30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
Career Statistics
- Games: 40
- Carries: 765
- Rushing Yards: 4,443
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 111.1
- Rushing Yards Per Season: 1,110.8
- Rushing Touchdowns: 40
- Yards Per Carry: 5.8
- Receptions: 6
- Receiving Yards: 128
- Receiving Touchdowns: 1
- Notable: Heisman Trophy Winner, 1977; All-American, 1977
After signing with Texas one of the most celebrated recruits in the nation, Earl Campbell made an immediate impact for the Longhorns as a freshman in 1974 with 928 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
As a sophomore, Campbell was even better and cracked the 1,000-yard mark for the first time with 1,118 yards and scored 13 touchdowns on the ground. A torn hamstring in the spring of 1976 limited the “Tyler Rose” to 653 yards and three TDs in seven games, but Campbell emerged as the nation’s best player the following year as a senior.
In 1977, Campbell led the nation in rushing yards (1,744) and rushing touchdowns (18) and won the Heisman Trophy. His 19 total touchdowns and 1,855 yards from scrimmage were also the best in the country, and Campbell gained an impressive 6.5 yards per carry on 267 rushing attempts.
Campbell is one of just three players in the history of the game to win a Heisman Trophy, be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft, and be elected to both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. O.J. Simpson and Paul Hornung are the others.
Next: Bo Jackson