- Earl Campbell
Infobox NFLretired
caption=
position=Running back
number=34,35
birthdate=birth date and age|1955|3|29Tyler, Texas
deathdate=
debutyear=1978
finalyear=1985
draftyear=1978
draftround=1
draftpick=1
college=Texas
teams=
* Houston Oilers (1978-1984)
*New Orleans Saints (1984-1985)
stat1label=Rushing Yards
stat1value=9,407
stat2label=Average
stat2value=4.3
stat3label=TD's
stat3value=74
nfl=CAM251095
highlights=
* 5xPro Bowl selection (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983)
* 4xAll-Pro selection (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981)
* 1977 Heisman Trophy Winner
* 1977Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy Winner
* 1978NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
* 1979NFL MVP
* 2xPFWA NFL MVP (1978, 1979)
* 3xNEA NFL MVP (1978, 1979, 1980)
* 3xNFL Offensive Player of the Year (1978, 1979, 1980)
* 1978UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year
* 1979Bert Bell Award
HOF=40
CollegeHOF=70013Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955) is a former professional
American Football running back and is a member of thePro Football Hall of Fame .His nickname is The Tyler Rose, a reference to his hometown of Tyler,
Texas which is known as the "Rose Capital of America" for its prominent place in the rose-growing industry. He went toJohn Tyler High School .Early life
Campbell was born in Tyler, Texas, the sixth of eleven children. His father died when he was 11 years old. He began playing football in fifth grade as a kicker, but moved to
linebacker andrunning back in sixth grade. In 1973, he led theCorky Nelson -coachedJohn Tyler High School to the Texas 4A State Championship (4A then was the largest classification in the state). Then-Oklahoma Sooners head coachBarry Switzer , who unsuccessfully recruited Campbell, said in his 1989 book that Campbell was the only player he ever saw who could have gone straight from high school to the NFL and immediately been a star. [cite book |last=Switzer |first=Barry |authorlink=Barry Switzer |coauthors=Bud Shrake |title=The Bootlegger's Boy |origyear=1990 |origmonth=August |publisher=William Morrow & Co. |isbn=978-0688093846]College and professional career
As a collegiate football player at the
University of Texas at Austin , he won theHeisman Trophy in 1977 and led the nation in rushing with 1,744 yards. In 1977, he became the first recipient of theDavey O'Brien Memorial Trophy which was awarded to the most outstanding player in the now-defunct Southwest Conference. He was selected as theSouthwest Conference running back of the year in each of his college seasons and finished with 4,444 career rushing yards.Also while at the University of Texas, Earl Campbell was chosen as a New Man in the Texas Cowboys student service organization in the mid-70s. The Texas Cowboys are the student organization made up of campus leaders. They are also responsible for taking care of and firing 'Smokey' the Cannon at Texas football games.
Houston Oilers
Campbell was the first draft pick overall in the
1978 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, and in that year he was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by theAssociated Press as well as the Most Valuable Player.Campbell possessed a rare combination of speed and power, and was a prolific running back from 1978 through 1985. His outstanding single-season performance in 1979 earned him All-Pro,
Pro Bowl , and NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. It was also the second of three consecutive seasons in which he led the league in rushing. Only Jim Brown had previously accomplished that feat. Campbell led the NFL in rushing in 1978, 1979, and 1980. He played in five Pro Bowls and finished his career with 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns rushing along with 806 yards on 121 receptions. In 1980, Campbell's best year in the NFL, he ran for 1,934 yards including four 200-yard rushing games, including a personal best 206 yards against theChicago Bears . Despite playing against stacked defenses and being gang-tackled nearly every time he carried the ball (a then-record 373 times), Campbell managed to average 5.2 yards per carry and score 13 rushing touchdowns in 1980 alone.New Orleans Saints
In 1984, he was traded to the
New Orleans Saints , reuniting him with his former Oilers coach
O.A. "Bum" Phillips. The trade was controversial in New Orleans, as it was widely believed that Campbell's skills had diminished, and the Saints already had the young George Rogers in the backfield. Campbell played in a diminished role in 1984 and 1985, and retired during the preseason of 1986, feeling that the beating he had taken during his career had taken too much of a toll, a toll which has become apparent in his life today (see below).Legacy
Campbell is widely acknowledged as one of the best power backs in NFL history. Described as a "one-man demolition team", Campbell was a punishing runner. His 34-inch thighs, 5-11, 244-pound frame, coupled with 4.8 speed, made him the most feared runner of his time. Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene claimed that Campbell could inflict more damage on a team than any other back he ever faced.
Former Heisman Trophy winner and
Miami Dolphins playerRicky Williams ran the 4.4 40 was often compared to Campbell during Williams' days as a player with The University of Texas Longhorns. Even now, short running backs that use powerful legs to their advantage are occasionally nicknamed "Little Earl", for exampleMaurice Jones-Drew of theJacksonville Jaguars or most recently to some publicity with Gary Russell of theUniversity of Minnesota . [ [http://www.startribune.com/stories/507/5710604-2.html Star Tribune] ]The pride that prodded Campbell to stretch out every run over eight grueling seasons for the Oilers and New Orleans Saints also might have been responsible for his relatively short career. All of the pounding he absorbed, all of the bone-jarring blows from second, third and fourth tacklers wore down his body and prompted a premature drop-off in performance. Debate still rages as to whether Coach
Bum Phillips hastened the end of Campbell's career by overworking him; nevertheless, the consensus is clear that during Campbell's heyday, few running backs were as productive or imposing.Honors
In 1999, he was ranked number 33 on "
The Sporting News "' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the highest-ranked player for the Houston Oilers franchise. In 2007, he was ranked #12 on ESPN's Top 25 Players In College Football History list.Campbell, The University of Texas’ first Heisman Trophy winner in 1977, was honored at halftime against Ohio State on
September 9 ,2006 including the unveiling of a 9-foot statue of Campbell in the southwest corner ofRoyal-Memorial Stadium . The same year, Campbell graced the cover ofDave Campbell's Texas Football , an honor that eluded him during his playing days.In 1981, the state legislature of Texas proclaimed Earl Campbell as an Official State Hero of Texas, an honor only previously awarded to
Davy Crockett ,Stephen F. Austin , andSam Houston . [ [http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2001-09-01/sports Texas Monthly] ] [ [http://www.earlcampbell.com/oilers/oilers3.html EarlCampbell.com] ]In 1977, he became the first recipient of the
Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy which was named after the great TCU quarterbackDavey O'Brien . The trophy was awarded to the most outstanding player in theSouthwest Conference .Personal life
In 1980, Campbell married his high school girlfriend Reuchalle Reuna Smith. They have two sons: Christian, who ran track at the
University of Houston , and Tyler, who currently plays football for San Diego State University.Due to the countless carries in his NFL career and numerous hits on his body, Campbell has great difficulty walking and sometimes requires the use of a wheelchair. In 2004,
ESPN showed a segment about retired and current NFL players who deal with chronic injuries due to playing in the NFL over a number of years. The segment showed Earl Campbell at a farm using a wheelchair. Campbell has developed severe arthritis in his knees and has debilitating back pain. He attributes his back pain to a congenital back condition aggravated by his football career.A profile in the
Austin American-Statesman in December 2007 describes Campbell's daily struggle with his back pain, and states that he had surgery to remove three large bone spurs [ [http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/12/09/1209campbell.html Earl Campbell, an old, hurting man at 52, remembers his runs] by Brad Buchholz]Earl is now a prominent businessman residing in Austin, Texas and still actively participates in University of Texas Athletics. Earl Campbell currently serves as President of Earl Campbell Meat Products, Inc. which manufactures and sells Earl Campbell's® Smoked Sausage and other food products and
barbecue sauce . [ [http://www.http://www.earlcampbell.com/index2.html Earl Campbell in retirement] ]Career rushing statistics
References
External links
* [http://www.earlcampbell.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.kylgrafx.com/lions/ John Tyler football site]
*"Pro Football Hall of Fame:" [http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=40 Member profile]
* [http://www.texascowboys.org/ Texas Cowboys site]
* [http://www.daveyobrien.org/ Davey O'Brien Award site]
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