Earl Campbell

At 69 years old, Earl Campbell has this physical status:

Earl Campbell (born March 29, 1955) is a former American football running back who competed in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints.

Campbell, who is best known for his aggressive, punishing running style and ability to crack tackles, has earned his reputation as one of the best power running backs in NFL history. Campbell also played for football for the University of Texas, where he won the Heisman Trophy and received unanimous All-America recognition in his senior season, as well as other awards.

He was drafted first overall by the Oilers in 1978 and had an immediate effect on the league, winning NFL Rookie of the Year accolades.

In each of Earl Campbell's first three seasons, he was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, with a passer average of nearly 1,700 rushing yards per season.

After leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns, he received the AP Most Valuable Player Award in 1979. Campbell's emergence in Houston coincided with the Luv Ya Blue era, a period of resiliency in which the Oilers made three straight playoff appearances.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Campbell was the focus of Houston's offense.

He was signed by the Saints to spend his final season and a half before retiring.

Campbell was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame (1990) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1991).

The University of Texas and the Tennessee Titans have all retired his jersey numbers.

Early life and high school

Earl Christian Campbell was born to Ann and Bert "B.C." Campbell was born in Tyler, Texas, on March 29, 1955, giving rise to the nickname "the Tyler Rose" later in his career. He was the sixth of 11 siblings. Bert Campbell died when Earl was 11 years old. He started playing football in fifth grade as a kicker but in sixth grade he switched to linebacker after watching Dick Butkus, who modeled his playing style after. Ann Campbell tried to convince Earl not to play football in high school. "I disencouraged Earl," she said. "But he loved football," says the author. He led John Tyler High School, coached by Corky Nelson, to the Texas 4A State Championship in 1973 (At the time was the highest classification in the state). As he was adjudged the national high school player of the year, he was named Mr. Football USA during the season.

Although Campbell was heavily recruited, his choices were limited to Houston, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Baylor, and Baylor. Campbell decided Texas after receiving home visits from Barry Switzer of Oklahoma and Darrell Royal from Texas. Campbell was the only player he ever saw who had gone straight from high school to the NFL and then became a celebrity, according to Switzer, who unsuccessfully recruited Campbell.

Personal life

Campbell played for the Texas Cowboys, an honorary men's service group while at the University of Texas. As of 2016, he still plays in University of Texas athletics, where he serves as the special assistant to the football team. Earl Campbell Meat Products, Inc., a company that produces and sells Earl Campbell's Smoked Sausage and other food and barbecue sauce, founded in 1990. Earl Campbell's Lone Star BBQ, which closed in 2001, Campbell and his associates opened a restaurant on Sixth Street in Austin, which later closed in 1999.

Christian and Tyler are Campbell's two sons. Christian played high school football with Drew Brees, nephew of his father's former Longhorns teammate Marty Akins, at Westlake High School, and ran track for the University of Houston. Tyler was a running back for Pasadena City College and San Diego State, but he was forced to leave the sport due to multiple sclerosis (MS). After graduation, he returned to Texas and divides his time between the family business and raising the possibility of MS with his dad.

Campbell has suffered with numerous physical ailments in his later years. He could barely close his fist by age 46 due to arthritis in his hands. He suffered with foot and knee injuries as a result of nerve damage in his legs, and he has trouble bending his back and knees. In 2009, he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. He uses a cane or a walker for walking longer distances, and a wheelchair is used for longer distances. Campbell believed the ailments were genetic, but "I think some of it came from playing football, not playing the way I did."

Campbell became addicted to painkillers prescribed for his spinal stenosis in 2009, and Budweiser used to taking up to ten OxyContin tablets a day. He went through rehabilitation and stopped his heroin use in the same year, and since publicizing the 2013 event, he has spoken out about the dangers of opioid use.

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College career

Campbell played football for the Texas Longhorns from 1974 to 1977, where he played college football for the Texas Longhorns. He appeared in all 11 games and rush for 928 yards and six touchdowns on 162 attempts as a freshman in 1974. After leading the Southwest Conference with 1,118 passing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, and 78 points scored in 1975, he was a first-team All-America pick at fullback by the American Football Coaches Association, winning by a staggering 48 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 78 points scored. He was limited to four games in his junior season, but he rushed for 653 yards and three touchdowns in seven games as Texas finished with a 5–1 record.

Campbell led the nation in rushing as a senior in 1977, with 1,744 yards and 19 touchdowns. Campbell scored four touchdowns against the Rice Owls in their third game of the season, winning by 72–15, in which Texas kicker Russell Erxleben set a new NCAA record with a 67-yard field goal. Campbell rushed for 222 yards in his last regular-season game, defeating Texas A&M 51–28, and the Longhorns closed the season undefeated. The top-ranked Longhorns then faced No. despite clinching the Southwest Conference championship. In the Cotton Bowl Classic, five Notre Dames were led by quarterback Joe Montana. Campbell ran 29 times for 116 yards in the game, but Notre Dame defeated her 38–10 to win the national championship. In the final AP poll, Texas ranked fourth.

Campbell was named the Most Outstanding College Player of the Year by the University of Texas' first recipient of the award. He was also the first recipient of the Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy, which was given to the outstanding player in the Southwest Conference. Campbell was named as the year's best college football player by Sporting News and United Press International. He was a unanimous All-American who was chosen by every major selector to the first team. In 40 games over four seasons, he had 4,443 passing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns.

Professional career

Campbell was the first overall draft pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, drafted by the Houston Oilers, who then drafted him to a six-year, $1.4 million deal. The Oilers obtained the pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by trading tight end Jimmie Giles, their first and second round picks in the 1978 Draft, as well as their third and fifth round picks. Bum Phillips, the Oilers' head coach, said, "This is a dedication to excellence." "It takes a lot of running back to have a winning football team, and this kid is a natural running back." Campbell was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News and Associated Press after rushing for a league-leading and rookie record 1,450 yards (AP). He has also been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year by United Press International (UPI), a nationally recognized football player of the year by the Associated Press, and the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) by the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) and Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). Campbell's emergence in Houston ushered in the Luv Ya Blue period.

Campbell led the Oilers to a five-game winning streak in 1979, when quarterback Dan Pastorini recovered from a shoulder injury during the playoffs, which culminated in a 30-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, where he rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the season with 1,697 passing yards and 19 touchdowns, leading the way in both categories. He also set NFL records with eleven 100-yard rush games, seven straight 100-yard games, and 368 carries. The AP, NEA, and PFWA selected him as NFL MVPs. He also ranked as the top offensive player of the year and named the Bert Bell Award as the league's Most Outstanding Player of the Year.

Questions about how long Campbell would be able to stay healthy were posed by his brash running style, where he preferred running over players rather than around them. Ron Johnson, a former running back whose own career was cut short, said, "He runs with a lot of reckless abandon." "You should run like this in college." But you can't do it for ten years and expect to live. "Knocking over people can be really beneficial, but it can't be sustainable forever," Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris said. It's likely that it's going to be someone else who knocks you out, so the most important thing, I suspect, isn't to get a few extra yards per week, but to make sure you're physically fit to play." However, Bum Phillips favored Campbell's running style. "I've been looking for a back like Earl," he said. "I'm not going to change his look."

Why would I?

You don't want a guy who is struck and then flops on the ground. Earl does the same thing that other backs do, but in a better way."

The Oilers won their first home playoff victory since 1960, beating the Denver Broncos in the wild-card round after an 11–5 regular-season record in 1979. Despite both Pastorini and Campbell's absences from the game due to injuries, Houston won the divisional round match against the San Diego Chargers. With both players back in the lineup, the Oilers lost the conference championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers the next week. Against Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense, Campbell was held to just 15 yards on 17 attempts.

Campbell had his best rushing yardage season in 1980, with 1,934 yards in 15 games, an average of 128.9 yards per game. He stopped 70 yards short of breaking O. J. Simpson's single-season rushing yards record, which was set in 1973. With 373 yards, he led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns once more, while breaking his own record for carrying with 373 yards. In the fourth quarter, he accumulated over 60% of his yards. "When the real fight gets rolling," Campbell said. He had four games with over 200 rushing yards, a single-season record that still stands as of the 2016 season. Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, the Steelers' only career completion out of three attempts, throws a 57-yard touchdown pass to receiver Billy "White Shoes" Johnson against the Steelers for his only career completion out of three attempts. The Oilers posted an 11-0 record in the regular season, but they lost the Oakland Raiders' wild-card playoff game. Campbell was named the league's Best Player of the Year by the Newspaper Enterprise Association for the third year in a row, as the league's MVP and named the Offensive Player of the Year by the AP.

Bum Phillips was suspended three days after Houston's loss in the wild-card game, and defensive coordinator Ed Biles was given the job as the head coach. The Oilers went 7-19 and failed to make the playoffs for the first time with Campbell on the roster. Campbell also did not win the rushing yards crown for the first time as he came in fifth in yards with 1,376 and seventh in touchdowns with 10. In Week 5 and Week 6, the Bengals' back-to-back rushing efforts of over 180 yards was the highlight of the season. His 39 carries against the Seahawks set a new Oilers single-game record. Campbell was invited to his fourth Pro Bowl but he was unable to make an All-Pro roster. The 1982 players' strike brought the season to nine games, and the Oilers finished with a 1–8 record. Campbell had just two touchdowns and 538 yards on an average of 59.8 yards per game, much less than his average of 104.1 per game over the previous four seasons.

Campbell's output in 1983, when he had 1,301 yards and 12 touchdowns, was invited to his fifth Pro Bowl. The Oilers did finish the season tied for the lowest record in the league at 2–14. Campbell, who was suspended in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, has pleaded for a refund. He completed the season with the team but remained adamant in his pursuit in the offseason. "I'm sick of hearing how I'm too dumb, washed up, too dumb to read holes, can't block, can't watch the football," he said. The team's back-to-back dismal seasons also contributed to his annoyance. Houston opened the season with six consecutive losses under new head coach Hugh Campbell. Campbell was traded to the New Orleans Saints after rushing for 278 yards in the first six games of 1984, reuniting him with Bum Phillips.

In 1985, the Saints acquired Campbell in exchange for their first-round draft pick, which Houston selected cornerback Richard Johnson. The transfer in New Orleans was a surprise; the team already had the young George Rogers, the 1981 No. 1; 1 overall draft pick and the Rookie of the Year and rushing champion. The Saints now have two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield, with Campbell and Rogers. Campbell played five times for 19 yards in his first game with New Orleans and continued to play a lesser part in the offense the remainder of the season. In 1984, he rushed for 468 yards and four touchdowns, but never failed to play in a 100-yard game during the season.

His last 100-yard game was his only one since 1985: a 160-yard outburst against the Minnesota Vikings, which culminated in his first touchdown of the season. With 643 passing yards on 158 attempts, he ended the year on a high note. Campbell, who was planning to return to 10,000 career rushing yards in 1986, was dissatisfied with the beating he suffered during his career. "I'm a man; I'm not a little boy," he said. "I think this is the right thing for myself, but also for the Saints." In the regular season, he had played 2,187 times for 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns.

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