Tag: Earl Campbell

Staff Roundtable: Who makes the Mount Rushmore of Texas football?

With ongoing discussions regarding the Mount Rushmore of Texas football, the staff weighed in on their own versions.

It seems that every media outlet, social media account, or on-air personalities have attempted to put together their own “Mount Rushmore” of a certain topic. There are no shortages of notable names for the Texas football program, so we’re going to jump on board and give it a shot. From legendary coaches to players on the field, there is quite a pool of talent to choose from.

Patrick’s Mount Rushmore

Darrell K. Royal

It is difficult to put together a top four list that doesn’t involve Coach Royal. The stadium is named after him and he brought the Longhorns three National Championships and 11 conference titles in his 20-year run as head coach. The Longhorns were just 1-9 the season the season before Royal’s hire and went 6-4-1 in that first year including an invite to the Sugar Bowl. Overall he finished his coaching record with the Longhorns at 167-45-5 which included two undefeated seasons.

Vince Young

When people think of Texas, many remember the play in the Rose Bowl on fourth down. Vince Young willed a team that many felt would fall to USC en route to their third-straight National Championship. The highest rated recruit ever at the University of Texas provided many memories, including a National Championship that immortalized Young at Texas.

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Mack Brown

The Texas Longhorns hadn’t won a National Title since 1970, when Mack Brown came to town it changed a lot for the Longhorns. During his tenure, Mack led the Longhorns to nine-straight seasons with double digit wins. Two National Championship appearances and one championship. While at Texas, Mack won 158 games putting him just nine short of Royal’s mark.

Earl Campbell

It would be an incomplete Mount Rushmore without Earl Campbell. The Tyler Rose won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 when he rushed for 1,744 yards and 18 touchdowns. It was the first time a Longhorn had won the trophy. Overall, Campbell finished with 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns. His rushing yards total was the best in school history until Ricky Williams came along. Still the 3rd highest in school history behind Williams and the late Cedric Benson.

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Former Texas Longhorn ranked No. 7 on College Football’s top 150 players

ESPN announced the top 150 college players of all time, former Texas running back Earl Campbell landed in the top ten.

During halftime of the College Football Playoff National Championship, a former Longhorn legend was honored as one of the top college football players of all time.

ESPN released the rankings of the Top 11 of 150 best players, former Texas running back Earl Campbell was listed as the seventh-greatest player in history.

Campbell showcased a dominant senior season with the Longhorns in 1977. After rushing for 1,744 yards and 18 touchdowns, Campbell won Texas’ first Heisman Trophy in a landslide vote.

The former Longhorn legend finished his four-year career with 4,443 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns. In the 1978 NFL Draft, the Houston Oilers selected Campbell with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

In 1991, Campbell was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

 

Ohio State running back J.K Dobbins wins Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has been named the winner of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award for 2019.

You had a feeling it would happen, and now it’s official. Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has been named the winner of the Tyler Rose Early Campbell Award, given from the best player from Texas annually.

Dobbins, from La Grange, Texas committed to Ohio State without even stepping on campus. He suffered a pretty severe ankle injury his senior year of high school, but became a force from the time he arrived in Columbus through his last game in the Fiesta Bowl.

He is now off to the NFL, having declared for the draft after his junior year, and leaves Ohio State as its second-leading rusher of all-time, and single-season program rushing record-holder.

If there’s one thing we know, those boys from Texas take a lot of pride in football played in the Lone Star state, so this has to be a proud moment for Dobbins and his friends and family. The award was presented to Dobbins by Earl Campbell himself at an awards banquet on Wednesday.

“I’m honored to present the award to J.K. Dobbins,” Earl Campbell said. “All of these players had an amazing season. They all deserved their place as a finalist.”

Dobbins beat out other finalists, Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer, SMU quarterback Shane Buechele, and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

This is obviously a well-deserved honor for one of the best to ever suit up in the scarlet and gray.

 

Texas great Earl Campbell once said he was heading to Oklahoma, per Barry Switzer

A casual NFL Sunday turned into a day of quick reflection. One of Texas’ great running backs said he was originally going to Oklahoma.

A casual NFL Sunday turned into a day of quick reflection.

The College Football Playoff national championship game is Monday night. Former Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer is down in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the game between LSU and Clemson and ran into an old commit.

Kind of … I think.

Texas great Earl Campbell is also down in the Big Easy for the game. He and Switzer ran into each other, and the legendary Oklahoma coach made it a chance for a photo opportunity. As well as a chance to tell an old, yet fascinating, story.

“Earl told me when he left Norman on his official visit he was going to be a Sooner!,” Switzer tweeted. “Next time I saw him he was across the field from me in the Cotton Bowl(emoji)!”

Do … what?

Campbell rushed for 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns during his four years at the Univetrsity of Texas. During his senior season in 1977, he rushed for 1,744 yards on 6.4 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns. Campbell also won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 before becoming the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 1978 NFL Draft.

The former Texas great is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame after being a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro selection and winning the NFL MVP award in his rookie season in 1978. Campbell rushed for 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns in his short seven-year NFL career.

He is named after the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award given to the top offensive player in NCAA Division I from the state of Texas.

But what if the tables were turned as Switzer says?

The former Oklahoma coach would have had a nine-year stretch of Greg Pruitt (No. 30 overall NFL Draft selection), Joe Washington (No. 4 overall NFL Draft selection), Campbell (No. 1 overall NFL Draft selection) then Billy Sims (No. 1 overall NFL Draft selection). Pruitt and Washington were Heisman finalists with Sims winning the Trophy in 1978.

Switzer’s recruiting ability was second to none, and it appears as if a silent commitment flipped elsewhere during his tenure. One of the caliber of the great Earl Campbell, who ended up going 1-2-1 against Oklahoma in his Texas career.

Guess him heading to Texas now makes the loss of Adrian Peterson out of the state of Texas for the Longhorns even.

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Two Longhorns Listed On NFL’s All-Time Team

Earl Campbell and Tom Landry made the cut for the NFL’s All-Time Team as the league celebrates 100 years of football.

The NFL has been announcing their All-Time team as they celebrate 100 years of football. With so many greats to have played the game or contributed to the game it would be a tough task for anyone. The Texas Longhorns made the list with two representatives. You can see the full list on the NFL website using the link below.

NFL All-Time Team

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Vegas Odds: Early 2020 Heisman Odds

The super early odds to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy are in, is Sam Ehlinger on the list?

The 2019-20 college football season isn’t over yet but after Joe Burrow became the first LSU quarterback to bring home the Heisman Trophy, the odds for the 2020 Heisman Trophy have been released by OddShark.

The Texas Longhorns have had two Heisman Trophy winners in their history that dates back to 1893. Both winners were running backs with Earl Campbell in 1977. Campbell was the fifth-straight running back to win the award. The running backs run as winner of the prestigious award until Doug Flutie broke through in 1984.

The other Longhorn to win came in 1998 after Ricky Williams had a monster season for Texas. During that decade running backs won the award four times and just three times since (twice if you don’t count Reggie Bush’s vacated win). The award has basically become who was the best quarterback in college football. So what are the odds for a Sam Ehlinger run?

Justin Fields (Ohio State) +250
Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) +300
Mac Jones (Alabama) +800
Bo Nix (Auburn) +900
Jake Fromm (Georgia) +1000
Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma) +1000
Kedon Slovis (USC) +1200
Sam Ehlinger (Texas) +1200
Sam Howell (North Carolina) +2000
Zamir White (Georgia) +2500
Derek Stingley Jr. (LSU) +2500
Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) +2800
Brock Purdy (Iowa State) +2800
Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis) +2800
Javian Hawkins (Louisville) +2800
Jaylen Waddle (Alabama) +3300
Ja’Marr Chase (LSU) +3300

Ehlinger currently sits with the seventh best odds right now to win the Heisman Trophy in 2020. If he does make that magical run in 2020 he would be the first Longhorns quarterback to bring home such an honor. Ehlinger would also make the seventh Big 12 quarterback to win since 2000. Eric Crouch (Big 12 at the time) and Robert Griffin III are the only non-Oklahoma quarterbacks to win during that same span.

Can Sam Ehlinger throw his way to being the third?

CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Hurts named Earl Campbell Award semifinalists

Both CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Hurts have been named semifinalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

As the college football season begins its end, award season is just beginning.

Both CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Hurts have been named semifinalists for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. The award is given to the best offensive talent in Division I football from the state of Texas that also exemplifies the characteristics of Texas Longhorn and NFL legend, Earl Campbell.

Both Lamb and Hurts have quite the list of awards and watch lists between them already.

Lamb was a consensus midseason first-team All-American and is a semifinalist for both the Biletnikoff (best wide receiver) and the Maxwell Award (best all around player).

Hurts finds himself in the race for the Heisman Trophy, a semifinalist for both the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien Trophy (best quarterback), as well as well as the CLASS award (best senior student-athlete). Adding the Earl Campbell Tyler rose Award would add to an already rewarding collegiate career.

Past Sooners to win the Campbell Award include Kyler Murray (2018) and Baker Mayfield (2017). Oklahoma has also produced at least one finalist for the award all but the first year of the award in 2013.

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Earl Campbell named as a finalist for the NFL 100 All-Time Team

Longhorn Legend Earl Campbell has been named as a running back finalist to make the NFL 100 All-Time Team

In celebration of the NFL’s 100th season, they are releasing what the league considers to be the 100 greatest players and 10 greatest coaches in league history. Longhorn Legend Earl Campbell has been named as a running back finalist to make the team.

Campbell was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 after a career totaling 9,407 rushing yards, 74 touchdowns, 806 receiving yards. The only thing more legendary than Earl Campbell’s NFL career was his career as a Texas Longhorn. Campbell won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 and was a two-time All-American. In his four-year career at Texas, Campbell ran for 4,443 yards and 40 touchdowns – including his monster 1977 Heisman season, when he ran the ball 267 times for 1,744 yards and 18 touchdowns.

There are 24 RB finalists listed, and 12 will make the final cut. Campbell is listed alongside great backs such as Marcus Allen, Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, LaDainian Tomlinson, and more.