Biography Of The 1977 Heisman Trophy Winner Earl Campbell

By Author: Kellen Sears
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When people look back and think of the great running backs of all-time, there are a few that come to mind. Among that short list of great running backs, Earl Campbell will often be discussed.

Campbell was born in March of 1955 in Tyler, Texas. Later on in his life he earned the nickname “The Tyler Rose” because of his hometown.

Campbell was a great professional football running back for sure, but that was not the beginning of his career and success.

Interestingly enough, Campbell did not start off as a skill position player. When he first started playing football as a child, he was the kicker for the team. Interestingly enough, he moved from the kicker position to linebacker before becoming a running back in the 6th grade.

After becoming a running back, things started to work for him. Football is the biggest sport in Texas and the play at the high school level is extremely competitive. While at his high school he managed to lead his team to the state championship.

After playing football in high school, he was heavily recruited by many schools. Oklahoma, one of the schools that recruited ...
... him, was coached by Barry Switzer. Switzer was unable to bring Campbell to his team, but he had plenty of good things to say about Campbell. Switzer described the running back as the only player that he had watched that had the physical tools to go straight from high school to the NFL. He believed that he would not only be able to go to the NFL straight from high school, but he believed he would immediately be a star in the NFL.

Campbell ultimately decided to play for the Texas Longhorns. During his time at Texas he managed to become a Heisman Trophy winner and looked like a fantastic professional prospect.

He was drafted first overall in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He played for the Houston Oilers until 1984, when he moved on to play for the New Orleans Saints.

While he was with the Oilers he was fantastic in his first 4 seasons. In each of those seasons he rushed for at least 1376 yards and 10 touchdowns. He maxed out at 1934 yards in 1980 and scored 19 touchdowns in 1979 He did not play a full season in 1982, but came back with another great season in 1983. He had 1301 yards and 12 touchdowns. This was the last great season of his career, but he will always be remembered as one of the great running backs of all-time.

Over the course of his career he compiled 9407 yards and 74 touchdowns. Over the course of his career he received quite a few awards and accolades. He was a Pro Bowler 5 times over the course of his career and was chosen as an All-Pro running back in each of his first 3 seasons. He was the offensive player of the year 3 different times over the course of his career and he was inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

AUTHOR:-
Kellen Sears writes reviews on various sporting events including the sports betting websites. In this piece of write up, the author highlights one of the most popular sports CFB and CFB betting odds. The author also refers popular online sportsbook.