Longhorns Legend Earl Campbell Named 'Best' All-Time Titans NFL Draft Pick

Earl Campbell is a Texas Longhorns and Houston Oilers Legend, and recently was named the best draft pick in Tennessee Titans franchise history

If you ask any Texas Longhorns fan to make a list of the best players in school history, odds are that Earl Campbell's name will be somewhere near the top.

In fact, until Ricky Williams came along and won the Heisman trophy in 1998, there wasn't a particularly good case for anyone but Campbell to hold that title. 

And while his career in the NFL did not have the shelf life that many Longhorns fans had hoped, Campbell was still a dominant force when he was healthy in Houston. 

How dominant? Campbell was so good, that he was named by Sports Illustrated as the best NFL Draft pick in franchise history.

How great was Campbell? Campbell played two seasons with the then Oilers in the 1970s and was named to the All-Decade Team. Enough said.

Campbell lasted only eight NFL seasons, but the bruising back was a force. Known as the Tyler Rose, Campbell ran for 5,081 yards and 45 touchdowns over his first three seasons, earning MVP honors in 1979. He was also Rookie of the Year and named first-team All-Pro from ’78 to ’80, before posting three of his five total Pro Bowl years after that.

In his six seasons with the Oilers, Campbell rushed 1,979 times for 8,574 yards and 73 touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

He was also a five-time Pro Bowl nominee, a three-time offensive player of the year, a, NFL MVP, and a three-time NFL First-Team All-Pro, leading the Oilers to three straight 10-win seasons, two AFC Championship games, and three playoff berths.

In short, no other player has ever had as great an impact as Campbell did on the Oilers, who eventually evolved into today's Tennessee Titans.

During his time at Texas, Campbell also had a tremendous impact, being named a two-time All-American, winning the first Heisman in school history, and early leading the Horns to a national title in 1977 - a title that was eventually awarded to Notre Dame.

In just 40 career games, Campbell rushed for 4,443 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns.

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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