Early Earl Campbell runs looks like those scenes from super hero movies where the hero is just starting to learn how to use their super powers. Wild flailing out of control speed and power.
I worked for a bank in San Angelo, Texas when the Oilers held their training camp at Angelo State. The players would come in to cash checks or to wire money. Was around nearly all of them at one time or another. Most were nice (granted some were not), but Earl Campbell was always the nicest of all. Always so polite to the staff and so accommodating to their requests for autographs and to having their picture made with him. So I’m with you on Mr. Campbell being a decent man.
There is not one centimeter of gain he makes in this entire compilation that is easy. He is hit, hit and hit again each time. Then it's on to the NFL. No wonder he's had physical issues in later life. God bless you Earl.
I was 11 in 1978 and I loved going to the Astrodome and watch Earl Campbell and the Oilers. Wonderful memories spending time with my Pops, The Oilers, and Earl Campbell. Thanks Earl!
This man gave so much to the game and it took so much from him it's sad but he and bo Jackson are the most powerful running backs I have ever seen Campbell is the the top dog though godly power and strength the ball in his hands
I'm 52. Earl Campbell is my favorite all-time athlete. He was worn out by Bum Philips and the Oilers. I'm a Saints fan now because he was traded to NO when I was around 14 yrs old and after he retired I just stuck with the Saints.
Personally watched him manhandled the Razorbacks in 1977, went for 188 yards against a top ranked defense. Ran like a truck inside and a deer outside just like the man said.
Wow, Campbell’s ran hard, but I was surprised how man DB’s I saw come up and lay some hard fearless hits on Earl. Great video of a truly great player, thank you for sharing.
"Classic" tailback playing fullback on a lot of these. Payton is my all time favorite but if I had to pick a RB to start my team, it'd be Earl. Skoal, brotha.
Was a fullback in the wishbone under Darrel Royal his first 3 yrs which meant all inside runs! (Campbell also stayed injured a lot!).Fred Akers came in his Sr yr after Royal retired and didn't know how to coach the"Bone...Akers put in the veer and I-formation which gave Earl a chance to do more than just up the middle plays and he won the Heisman!
Texas raised my ass. Lucky he got out of there before he was lynched, then we wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy his talent.(dont let the white girls catch you.You know they love the BBC)
I saw Earl Campbell play, I believe he was a freshman, at Memorial Stadium against the Cal Bears. I had never seen a RB so hard to bring down. He just plowed through and around the defense bouncing off tacklers like a pinball.
I've watched a number of these videos and one thing I've noticed, is that these all time great RB's took a tremendous amount of hits. And this was BEFORE they got to the pros. No wander there bodies broke down. Its a miracle that guys like Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith and now Adrian Peterson were and are able to play as long as they did. Great footage though.
Jesus, that awful 1970s astroturf. I went on the field at Oklahoma, Nebraska and the Cotton Bowl back in the day and each of them the field was a hard as concrete.
I've seen that clip. Back when I made this video, I didn't like to include single runs from games, because I wanted them to be part of a series of plays from a game (with the exception of the first play of the video). If I'd made this video now, I would've included that run.
The thing that sticks out to me is the cheap shots being laid on Campbell when he gets gang-tackled(the clotheslines, horsecollars, forearms, the spearing, the late hits after he's clearly on the ground). Pretty typical for Southeastern football though. And of course, a lot of that was considered legal back then...
You make a great point here. I had no idea of the extent of the gang tackles. You could hear the shots being handed out. Until you pointed out all of the cheap stuff...they had no other defence against this force of nature. Shame on them, control the time of possesion instead.
see this is what i mean, here is a guy that is worthy of being called an all time great. lots of times when you see other old time running backs, you often see a guy who's not that fast, not that strong. sure, they dominated in their era, but they did so versus lesser athletes. when you watch earl campbell, you know without a doubt that he could play in today's league and easily be a top 5 runningback. he was an athlete far ahead of his time.
@@billmorrison9068 as earl Campbell? No. They had tougher runnings backs back then. But earl Campbell is top 10 on anybody's list. That means a lot were good but not as good as Campbell
This guy played football and never knew he had a narrowing of his spinal column and just slight hit on that part of column would have paralysed Earl. Later on in life he did become partially paralysed but since then an therapy he is walking again. 😜🏈
During the middle 80s, one time i was having lunch at Harrys in downtown Houston. I sat at the end of a long table, as I was reading and eating unaware Mr Cambell was next to me. He’s quiet as he watched me, until I looked up and casually said hi without really knowing it’s him. Few moments later I came to realize my Oilers star running back (retired) sitting next to me. Later I stood up and gave him a nod then just left.
These are some amazing runs by the Tyler Rose, But why is it that after all these years the footage that they put together as some of Earl's Greatest Runs never included most of these great Runs, What a shame*
I played in a celebrity golf even & paired with Heisman Winner John David Crow. Past winners get to vote for the Heisman so I ask JD if he voted for Earl. He said, Yes, because of one stat. Earl gained 1357 yards after he'd been hit the first time.
I started at UT in 1976 which was Earl's junior year when he got hurt. In 1977 watching him from the stands was like watching a grown man run over a bunch of kids on his way to the Heisman Trophy. When he was drafted by the Oilers my friends said Yeah he might be able to help us..........i said HOUSTON HAS EARL FREAKING CAMPBELL!!! They would have won the Super Bowl if it hadn't been for the CHEATING by the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship. Not only a great football player but a God Fearing Father, Husband and Texan!!!
It seemed to me that Earl got hurt on almost every play. I feel badly for the man bc he gave his health for the game and he even said; had he known he would end up the way that he did, that he would have never played the game. Sad but true.
The worst coaching mistake of All Time was putting Earl Campbell at Wishbone Fullback by Darrell Royal. Loved Coach Royal, but he put a “Fence” around Campbell and Told opponents that he would Only run between the Tackles!? Campbell was a track Champion who seldom ever got to use his Speed to the outside! All defenses had to do was Stack up the inside a Beat Him to Death! Then Bum Phillips used him as a battering ram with the Oilers and ran him 30-40 times a game! It was Brutal and shortened his Career by several years.
From his Texas Freshman , Sophomore years or his first 2 years at TEXAS, Campbell seem to be a bit poor in High School despite being a bigger than average kid at the time, obvious once he got to TX University the Alum or school started to FEED HIM to be the size we all know of his stature at Houston Oilers. I was just a 5 year old kid seeing this humongous football RB in Oilers uniform of being in awe. Now seeing his College days, there was a BIG difference of his size from College to Pro. TX fed Campbell to be the guy we all seen him in Oiler uniform. His college days he looked more like Billy Sims but with extraordinary power and strength.
I was looking for the run where he is on the far sideline running from right to left carrying a DB at least 5 yards in the endzone. I've never forgotten that image. Where is it?
Texas 13, Arkansas 9 1977. From Michigan 5th grade. Started following college football after that game. Just a random ABC I watched. Arkansas bombed Oklahoma in 78 Orange Bowl, right?
No disrespect to Earl Campbell(top five in my book)but Herschel Walker was the best college running back ever. Everyone in the stadium knew Herschel was gonna get the ball and still couldn’t stop him...maybe I’m being biased because I went to UGA but stats don’t lie.
The Return of the Dread-I I agree on the Herschel Walker thing. I think Adrian Peterson should be up there. He had nearly 2000 yards in one season as a FRESHMAN😱😱
He hershel Walker only won one Heisman trophy, so that puts back to earth, he was super great but did not stay his senior in college to get two Heisman trophy winner
Herschel ran a 10.23 legal time & 10.10 Windaided in the 100 meters at 230 lbs. I don't know if you know how incredibly fast and powerful that is. Bo ran a 10.44 legal & a 10.39 Windaided. Let that settle in for a moment.
I don’t mean any disrespect to the great Earl Campbell because he is on the short list for the greatest, but I would choose Eric Dickerson if I had to pick between the two.
His teammates should be ashamed from all that speculating instead of blocking...shoo he's getting tackled by 5 guys every time....5 guys burger joint was inspired by earl campbell
On so many of those runs there was very little blocking, he did it all on his own! Unless you got a shoe string tackle on him, you were going to pay the price trying to tackle him..
Too bad about his health issues. He had to play too many games on that painted asphalt, better known as '70's Astroturf. Almost every football player from that era has major health issues playing on that awful stuff.
Earl is in the greatest power running back conversation with Bo Jackson, Jim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Eddie George, and Jamal Lewis. Though, in my humble opinion, Jim Brown is the best power and overall running back in NFL history. When I watch Campbell, he lacks the capability to change directions well, and once he’s hit around or below his knees, he goes down. Great straight ahead runner, though.
Earl could change directions with the best of them, he WANTED to hit people. He looked for contact on every play, it's the reason his career didn't last very long. He never lost his fullback mentality, and it made him amazing to watch, and a defensive nightmare to face.
Webster's definition of Fear; The feeling you get when you are a defensive back and you are the only thing between Earl Campbell and the end zone.
Earl was a class act and a tremendous athlete.
Thanks Earl for the memories
Early Earl Campbell runs looks like those scenes from super hero movies where the hero is just starting to learn how to use their super powers. Wild flailing out of control speed and power.
Couldn't have said it better 👏
He was never “out of control“
@@padre4306 The way he would fall with his legs all splayed out.
The best thing about Earl is that he is a decent guy.
Its getting harder and harder to say that about players now
yes that is correct
I'd say good guy, but I get your gist.
I worked for a bank in San Angelo, Texas when the Oilers held their training camp at Angelo State. The players would come in to cash checks or to wire money. Was around nearly all of them at one time or another. Most were nice (granted some were not), but Earl Campbell was always the nicest of all. Always so polite to the staff and so accommodating to their requests for autographs and to having their picture made with him. So I’m with you on Mr. Campbell being a decent man.
He really was a decent guy! But the football life took a real physical toll on his body that was real sad part!
There is not one centimeter of gain he makes in this entire compilation that is easy. He is hit, hit and hit again each time. Then it's on to the NFL. No wonder he's had physical issues in later life. God bless you Earl.
He was also born with Spinal Stenosis
At the end of a lot of these runs and runs in his pro career, you can tell he's in pain, but he just deals with it and goes on.
Earl was my favorite RB of all time..
Still is mines
both of my top 2 RBs of all time is #1 Dickerson, #2 Campbell
I was 11 in 1978 and I loved going to the Astrodome and watch Earl Campbell and the Oilers. Wonderful memories spending time with my Pops, The Oilers, and Earl Campbell. Thanks Earl!
Earl was a true workhorse running back taking so many brutal hits and still kept going
A God given,balance between power,speed and a big heart to play the game... #'s 20 & 34 retired to honor him... Among the greates of all times 👍
This man gave so much to the game and it took so much from him it's sad but he and bo Jackson are the most powerful running backs I have ever seen Campbell is the the top dog though godly power and strength the ball in his hands
I'm 52. Earl Campbell is my favorite all-time athlete. He was worn out by Bum Philips and the Oilers. I'm a Saints fan now because he was traded to NO when I was around 14 yrs old and after he retired I just stuck with the Saints.
Personally watched him manhandled the Razorbacks in 1977, went for 188 yards against a top ranked defense. Ran like a truck inside and a deer outside just like the man said.
You, sir, are running a criminally underrated channel.
yea I 100 percent agree lol
EARL CAMPBELL the BEST running back ever. Yes, EVER.
Wow, Campbell’s ran hard, but I was surprised how man DB’s I saw come up and lay some hard fearless hits on Earl. Great video of a truly great player, thank you for sharing.
"Classic" tailback playing fullback on a lot of these. Payton is my all time favorite but if I had to pick a RB to start my team, it'd be Earl. Skoal, brotha.
Was a fullback in the wishbone under Darrel Royal his first 3 yrs which meant all inside runs! (Campbell also stayed injured a lot!).Fred Akers came in his Sr yr after Royal retired and didn't know how to coach the"Bone...Akers put in the veer and I-formation which gave Earl a chance to do more than just up the middle plays and he won the Heisman!
Earl Campbell was tough as a steel leather boot Texas made and Texas raised
Texas raised my ass. Lucky he got out of there before he was lynched, then we wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy his talent.(dont let the white girls catch you.You know they love the BBC)
@@booster5329 you ok?
Yes it was so racist he went back and runs his businesses from there.
Wow. I think I saw just one play in which a single player got him to the ground. Most plays there were three guys necessary to get him down.
I absolutely loved watching Earl Campbell. Skoal Brother…
I saw Earl Campbell play, I believe he was a freshman, at Memorial Stadium against the Cal Bears. I had never seen a RB so hard to bring down. He just plowed through and around the defense bouncing off tacklers like a pinball.
My first autograph. Thanks Mr. Campbell
Wow I never saw him for u of Texas, bit greatness was already there just perfect
I've watched a number of these videos and one thing I've noticed, is that these all time great RB's took a tremendous amount of hits. And this was BEFORE they got to the pros. No wander there bodies broke down. Its a miracle that guys like Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith and now Adrian Peterson were and are able to play as long as they did. Great footage though.
Best part. "GOD GIVEN TALENT".
Jesus, that awful 1970s astroturf. I went on the field at Oklahoma, Nebraska and the Cotton Bowl back in the day and each of them the field was a hard as concrete.
What a brutal runner.
I love how most of this is against OU!🤘
I am very surprised a channel this small so good!
Earl's God given talent. Nice guy anyone would want to meet, me included.
awesome but mannnn idk if you've ever seen that clip where he picks that guy up at the 5yd line and slams him in the endzone its amazing raw power!!
I've seen that clip. Back when I made this video, I didn't like to include single runs from games, because I wanted them to be part of a series of plays from a game (with the exception of the first play of the video). If I'd made this video now, I would've included that run.
+PockyCandy Yeah i feel you on that but that would be the exception thats not something you see twice in a lifetime it's truly amazing.
***** If I could go back in time, I'd put the run in. That is/was/will always be the greatest stiff arm in the history of football.
He literally choke slammed the guy with his off-hand, while the ball was in the other hand. UNREAL
That artificial turf back in the day was tough on your body as well as the physical contact.
Exactly, Carl banks called it padded concrete. But you look at players like Walter Payton, they cut front foot,and shifted on it perfectly
No wonder he can't move today, God Bless him, he didn't avoid any contact
😂😂😂 bro you foul
The thing that sticks out to me is the cheap shots being laid on Campbell when he gets gang-tackled(the clotheslines, horsecollars, forearms, the spearing, the late hits after he's clearly on the ground). Pretty typical for Southeastern football though. And of course, a lot of that was considered legal back then...
Back then instead of tackling they was trying to hurt u specially if ur great it was like earning stripes
Factor in race too at that time
You make a great point here. I had no idea of the extent of the gang tackles. You could hear the shots being handed out. Until you pointed out all of the cheap stuff...they had no other defence against this force of nature. Shame on them, control the time of possesion instead.
Loved the Taylor Rose from day's at UT to the lonely😮 Houston OILERS. One of the greatest of knot the greatest, Love you Blue.
I just met this legend the other day!!
see this is what i mean, here is a guy that is worthy of being called an all time great. lots of times when you see other old time running backs, you often see a guy who's not that fast, not that strong. sure, they dominated in their era, but they did so versus lesser athletes. when you watch earl campbell, you know without a doubt that he could play in today's league and easily be a top 5 runningback. he was an athlete far ahead of his time.
Lots of RBs from earlier eras who were just as fast, strong and good.
@@billmorrison9068 as earl Campbell? No. They had tougher runnings backs back then. But earl Campbell is top 10 on anybody's list. That means a lot were good but not as good as Campbell
Earl Campbell.. He was a modern day Terminator... Relentless, Powerful, Dominant with a motor that never stops. A punishing machine...
A man amount men. Guy was a beast!
Power and determination on display - wish the Steelers had him with Franco Harris. Fun to have watched him at Texas and the Oilers
This guy played football and never knew he had a narrowing of his spinal column and just slight hit on that part of column would have paralysed Earl. Later on in life he did become partially paralysed but since then an therapy he is walking again. 😜🏈
Notre Dame...only team to SHUT Earl down...Campbell Herschel and Barry Sanders were the best college RBs I ever saw!
Gotta love Keith Jackson doing the announcing!
During the middle 80s, one time i was having lunch at Harrys in downtown Houston. I sat at the end of a long table, as I was reading and eating unaware Mr Cambell was next to me. He’s quiet as he watched me, until I looked up and casually said hi without really knowing it’s him. Few moments later I came to realize my Oilers star running back (retired) sitting next to me. Later I stood up and gave him a nod then just left.
These are some amazing runs by the Tyler Rose, But why is it that after all these years the footage that they put together as some of Earl's Greatest Runs never included most of these great Runs, What a shame*
GOD said I'm going to make me a running back. He made EARL CAMPBELL. Done!
What a gaint,if Earl Campbell would let me I would be proud to call MY BROTHER Earl Campbell ,love you Big Earl Campbell
This man was not afraid of contact, He embraced it!
I played in a celebrity golf even & paired with Heisman Winner John David Crow. Past winners get to vote for the Heisman so I ask JD if he voted for Earl. He said, Yes, because of one stat. Earl gained 1357 yards after he'd been hit the first time.
Remembering Earl got his break when previous fullback, Rosevelt Leaks went down with a injury
Tyler Rose !! Run Earl Run !!
You don't see hits like these often today. There's a dog pile almost every play.
Ou fan here , but when earl went to the Oilers it was a beautiful thing!!!
The best of the best,even his sons saw what their father did and said I just couldn't believe that they were looking at their father on film
Idc what anyone says, the better rb of all time between Ricky and Earl, I'm go say Earl no matter what. This dude was an monster here and the NFL.
"Skoal brotha", remember those commercials? #1 bruiser for me, W. Peyton #2 and E. Smith #3.
I was shocked when they was using him at FB thought was watching old Nebraska highlights for min.
A true Legend from Texas. 👍😁
earl campbell as the FB in the wishbone-made the life of the halfbacks easy- possibility of long gains on simple FB dive plays
I started at UT in 1976 which was Earl's junior year when he got hurt. In 1977 watching him from the stands was like watching a grown man run over a bunch of kids on his way to the Heisman Trophy. When he was drafted by the Oilers my friends said Yeah he might be able to help us..........i said HOUSTON HAS EARL FREAKING CAMPBELL!!! They would have won the Super Bowl if it hadn't been for the CHEATING by the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship. Not only a great football player but a God Fearing Father, Husband and Texan!!!
We all know about his power but he was also speedy and graceful.
Earl Campbell or Barry Sanders.... Take your pick as the "GOAT" RB......
he was a horse love watchin this man straight up dozier
When football was football!!!
Boy, he took a lot of punishment. Now I can understand how his body broke down later in life. But what a great talent.
It looks like a bunch of pillows hit him it takes like 3, 4, maybe 5 guys just to bring him down
❤ earl Campbell & Houston oiler football team late 1970s &early 1980s , ❤ Houston oiler fight song ,
The man was A TRAIN.
It seemed to me that Earl got hurt on almost every play. I feel badly for the man bc he gave his health for the game and he even said; had he known he would end up the way that he did, that he would have never played the game. Sad but true.
In the Baylor clips, you can see the defense is exhausted. Like trying to stop a truck🚚😂😂😂😂😂
The worst coaching mistake of All Time was putting Earl Campbell at Wishbone Fullback by Darrell Royal. Loved Coach Royal, but he put a “Fence” around Campbell and Told opponents that he would Only run between the Tackles!? Campbell was a track Champion who seldom ever got to use his Speed to the outside! All defenses had to do was Stack up the inside a Beat Him to Death! Then Bum Phillips used him as a battering ram with the Oilers and ran him 30-40 times a game! It was Brutal and shortened his Career by several years.
Earls Sr yr, who’s 67 ? He was making some killer blocks at point. 67 damn.
The Great Earl Campbell
The announcer said, "That is the Earl Campbell of old". Sounds like he was talking about an old person. This is college. 😃
That is a man among boys
Man Earl Dished out and took a beating no wonder he can Barely walk now.
Bum Philip's was once told he gets up slow bum said he goes down slow too
1:42 OMG
I wanted to hear him say "Katy, bar the door....!"
Greatness
From his Texas Freshman , Sophomore years or his first 2 years at TEXAS, Campbell seem to be a bit poor in High School despite being a bigger than average kid at the time, obvious once he got to TX University the Alum or school started to FEED HIM to be the size we all know of his stature at Houston Oilers. I was just a 5 year old kid seeing this humongous football RB in Oilers uniform of being in awe. Now seeing his College days, there was a BIG difference of his size from College to Pro. TX fed Campbell to be the guy we all seen him in Oiler uniform. His college days he looked more like Billy Sims but with extraordinary power and strength.
god that turf was a killer.
Earl Campbell played his entire football career on those horrible artificial turf fields.
1:42 incredible stuff 👍
You don't want to tackle the Tyler Rose!🏈
the best
Earl may not had full speed, but my golly, he sure was a full power back
He out ran the Miami secondary on an 80 yard TD run his rookie year. No speed you say 🤔
I was looking for the run where he is on the far sideline running from right to left carrying a DB at least 5 yards in the endzone. I've never forgotten that image. Where is it?
That was against Rice correct?
@@lamontedoe4048 I'm not sure. But I can envision Earl carrying a Rice DB w/o any problem, lol.
Earl Campbell and OU’s RB Marcus Dupree had the same build and running style.
Texas 13, Arkansas 9 1977. From Michigan 5th grade. Started following college football after that game. Just a random ABC I watched. Arkansas bombed Oklahoma in 78 Orange Bowl, right?
Lol, Earl Campbell has the greatest stiff arm of all time.
No disrespect to Earl Campbell(top five in my book)but Herschel Walker was the best college running back ever. Everyone in the stadium knew Herschel was gonna get the ball and still couldn’t stop him...maybe I’m being biased because I went to UGA but stats don’t lie.
The Return of the Dread-I
I agree on the Herschel Walker thing. I think Adrian Peterson should be up there. He had nearly 2000 yards in one season as a FRESHMAN😱😱
Sooner ACE Yes sir..AP was a freak of nature at Oklahoma and the only other back besides Bo Jackson that reminds me of Walker.
He hershel Walker only won one Heisman trophy, so that puts back to earth, he was super great but did not stay his senior in college to get two Heisman trophy winner
Herschel ran a 10.23 legal time & 10.10 Windaided in the 100 meters at 230 lbs. I don't know if you know how incredibly fast and powerful that is. Bo ran a 10.44 legal & a 10.39 Windaided. Let that settle in for a moment.
1:43. For a man that big to show that kind of agility should be illegal
"this is keeeeth jakson"
I don’t mean any disrespect to the great Earl Campbell because he is on the short list for the greatest, but I would choose Eric Dickerson if I had to pick between the two.
His teammates should be ashamed from all that speculating instead of blocking...shoo he's getting tackled by 5 guys every time....5 guys burger joint was inspired by earl campbell
Did earl ever fumble?
Yes
When I was a small boy, I loved sugar.
On so many of those runs there was very little blocking, he did it all on his own! Unless you got a shoe string tackle on him, you were going to pay the price trying to tackle him..
Too bad about his health issues. He had to play too many games on that painted asphalt, better known as '70's Astroturf. Almost every football player from that era has major health issues playing on that awful stuff.
Gameplan: we’re gonna hand the ball to earl until he beats the defense into submission.
Earl is in the greatest power running back conversation with Bo Jackson, Jim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Eddie George, and Jamal Lewis. Though, in my humble opinion, Jim Brown is the best power and overall running back in NFL history. When I watch Campbell, he lacks the capability to change directions well, and once he’s hit around or below his knees, he goes down. Great straight ahead runner, though.
Earl could change directions with the best of them, he WANTED to hit people. He looked for contact on every play, it's the reason his career didn't last very long. He never lost his fullback mentality, and it made him amazing to watch, and a defensive nightmare to face.
Earl Campbell used to be best 🏃♂️ running back in NFL, late 1970s & early 1980s ,❤ earl Campbell