Manager Ozzie Newsome (ironically, a former Browns' player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame).
Savage attended high school at Murphy (Mobile, Ala.) High School and played football and baseball at the University of the South (Sewanee, Tennessee). He earned a bachelor's of arts in English and was a three-time all-conference shortstop in baseball. He received a master's degree in physical education from the University of Alabama in 1989.
Prior to entering the NFL, Savage spent the first seven years of his career in the coaching ranks at Alabama, UCLA, and with the San Antonio Riders of the World League.
Savage began his career in the NFL as an intern with the original Cleveland Browns in 1991. Savage was hired by the new Browns head coach Bill Belichick as a coach and made the transition to scouting and personnel in 1994. During his first stint in Cleveland, he worked with several talented young scouts and assistant coaches that Belichick had assembled, including Nick Saban, Kirk Ferentz, Pat Hill, and Jim Bates.
Savage worked his way up the ladder in the front office as a scout and personnel evaluator, eventually following Cleveland's former owner Art Modell and the rest of the front office to Baltimore in 1995. Savage then played an important role in the drafting of 10 Pro Bowl players: tackle Jonathan Ogden, linebacker Ray Lewis, receiver Jermaine Lewis, linebacker Peter Boulware, defensive back Chris McAlister, running back Jamal Lewis, linebacker Adalius Thomas, tight end Todd Heap, safety Ed Reed and linebacker Terrell Suggs.
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 Browns team president John Collins' reported personality conflict with Savage. Four days after the organizational rift became public, it was Collins who resigned his post after losing the power struggle with Savage.
