Earl Campbell

Tyler John Tyler High School

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Inducted in 1983

Heralded as “The Tyler Rose,” Campbell is one of the most famed football players ever to emerge from Texas. After averaging more than 11 yards per carry as a junior, Campbell exploded as a senior in 1973, hammering out 2,036 yards in John Tyler’s 15-0 march to the Class 4A state championship. In 1980, a panel of sportswriters voted Campbell the High School Player of the Decade. Campbell didn’t slow down after high school, becoming one of the nation’s top players at Texas from 1974-77. Campbell ran for 4,443 yards and 41 touchdowns in four years with the Longhorns, including a then-Southwest Conference record 1,744 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior en route to winning the Heisman Trophy. Drafted first overall in 1978 by the Houston Oilers, he was named NFL Rookie of the Year after leading the league in rushing with 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. Two years later he had his best season statistically, running for 1,934 yards and 13 TDs to win his third straight rushing title, a feat accomplished by only one other player (Jim Brown). Campbell finished his eight-year career with 9,407 rushing yards and 74 TDs, four rushing titles and five trips to the Pro Bowl. He is enshrined in both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.