Coordinates: 54°36′07″N 5°50′57″W / 54.60195°N 5.84928°W / 54.60195; -5.84928

Campbell College is a Voluntary Grammar school^[1] in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The College educates boys from ages 11–18. It is one of the eight Northern Irish schools represented on the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and is a member of the Independent Schools Council.

The school occupies a 100-acre (0.40 km²) estate in east Belfast, close to the Parliament Buildings at Stormont. All the school's facilities are located on this site, which also contains a small lake and forest named Netherleigh. Campbell's junior school - formerly located on an adjacent site and called Cabin Hill - is now also located on the site. The school has the oldest Combined Cadet Force in Ireland, with over 400 cadets.^[2] The school has an international reputation^{[citation needed]} and attracts boarders from Hong Kong, Singapore and Africa.^{[citation needed]} Past pupils of the school are known as Old Campbellians and the school has an extensive past pupil organisation known as the Old Campbellian Society which has several branches across the United Kingdom as well as regular alumni reunions at the school itself.

History[link]

It was founded in 1894 thanks to a bequest from Henry James Campbell, who had made his fortune in the linen trade. Initially the school was primarily a boarding school but it has, particularly since the 1970s, become primarily a day school and in 2009 had 879 pupils, only about 85 (10%) of whom were boarders. As a selective Independent school it admits pupils based on academic selection. Until 2006 pupils began at the school at age 11, but since the closure of the school's separate preparatory school, Cabin Hill, the school has accepted pupils from 4 into the newly built Junior School and both boys and girls into the school's Kindergarten located on the school's grounds. The Latin motto of the school is "Ne Obliviscaris" (Do not forget).

In 1935 Jimmy Steele led an attempted Irish Republican Army raid on the school in an effort to secure the arms inside the College Officers' Training Corps. The RUC at Strandtown were tipped off and the raid was unsuccessful. A gun battle took place at the Gate Lodge on Hawthornden Road in which Constable Ian Hay received five gunshot wounds, but survived.^[3] In 1936 Steele and three other IRA members were captured, prosecuted and imprisoned in Crumlin Road Gaol.^[4]

During World War II the school was requisitioned by the War Office as a hospital, with the pupils transferred to Portrush, north Antrim. Campbell lost 134 former students in World War I. There are separate memorials to the dead of both World Wars in the Central Hall.^[5]

Both of these events were experienced firsthand by Albert Maxwell, BEM, who worked for the school as groundsman and head porter for 64 years. Maxwell retired in 1993 but continued to live in the school's Grade B1 listed gate lodge until his death in 1997.^{[citation needed]}

The author C.S. Lewis, who grew up nearby, attended the school for two months before he was withdrawn because of a serious respiratory illness and sent to Malvern (Cherbourg School), famous at the time for treating people with lung problems.^[6] The gas lamppost on the school drive is claimed to have been the inspiration for that mentioned in Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. However some sources state a lamppost in Crawfordsburn Country Park was the inspiration.^[7][8]

Several Campbell students have been involved in filmmaking. These include William MacQuitty (A Night to Remember), Andrew Eaton (Resurrection Man), Nick Hamm (The Hole), Dudi Appleton (The Most Fertile Man in Ireland) and Mark Huffam (Saving Private Ryan). Composer David Catherwood is currently director of music at Campbell. A collection of Lepidoptera by Thomas Workman is displayed in the school.^{[citation needed]}

School Houses[link]

Currently there are eight Houses for dayboys and one boarding House and these form the focus for participation across the curriculum. School houses are named after former masters and those of importance in the life of the school and play an integral part in everyday life in the school.^[9] The names of the current houses and their respective colours are:

• Alden's (Dark Green)
• Allison's (Light Green, formerly Brown)
• Chase's (Orange)
• Davis's (Yellow)
• Dobbin's (Light Blue)
• Price's (Dark Blue)
• School House (Boarding House) (Black)
• Yates's (Red)

In the past there have been other Houses:

• Armour's (Grey)
• Bowen's (Maroon)
• Lytle's (Dark Green)
• Netherleigh (Junior House) (Light Blue)
• Norwood (Junior House) (Dark Green)
• Ormiston (Junior House) (Dark Blue)
• Tweskard (Junior House) (Maroon)

Each house is run by a 'House Master' who is in charge of managing the house, and overseeing the 'House Tutors' all of who have allocated year groups, of which they are responsible for. Each house has a designated student who is 'Head Of House', and they usually have a Deputy, however this is not always the case. The Head Of House, along with his deputy are 6th form students who have earned responsibility within the school, and it is common place for them to also be prefects, or so called "Peer Mentors". These two students organise house sporting, charity and dramatic events, among various other things.

Uniform[link]

Much importance is placed upon the neatness of boys' appearance. School colours are black, white and green. The school uniform consists of black badged blazer, House tie (with colour representing house), black trousers, black shoes with an optional v-neck pullover.

Sport[link]

The school has strong record in rugby, having won the Ulster Schools Cup 23 times and shared the cup four times. In 2011 Campbell beat RBAI at Ravenhill.^[10]

The college's shooting team is regarded as one of the best in the UK, consistently performing well in all major U19 competitions. The school has extensive sports facilities including rugby and football pitches, two water based hockey pitches, 25 metre indoor shooting range, four tennis courts, squash courts,a fitness suite, and a swimming pool. The 2006 opening of the new synthetic hockey pitches was marked with an exhibition match between the gold-winning 1988 Summer Olympics Great Britain and Northern Ireland hockey team and the school's 1st XI, which ended 3-2 to the Olympic champions of old. The Campbellians Hockey Club play at this venue.^{[citation needed]}

Colours[link]

A student can be awarded his "colours" as a tangible recognition of success achieved, dedication demonstrated and good example shown through the medium of any Campbell sport which participates in external/extramural competition, or through the College’s music and drama programme.

The Colours system is divided into two categories, that is, Major Colours and Club Colours:

• The award of Major Colours permits the successful recipient to wear a green blazer with appropriate badge, a major colours tie and a green V-neck pullover.
• Club Colours are denoted by a different pocket on the black school blazer, the pocket design reflecting the student’s preferred discipline.

As a general rule of thumb, Major Colours for sporting activities are gained by those who have successfully represented their senior team or age group team, in their respective sport throughout the season of the award, while demonstrating a high level of performance and an approach which is both dedicated and a fine example to their peers.

The award of Club Colours has two main functions. Firstly, the Colour acts as a reward given to senior boys who have not necessarily represented one of our first teams, been placed highly in individual sports competition or excelled in the areas of music or drama, but whose dedication and loyalty to the schools’s curriculum is unquestionable. Secondly, this Colour may be awarded to younger students as recognition of their success at what might be considered to be the developmental stage of their school career.

Students are nominated for Major and Club Colours by the member of staff in charge of the given activity to the Colours Committee. The Colours Committee comprises teaching staff whose interests within our total curriculum are wide and whose experience is considerable. Following due consideration and deliberation, decisions made by the Colours Committee are taken by its Chairman to the Headmaster for his agreement.

Notable Old Campbellians[link]

See also Category:People educated at Campbell College.

• Dudi Appleton, director, screenwriter and journalist
• Paul Bew, scholar and life peer
• Derek Bell, harpist, late member of The Chieftains
• Andrew Bree, swimmer
• Gordon Burns, journalist and television presenter
• Sir Anthony Campbell, retired judge
• Ben Clarke, The Apprentice candidate in 2009
• Sir John Collins, businessman
• David Crawford Librarian
• Freeman Wills Crofts, author; was a member of the school's first class in 1894
• George Currie, British Member of Parliament
• Eric Robertson Dodds, classical scholar
• William John English, Victoria Cross recipient whose medal was bequeathed to the school
• Thomas Henry Flewett, virologist
• Mike Gibson (rugby player)
• Paddy Hirsch, journalist, award-winning Marketplace radio producer and presenter
• Michael Hoey (golfer)
• John Irvine, award-winning ITV News journalist
• Charles Lawson, actor
• Gary Lightbody, vocalist and guitarist in Snow Patrol
• William MacQuitty, film producer
• James Godfrey MacManaway, MP and Church of Ireland minister
• Tim Martin, founder and current Chairman of JD Wetherspoon
• Sir John MacDermott, Baron MacDermott, former Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland
• Alan McFarland, former British Army officer and Ulster Unionist politician
• Sir Percy McElwaine, barrister and Attorney General of Fiji
• Colonel Sir Michael McCorkell - Northern Irish soldier
• Alan McKibbin, British Member of Parliament
• John Morrow, peace activist
• Jonny Quinn, drummer in Snow Patrol
• Robert Shanks, former Chairman of the Commissioners of Irish Lights and commanding officer of HMS Caroline
• James Simmons, poet
• Air Chief Marshal John Thomson, RAF officer
• Lloyd Hall-Thompson, British Member of Parliament
• Noel Thompson, BBC journalist
• Chris Farrell, rugby union footballer for Ulster U18s, Ulster U20s, Ulster and Ireland U18s
• Jamie Smith, rugby union footballer for Ulster
• Hong-Wing Yeung, Businessman
• Paddy Wallace, rugby union footballer for Ireland
• Edmund De Wind, Victoria Cross recipient

Headmasters[link]

• Henry Richard Parker, joint headmaster 1890-1896
• James Adams McNeill, joint headmaster 1890-96, headmaster 1896-1907
• Robert Arthur H MacFarland, 1907–1922
• William Duff Gibbon. 1922-1943 MA (Oxon), CBE DSO MC TD LLD. Educated at Trinity College, Oxford, Gibbon served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Worcestershire Regiment during World War I. In World War II he was the Officer Commanding in the Army Cadet Force. 1922-1943
• Ronald Groves, 1943–1954
• Francis John Granville Cook, 1954–1971
• Robin Milne Morgan, MA Hons (Aber) BA (Lond), 1971–1976
• Brian William John Gregg Wilson MA, 1977–1987
• Robert John Ivan Pollock, BSc MEd PhD CertEd CChem MRSC 1987 - 2005
• James "Jay" Piggot, BA MA and housemaster at Eton College, 2005-2012
• Robert Robinson, 2012-

References[link]

External links[link]

• Campbell College CCF Website
• The Old Campbellian Society

v t e Education in Northern Ireland Administration Departments Department of Education (Primary and Secondary education) · Department for Employment and Learning (Higher and Further education) Education and Library Boards Belfast · North Eastern · South Eastern · Southern · Western Central Statutory Bodies Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment · Education and Skills Authority Other Organisations Council for Catholic Maintained Schools · Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education Institutions Universities Open University · Queen's University Belfast · University of Ulster University Colleges St Mary's University College · Stranmillis University College Further Education Colleges Belfast Metropolitan College · Northern Regional College · North West Regional College · Southern Regional College · South Eastern Regional College · South West College Schools Primary · Secondary · Grammar · Integrated schools · Gaelic medium See also: Education in the United Kingdom (England · Scotland · Wales) · Education in the Republic of Ireland

Bruce Campbell
Campbell in November 2009
Born	Bruce Lorne Campbell (1958-06-22) June 22, 1958 (age 54) Royal Oak, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, author, producer, writer, director
Years active	1976-Present
Spouse	Christine Deveau (m. 1983–1989) «start: (1983)–end+1: (1990)»"Marriage: Christine Deveau to Bruce Campbell" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Bruce_Campbell) Ida Gearon (m. 1991) «start: (1991)»"Marriage: Ida Gearon to Bruce Campbell" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Bruce_Campbell)
Website
bruce-campbell.com

Bruce Lorne Campbell (born June 22, 1958) is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. He would later spoof his B-movie career in My Name Is Bruce, in which he starred and directed. He has since made appearances in films including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Cars 2.

In television, Campbell is known for his lead role in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., his portrayal of Autolycus (the King of Thieves) in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, and notably for his role as Sam Axe on the USA Network series Burn Notice.^[1]

Personal life[link]

Campbell was born in Royal Oak, Michigan, the son of Joanne Louise (née Pickens), a homemaker, and Charles Newton Campbell, an amateur actor and traveling billboard inspector. Bruce Campbell is of Scottish descent. He has an older brother, Don, and an older half-brother, Michael Rendine.^[2]

Campbell's first wife was Christine Deveau, whom he married in 1983. They had two children, Rebecca and Andy, before their divorce in 1989. Campbell currently lives in Jacksonville, Oregon, with his second wife, costume designer Ida Gearon, whom he met on the set of the movie Mindwarp.

Campbell is left-handed.

Life and career[link]

Early years[link]

Campbell signing a VHS copy of The Evil Dead at a fan meet-and-greet

Bruce Campbell began acting as a teenager and soon began making short Super 8 movies with friends. After meeting Sam Raimi in Wylie E. Groves High School, the two became very good friends and started making movies together. Campbell would go on to attend Western Michigan University while he continued to work on his acting career. Campbell and Raimi collaborated on a 30-minute Super 8 version of the first Evil Dead film, titled Within the Woods, which was initially used to attract investors.

Major film roles[link]

A few years later, Campbell and Raimi got together with family and friends and began work on The Evil Dead. Campbell starred and worked behind the camera, receiving a "co-executive producer" credit. Raimi wrote, directed and edited, while fellow Michigander Rob Tapert was producer. Following an endorsement by horror writer Stephen King, the film slowly began to receive distribution. Four years following its original release, it became the number one movie in the UK. It then received distribution in the U.S., spawning two sequels: Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. Campbell's role as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams has since become iconic. The first two films in the series are considered horror classics and are credited with spawning the "horror comedy" genre.

He was also drawn in the Marvel Zombie comics as his character, Ash Williams. He is featured in 5 comics, all in the series Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness. In the comics he fights along side the Marvel heroes against the heroes and people who have turned into zombies (deadites) while in search of the Necronomicon (Book of the Dead).

He has appeared in many of Raimi's films outside of the Evil Dead series, notably cameo roles in the Spider-Man film series. Bruce Campbell also joined the cast in Raimi's Darkman and The Quick and the Dead, though having no actual screen time in the latter film's theatrical cut.

Campbell often takes on quirky roles, such as Elvis Presley in the film Bubba Ho-tep, and appears in B-Movies and starred in My Name Is Bruce. Along with Bubba Ho-tep, he also played a supporting role in Sky High, He also was featured in the Jim Carrey drama The Majestic. Campbell also had a key supporting role in the Coen Brothers film The Hudsucker Proxy.

Other roles for Campbell included the Michael Crichton adaptation Congo, the film version of McHale's Navy, and Escape From L.A., the sequel to John Carpenter's Escape From New York. Campbell was also the star of the Maniac Cop B-movie series.

Campbell had a starring voice role in the hit films 2009 animated adaptation of the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Cars 2.

In January 2010, he stated in an interview that his new film project is called Bruce vs. Frankenstein.^[3] The film is directed and produced by his friend Mike Richardson.^[4]

On July 13, 2011, Campbell announced that he would be producing the remake of The Evil Dead along with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Campbell will not act in the movie as Ash, but may still make some sort of appearance in the film.

Television roles[link]

Outside of film, Campbell has appeared in a number of television series. He starred in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. a boisterous science fiction comedy western created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse that ran for one season. He played a lawyer turned bounty hunter who was trying to hunt down John Bly, the man who killed his father. He starred in the television series Jack of All Trades, set on a fictional island, occupied by the French in 1801. Campbell was also credited as co-executive producer, among others. The show was directed by Eric Gruendemann, and was produced by various people, including Sam Raimi. The show aired for two seasons, from 2000 to 2001. He had a recurring role as "Bill Church Jr." on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

In 1996–1997, Campbell was a recurring guest star on the show Ellen as Ed Billik, who becomes Ellen's boss when she sells her bookstore in season four. He is also known for his supporting role as the recurring character Autolycus ("the King of Thieves") on both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, which reunited him with producer Rob Tapert. Campbell played Hercules/Xena series producer Tapert in two episodes of Hercules set in the present. He directed a number of episodes of Hercules and Xena, including the Hercules series finale. Campbell also landed the lead role of race car driver Hank Cooper in the Disney made-for-television remake of The Love Bug.

Campbell made a critically acclaimed dramatic guest role as a grief-stricken detective seeking revenge for his father's murder in a two-part episode of the fourth season of Homicide: Life on the Street. Campbell later played the part of a bigamous demon in The X-Files episode, "Terms of Endearment". He also starred as Agent Jackman in the episode "Witch Way Now?" of the WB series Charmed, as well as playing an FBI agent in an episode of the short-lived series American Gothic titled "Meet the Beetles".

Campbell co-stars on the television series Burn Notice, which has aired since 2007 on USA Network. He portrays Sam Axe, a beer-chugging, womanizing former Navy SEAL now working as an unlicensed private investigator and occasional mercenary with his old friend Michael Westen, the show's main character. When working under cover, he frequently goes by the alias Chuck Finley. During Comic-Con 2010, it was revealed that Campbell would be the star of a Burn Notice made-for-television prequel focusing on Sam's Navy SEAL career, titled Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe. The movie was first aired on April 17, 2011.^[5]

Voice acting[link]

Campbell is featured as a voice actor in several video game titles. He provides the voice of Ash in the three games based on the Evil Dead film series: Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick and Evil Dead: Regeneration. As well as titles such as Pitfall 3D: Beyond the Jungle, Spider-Man: The Movie, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

He provided the voice of main character Jake Logan in the PC title, Tachyon: The Fringe, the voice of main character Jake Burton in the PlayStation game Broken Helix and the voice of Magnanimous in Megas XLR. Campbell voiced the pulp adventurer Lobster Johnson in Hellboy: The Science of Evil and has done voice-over work for the Codemaster's game Hei$t, a game which was announced on the 28 January 2010 to have been "terminated". He also provided the voice of The Mayor in the 2009 film Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and the voice of Rod "Torque" Redline in Cars 2.

Writing[link]

In addition to acting and occasionally directing, Campbell has become a writer, including authoring an autobiography, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor. The autobiography was a successful New York Times Best Seller.^[6] The paperback version of the book adds a chapter about the reaction of fans at book signings.

"Whenever I do mainstream stuff, I think they're pseudo-interested, but they're still interested in seeing weirdo, offbeat stuff. And that's what I'm attracted to."

If Chins Could Kill... was published in 2002 and follows Campbell's career to date as an actor in low-budget films and television, providing his insight into "Blue-Collar Hollywood".

Campbell has also written a book titled Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way, a comical novel featuring himself as the main character struggling to make it into the world of A-list movies. He later recorded an audio play adaptation of Make Love with fellow Michigan actors including long time collaborator Ted Raimi. This radio drama styled interpretation of the novel was released through independent label Rykodisc and spans 6 discs with a 6 hour running time.

In addition to his novels, Campbell also wrote a column for X Ray Magazine in 2001, an issue of the popular comic series The Hire, comic book adaptations of his Man With The Screaming Brain and most recently he wrote the introduction to Josh Becker's The Complete Guide To Low Budget Feature Film Making.

Campbell maintained a blog on his official website, where he posts mainly about politics and the film industry.^[7]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

TV series[link]

See also[link]

• If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor (ISBN 0-312-24264-6),
• Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way (ISBN 0-312-31260-1)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bruce Campbell

• Official website
• Bruce Campbell at the Internet Movie Database
• Bruce Campbell at AllRovi
• Bruce Campbell at TV Tropes
• Salon Interviews Bruce Campbell
• "Not My Job" Bruce Campbell appears on Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me

Stephen Campbell Moore (born Stephen Thorpe; 30 November 1979) is an English actor, best known for his roles in the Alan Bennett play The History Boys and its subsequent film.

Career[link]

Stephen Campbell Moore was educated at Berkhamsted School in Hertfordshire (appearing locally in the Pendley Open Air Shakespeare Festival) and trained at Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he was awarded the prestigious 'Gold Medal' in his final year. He made his screen debut in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things. He is primarily a screen actor. On stage he has performed with the RSC and the Royal National Theatre.

Campbell Moore created the role of Irwin in the original West End stage production of Alan Bennett's play The History Boys, and also played the character in the Broadway, Sydney, Wellington and Hong Kong productions and in the film version of the play.^[1][2][3][4]

In 2004, he starred alongside Scarlett Johansson in A Good Woman, based on Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde, shot on location in Italy.

In 2005, Campbell Moore starred as Edward VIII alongside Joely Richardson as Wallis Simpson in the British television drama Wallis and Edward. In 2009 he will star in the film Ecstasy based on The Undefeated from Irvine Welsh's best-selling novel Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.

In 2008 Campbell Moore starred in one episode of the television series Lark Rise to Candleford as headteacher Mr James Delafield, co-starring alongside Julia Sawalha and had a regular role in the BBC series Ashes to Ashes.

In 2009 worked on the ABC miniseries Ben-Hur. He appears in the 2011 film Season of the Witch.

Recognition and awards[link]

Campbell Moore was nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award for his work on the Broadway production of The History Boys.^[5]

List of credits[link]

Theatre[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Stephen Campbell Moore at the Internet Movie Database
• Stephen Campbell Moore at the Internet Broadway Database

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Earl Campbell

Earl Campbell signing autographs in Kerrville, Texas.
No. 20, 34, 35
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1955-03-29) March 29, 1955 (age 57)
Place of birth: Tyler, Texas
Career information
College: Texas
NFL Draft: 1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Debuted in 1978 for the Houston Oilers
Last played in 1985 for the New Orleans Saints
Career history
Houston Oilers (1978–1984) New Orleans Saints (1984–1985)
Career highlights and awards
Rated #55 NFL Player of all-time by NFL.com 5× Pro Bowl selection (1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983) 3× All-Pro selection (1978, 1979, 1980) 1978 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 1979 AP NFL MVP 3× NFL Rushing champion (1978, 1979, 1980) 2× PFWA NFL MVP (1978, 1979) 3× NEA NFL MVP (1978, 1979, 1980) 3× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (1978, 1979, 1980) 1978 UPI AFL-AFC Player of the Year 1979 Bert Bell Award 2× All-American (1975, 1977) 1977 Heisman Trophy 1977 UPI Player of the Year 1977 TSN Player of the Year 1977 Harley Award Winner
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards 9,407 Rushing Average 4.3 Touchdowns 74 Stats at NFL.com
Pro Football Hall of Fame
College Football Hall of Fame

Earl Christian Campbell (born March 29, 1955), nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung, and O.J Simpson are the only Heisman Trophy winners to have also been first overall National Football League draft picks and members of both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and College Football Hall of Fame.^[1]

He 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 and then to running back in sixth grade. In 1973, he led the Corky Nelson-coached John Tyler High School to the Texas 4A State Championship (4A then was the largest classification in the state). Then-Oklahoma Sooners head coach Barry 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.^[2]

After his retirement, Campbell has suffered from debilitating injuries that resulted from his NFL career; he had surgery to remove three of his vertebrae, and he suffers from drop foot and persistent knee pain.

College and professional career[link]

As a collegiate football player at the University of Texas at Austin, he won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 and led the nation in rushing with 1,744 yards. In 1977, he became the first recipient of the Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy which was awarded to the most outstanding player in the now-defunct Southwest Conference. He was also a consensus All-America choice in 1977. Additionally, he was a First-team All-America selection by the AFCA in 1975. He was selected as the Southwest 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[link]

Campbell was the first draft pick overall in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers, he was represented by Michael L. Trope, known as Mike during his NFL agent days, and signed a six-year $1.4 million contract with the Houston Oilers.^[3] That year he was named the Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press as well as the NFL Offensive Player of the Year. The Luv Ya Blue era in Houston was due mostly to Campbell's running ability and Coach Bum Phillips' "good ole boy" personality.

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 the Chicago Bears. Despite playing against stacked defenses Campbell managed to average 5.2 yards per carry and score 13 rushing touchdowns in 1980 alone.

New Orleans Saints[link]

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).

Hall of Fame[link]

On July 27, 1991, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Legacy[link]

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 (860 mm) thighs, 5-11, 244-pound frame, coupled with 4.5 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 player Ricky Williams 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 example Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens or most recently to some publicity with Gary Russell of the University of Minnesota.^[4]

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[link]

In 1999, he was ranked number 33 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players,^[5] 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.^[6]

The Statue of Earl Campbell at Royal-Memorial Stadium.

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 (2.7 m) statue of Campbell in the southwest corner of Royal-Memorial Stadium. The same year, Campbell graced the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football, an honor that eluded him during his playing days.

In 1977, he became the first recipient of the Davey O'Brien Memorial Trophy which was named after the great TCU quarterback Davey O'Brien. The trophy was awarded to the most outstanding player in the Southwest Conference.

Personal life[link]

Due to the many 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.^[7]

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.^[8] Campbell and his associates also opened a restaurant on Sixth Street in Austin, Earl Campbell's Lone Star BBQ, but it closed in 2001.^[9]

Career rushing statistics[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Earl Campbell

• Official website
• Earl Campbell at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Earl Campbell at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Earl Campbell at the Heisman Trophy
• Works by or about Earl Campbell in libraries (WorldCat catalog)