I was watching the first quarter of the Texas-Texas Tech game on Saturday night before I headed out for my Saturday evening debauchery. It was senior night at DKR-Memorial stadium, and a few old Longhorn football greats showed up. Then I saw something that disturbed the hell out of me. They showed Earl Campbell, walking with crutches, and being helped into a golf cart so they could drive him around the perimeter of the stadium so he could wave at the fans. I saw Earl in person 4 years ago, and he was walking with a cane. It looks like his physical condition has deteriorated since then. He was very gray, and looked 15 years older than he is. It was very sad and disturbing to see this great man in such poor physical condition. He was a hero of mine, and it saddens me to see such a great warrior broken down like that. Did anybody else see this Saturday night?
Ya I saw that during the pre-game show. I saw him in person a few years ago to get his autograph at a car show. The difference b/w maybe 5 years ago and today is very sad.
He's not only suffering from the hits he took in football, he's also been dealt some hard knocks in life as well. I really don't feel right talking about him, because I consider him a friend. But let's just say he's not doing very well.
I see him in the End Zone Club all the time. I was sitting right across from him last year and didn't recognize him. I figured out it was him after he signed some autographs. He definitely didn't look his age.
A pretty good friend of mine was on the cart with Earl, Coach Royal and Coach Akers. We're still trying to figure out why! It was very sad to see Earl in worse shape than his former coaches.
Earl was a hero to me when I was a kid.....his strength, running.....he looked beautiful when he ran....I wore that jersey everyday. Hate to hear this about him.
My 3rd grade teacher had the biggest crush on him. She had probaly atleast 10 autographed items around the room. It was insane. I don't know much about him other than he played for the Oilers and Qb'ed the Aggies and the fact that he has a awsome name. Hope he gets well soon though
when they honored him at the Astros game last year he had to be helped up out of his seat, sad but he still is a big hero in the eyes of the Houston fans. When he shunned the hall of fame honor in Titanville that showed how much he loved the city of Houston and it's fans.
I saw that footage of Earl. Basically, you can blame his leg condition, in part, on dumbass Bum Phillips. I have never seen a coach kill a back like that. It was always run-Earl-3-times-and-then-punt. The defenses knew he was coming and the punishment was amazing. Also, I've read that Earl has had some emotional difficulties -- things like panic attacks, anxiety attacks. Could explain all the gray hair. Poor guy.
Earl isn't the only NFL player to suffer like this. Bum Phillips may have ended his career prematurely, but about 5 years ago, Sports Illustrated had an article on how former NFL players' bodies fall apart after they retire. Guys having 5 to 10 knee surguries after retirement. All kinds of horror studies. The body just isn't built to take that much punishment. Football's an unforgiving sport, and it's particularly bad on Running Backs.
I'd sure as heck give it to Earl every time if I had Dan "Passed it to the other team"-orini as my QB....
Last year, ESPN had an "Outside The Lines" about Earl and the punishment RB's take for not stepping out of bounds. They had an interview with Jerome Bettis and he was saying how he modeled his game after Earls. Then they showed Bettis a tape of Earl today walking around with a cane. Bettis was generally stunned and seemed very frightened. I think it really affected Jerome seeing Earl like that. Earl is, was, and always will be my all-time favorite athlete. There was nothing like being a 9-year-old living in Houston right smack dab in the middle of the Luv Ya Blue era. Nothing will ever match that. Not even the Rockets championships (flame me if you must).
