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He was the sixth of eleven children.

Joe Green once said that this player "could inflict more damage on a team than any running back he had ever seen."

His father died when he was just eleven years old.

He led the NFL in rushing for three consecutive seasons, a feat accomplished previously by only one other running back, Jim Brown.

He loved his Mama and went to church.

He went on to achieve the following pinnacles of success: Heisman Trophy Winner, Rookie of the Year, MVP, All Pro, Pro Bowl, Offensive Player of the Year, and Pro Hall of Famer.

He married his high school sweetheart and they have two sons, Christian and Tyler.

To say he was an imposing figure is to underestimate his 5 foot eleven inch 244 pound frame. With 34 inch thighs and the speed of a sprinter, he literally ran over or through defensive linemen. No one player could tackle him alone. But, he never gloated, bragged or danced in the inzone.

He would knock you over, make a ten yard run, then come back smiling offering his hand to help you up.

Earl Campbell of the Houston Oilers was a Gentleman's Gentleman in a very ungentlemanly game.

This subject will no doubt bring out the armchair quarterbacks and statisticians to heap praise and glory on their beloved favorites. That's fine because Mr. Campbell's legacy will not be remembered in numbers.

The plain and simple truth, admitted by fans and non-fans, is that Earl Campbell was and still is in a class by himself.

THE TYLER ROSE
In a game where player's nicknames are Mean Joe Green, The Assassin, and The Snake, Earl Campbell was known as The Tyler Rose. Can you even imagine the caliber of man who can go out on a grid iron field with a name like that and win your respect?

Mr. Campbell was a class act on and off the field. He was and still is beloved by men, women and children. He is one of the few professional sports figures who proudly wore the mantle of Role Model.

No other player was more true to his place of birth than Earl Campbell. He led his Tyler High School team to the Texas 4A Championships. He attended the University of Texas, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 as a Texas Longhorns. There at the university, he was named New Man of the Texas Cowboys awarded to exceptional campus leaders.

He was picked first in the first round draft to play for the Houston Oilers where he redefined what it meant to be a running back. Mr. Campbell was part of the "Love Ya Blue" mania that overtook the city of Houston, when the Oilers were AFC Champs and knocking on the door of the Super Bowl Stadium. When fans were chanting "Love Ya Blue" what everyone meant was "We Love You Earl."

Earl was a "Phenom" before that was even a term. He has remained a local hero and constant charitable figure around his native Texas. Mr. Campbell has achieved true Texas Hero status sharing the title with only Davy Crockett, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston himself.

The kind of game Mr. Campbell played took a heavy toll on him, making even walking difficult and painful. Earl can be seen using a wheelchair most of the time on his ranch back home in Tyler Texas.

Earl Campbell transcends statistics, awards, and race to reserve for himself a place and honor few in any field achieve.

HEARTS
Earl Campbell came from the heart of Texas to win a place in the hearts of us all.

Learn more about this author, Tristan Moorhen.
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