Best NFL Players of All Time: Earl Campbell. Ranking the Top Players in History. Place a bet on an NFL football game now.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Earl Campbell

Most NFL running backs don’t stick around for very long. Running backs appear to wear out more quickly than athletes at any other position in the NFL due to the strain of aggressive tackling and blocking. Even the greatest backs in the history of the game fit this description. After eight seasons, “The Tyler Rose,” Earl Campbell, retired from the game due to physical exhaustion.

Fans of Campbell will recall that he played for the New Orleans Saints for his final two years. For him, those two years under former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips were primarily about operating on fumes and muscle memory. But Campbell was a wrecking ball, sprinter, and running machine all rolled into one during his six illustrious years with the Oilers.

Campbell’s approach was all about working hard and punishing anyone who tried to tackle him. He was so burned out after a shorter NFL career than he had intended. Still, he is among the greatest players in the history of the game.

Many NFL historians refer to Campbell as purely a power back because of his immense strength and power. Although Campbell lacked many highlight-worthy plays, he was a fast runner who could outpace the opposition once he reached the sidelines.

When considering Campbell’s best moments, it’s difficult to ignore the Monday night game versus the Miami Dolphins during his rookie campaign in 1978. That evening, the Oilers defeated the Dolphins, a formidable squad, 35–30, thanks to Campbell’s 199 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The final one involved a sprint of 81 yards down the distant sides, with Dolphins CB Curtis Johnson pursuing. For the final thirty yards of the sprint, Johnson pursued Campbell, but he was unable to catch up with him.

“The pitchout was a wide running play,” Phillips remarked. He cranked the field up and began it. Two cornerbacks and maybe five other players had an angle on him, but they were unable to bring him down. Earl was able to remain undetected once he was in the open.

That night, Phillips was aware that Campbell had led the Oilers to a decisive victory and that he was just one yard short of reaching 200 yards. Inquiring about his desire to take up the yard and enjoy a 200-yard night, he asked his star. Sick and gasping for air, Campbell thanked Phillips and instructed him to insert backup Ronnie Coleman into the game.

Although Campbell had unwavering support from Phillips, the coach, he was known for publicly endorsing all of his players.

Phillips remarked, “He was a great back who dominated games with his talent and his heart.” But it wasn’t all there was to him. He was so good that he gave the impression that the offensive lineman he was blocking for him were superior than themselves. He outperformed the quarterback because of his exceptional skill. He was so skilled that he gave the impression that he was much smarter than he actually was. That is all that you can ask of a player.

For his first three seasons, Campbell had the most rushing yards of any player in the NFL. He left his imprint as a rookie by averaging 4.8 yards per carry while rushing for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns. Not only did Campbell improve for the next two seasons, but it didn’t end there.

In his second year, he ran for 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns; in his third year, he averaged 5.2 yards per carry and ran for an amazing 1,934 yards and 13 touchdowns. At the time, the yard total was the second-highest in NFL history, trailing only by 69 yards O. J. Simpson’s 1973 single-season record of 2,033 yards (although across a 14-game schedule). With four 200-yard rushing games under his belt and a bludgeoning forearm that left defenses flattened, Campbell was almost unstoppable.

In addition to being a three-time offensive player of the year (1978–1980), two-time league MVP (1978, 1979), and one-time All-Pro selection, Campbell’s exceptional strength also caused him to withdraw from the game early. Even when he had the option to cut to the outside to escape contact, he never ran out of bounds and appeared to search for contact.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, the finest defensive team in the NFL, respected Campbell because of his dominating style. Steelers Hall of Fame defensive back Mel Blount remarked, “I was never afraid to tackle anyone and I basically enjoyed it when I had the chance to stick someone.” However, things weren’t the same with Campbell. That man posed a serious threat. He caused a great deal of suffering and punishment. I made every effort to resist him, but it was never easy and always a chore. It felt like taking a hit from Joe Frazier when you tackled him.

Even when the Oilers traded him to the Saints in the 1984 season, Campbell remained a powerful runner, but his speed had all but vanished and his knee cartilage had thinned. In his last season, he averaged 4.1 yards and ran for 643 yards before realizing he had run out of gas and having to hang up his spikes. Fans are unlikely to witness a career as brief and intense as his again.

Best NFL Players of All Time: Earl Campbell Stats

Regular Season

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Touch	Y/Tch	YScm	RRTD	Fmb	AV
1978	23	HOU	RB	34	15	14	302	1450	13	81	4.8	96.7	20.1	12	48	4	0	20	0.8	3.2	314	4.8	1498	13	9	13
1979	24	HOU	RB	34	16	16	368	1697	19	61	4.6	106.1	23	16	94	5.9	0	46	1	5.9	384	4.7	1791	19	8	15
1980	25	HOU	RB	34	15	15	373	1934	13	55	5.2	128.9	24.9	11	47	4.3	0	10	0.7	3.1	384	5.2	1981	13	4	13
1981	26	HOU	RB	34	16	16	361	1376	10	43	3.8	86	22.6	36	156	4.3	0	17	2.3	9.8	397	3.9	1532	10	10	10
1982	27	HOU	RB	34	9	9	157	538	2	22	3.4	59.8	17.4	18	130	7.2	0	46	2	14.4	175	3.8	668	2	2	8
1983	28	HOU	RB	34	14	14	322	1301	12	42	4	92.9	23	19	216	11.4	0	66	1.4	15.4	341	4.4	1517	12	4	10
1984	29	2TM	RB		14	6	146	468	4	22	3.2	33.4	10.4	3	27	9	0	15	0.2	1.9	149	3.3	495	4	2	3
		NOR	RB	35	8	0	50	190	0	19	3.8	23.8	6.3				0				50	3.8	190	0	0	1
		HOU	RB	34	6	6	96	278	4	22	2.9	46.3	16	3	27	9	0	15	0.5	4.5	99	3.1	305	4	2	2
1985	30	NOR	RB	35	16	12	158	643	1	45	4.1	40.2	9.9	6	88	14.7	0	39	0.4	5.5	164	4.5	731	1	4	5
Career					115	102	2187	9407	74	81	4.3	81.8	19	121	806	6.7	0	66	1.1	7	2308	4.4	10213	74	43	77
7 yrs		HOU			91	90	1979	8574	73	81	4.3	94.2	21.7	115	718	6.2	0	66	1.3	7.9	2094	4.4	9292	73	39	71
2 yrs		NOR			24	12	208	833	1	45	4	34.7	8.7	6	88	14.7	0	39	0.3	3.7	214	4.3	921	1	4	6

Playoffs

Year	Age	Tm	Pos	G	GS	Att	Yds	TD	Lng	Y/A	Y/G	A/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Lng	R/G	Y/G	Touch	Y/Tch	YScm	RRTD	Fmb
1978*+	23	HOU	RB	3	3	75	264	2	35	3.5	88	25	3	27	9	0	13	1	9	78	3.7	291	2	4
1979*+	24	HOU	RB	2	2	33	65	1	9	2	32.5	16.5	2	18	9	0	11	1	9	35	2.4	83	1	1
1980*+	25	HOU	RB	1	1	27	91	1	14	3.4	91	27				0				27	3.4	91	1	1
Career				6	6	135	420	4	35	3.1	70	22.5	5	45	9	0	13	0.8	7.5	140	3.3	465	4

 

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