Lawrence Lamond Phillips (May 12, 1975 – January 13, 2016) was an American gridiron football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. A highly touted collegiate prospect, Phillips' professional career was cut short by legal troubles that continued up until his death. Phillips won the 1995 Orange Bowl and the 1996 Fiesta Bowl with Nebraska, leading to him being selected sixth overall in the 1996 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. However, his frequent legal problems and inconsistent performances resulted in the Rams releasing him near the end of the 1997 season. After playing only two games for the Miami Dolphins, Phillips pursued a comeback with the San Francisco 49ers in 1999, but was released due to questions over his work ethic. He last played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders. With the Alouettes in 2002, Phillips was named an All-Star and won the Grey Cup before further legal problems and work ethic concerns ended his career the next season. Remaining in trouble with the law, Phillips was serving a 31-year sentence on assault convictions when he was charged in 2015 for murdering his cellmate. While awaiting trial, he committed suicide in solitary confinement. Early life Phillips was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and later moved to California, where he grew up in foster homes. He attended West Covina High School in West Covina, California for his freshman and sophomore years. He was a varsity starter both on offense as a running back and defense as an outside linebacker. He then attended Baldwin Park High School in Baldwin Park, California for his junior and senior years, and his team won a CIF championship his junior season, which attracted the attention of colleges, including the University of Nebraska. College career In 1993, his freshman year at Nebraska, Phillips gradually worked his way up the player ranks. He came off the bench to rush for 137 yards and a touchdown in the Cornhuskers' 14–13 win at Pac-10 champion UCLA. In the second half of the 1994 Orange Bowl, he sparked the Husker ground game, carrying 13 times for 64 of the 183 rushing yards against a formidable Seminole defense. All but one of Phillips' carries came in the fourth quarter, during which he scored on a 12-yard touchdown run. This game established him as