The first Hall of Famer to make this list, Earl Campbell was known for his punishing, bruising, aggressive, downhill running style but it’s easy to wonder how much more prolific he might have been had he avoided the kind of injuries that shortened so many other back’s careers.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft out of Texas, the Heisman Trophy winner arrived in Houston and immediately lived up to the potential the Oilers saw in him … and then some.
Campbell quickly developed the reputation as a bowling ball, who would prefer to run defenders over rather than shiftily break tackles, and that style helped propel him to No. 30 on the all-time rushing list, but the potential that he showed early in his career might have vaulted him significantly higher if he would have been able to stay healthy.
In each of his first three seasons, Campbell rushed for more than 1,400 yards, including a career-high 1,934 yards in 1980, his third NFL season. Campbell only rushed for fewer than 1,300 yards once in his first six years.
But, eventually, Campbell’s running style began to take a toll.
There wasn’t one singular injury that did Campbell in, but rather the collective toll of nine seasons with a punishing running style began to chip away at his production. Today, Campbell has been diagnosed with nerve disease, spinal stenosis, and other conditions that have left him reliant on a walker, which is a difficult image for what a brutally physical football career can do to a body.
- Career stats: 2,187 carries for 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns, 121 receptions for 806 yards
- Pro Football Hall of Famer
- 1979 NFL MVP
- Three-time First-Team All-Pro
- Three-time NFL Offensive Player of The Year
- 1978 NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year
- Five-time Pro Bowler
- Three-time NFL rushing champion
- NFL 1970s All-Decade Team
- NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team