Athletes - Earl Campbell

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	Athletes - Earl Campbell

Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955 in Tyler, Texas) is a former professional American Football running back and is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As a collegiate football player at the University of Texas at Austin, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1977. His nickname is "The Tyler Rose", a reference to his hometown of Tyler, Texas, known as the "Rose Capital of America" for its prominent place in the rose-growing industry.

Biography

He was the first draft pick overall in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers and in that year named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

Campbell led the NFL in rushing in 1978, 1979, and 1980. Earl 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, Earl's best year in the NFL, he ran for 1,934 yards including four 200-yard rushing games.

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 stuck it out in a diminished role in 1984 and 1985, and retired during the preseason of 1986, when the beating he had taken during his career had taken too much of a toll.

Campbell is one of only two players (QB Brett Favre is the other) to receive some form of the NFL's "Most Valuable Player" award in three consecutive regular seasons, and he is the only player to do so in his first three seasons as a professional (1978 – 80).

Campbell is widely acknowledged as one of the best running backs in NFL history. He is still considered a prototype for the bruising, power running back. Former Heisman Trophy winner and current Miami Dolphins player Ricky Williams was roundly compared to Campbell during Williams' days at the University of Texas. Even now, big running backs that use powerful legs to their advantage are occasionally nicknamed "Little Earl," most recently to some publicity with Gary Russell of the University of Minnesota. Although debate rages as to whether Bum Phillips hastened the end of Campbell's career by overworking Campbell, the consensus is clear that during Campbell's heyday, few running backs were as productive or imposing.

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Athletes - Earl Campbell

Biography

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