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TENCAMPBELL—

Earl Campbell

Retired

New Orleans Saints · RB

Earl Campbell recorded 115 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 8 rostered seasons with New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Houston Oilers.

▶Best highlights

81.8

rush yds/gm

7.0

rec yds/gm

6

playoff games

115

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Earl Campbell's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Earl Campbell's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the Divisional Round against Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, Earl Campbell recorded 118 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 10 receiving yards in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell
  2. #2. In the Wild Card Round against Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins, Earl Campbell recorded 84 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 13 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell
  3. #3. In the Wild Card Round against Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders, Earl Campbell recorded 91 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell
  4. #4. Against Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans, Earl Campbell recorded 199 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell
  5. #5. Against Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, Earl Campbell recorded 186 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 16 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Divisional Round
1978
TENNESSEETITANS
NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS
DEC 31, 1978

Tennessee Titans vs New England Patriots

Divisional Round · Dec 31, 1978

118 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 1 rec

Wild Card
1978
TENNESSEETITANS
MIAMIDOLPHINS
DEC 24, 1978

Tennessee Titans vs Miami Dolphins

Wild Card · Dec 24, 1978

84 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 1 rec

Wild Card
1980
TENNESSEETITANS
OAKLANDRAIDERS
DEC 28, 1980

Tennessee Titans vs Oakland Raiders

Wild Card · Dec 28, 1980

91 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 0 rec

Regular Season
1978
MIAMIDOLPHINS
TENNESSEETITANS
NOV 20, 1978

Miami Dolphins vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Nov 20, 1978

199 rush yds · 4 rush TD · 0 rec

Regular Season
1981
SEATTLESEAHAWKS
TENNESSEETITANS
OCT 11, 1981

Seattle Seahawks vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Oct 11, 1981

186 rush yds · 2 rush TD · 3 rec

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Earl Campbell's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 206 rushing yards

Regular Season
1980
TENNESSEETITANS
CHICAGOBEARS
NOV 16, 1980

Tennessee Titans vs Chicago Bears

Regular Season · Nov 16, 1980

206 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 0 rec

Career high: 4 rushing touchdowns

Regular Season
1978
MIAMIDOLPHINS
TENNESSEETITANS
NOV 20, 1978

Miami Dolphins vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Nov 20, 1978

199 rush yds · 4 rush TD · 0 rec

Career high: 68 receiving yards

Regular Season
1983
MIAMIDOLPHINS
TENNESSEETITANS
DEC 4, 1983

Miami Dolphins vs Tennessee Titans

Regular Season · Dec 4, 1983

138 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 3 rec

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Earl Campbell's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1978–1984

01
TENCAMPBELL—Earl Campbell
TENPASTORINI—Dan Pastorini
TENBRAZILE—Robert Brazile

Campbell carries Houston to two AFC title games

Tennessee Titans · Luv Ya Blue

Campbell's punishing MVP seasons packed the Astrodome and sent Houston to consecutive conference championship games against Pittsburgh.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1967–1986

02
NOCAMPBELL—Earl Campbell
NOMANNING—Archie Manning
NODEMPSEY—Tom Dempsey

Dempsey's kick and Manning's resilience

New Orleans Saints · The long beginning

New Orleans produced beloved moments but no winning season in its first two decades, turning loyalty itself into the franchise's defining trait.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

NFL rushing touchdowns leader · 1979, 1980NFL rushing yards leader · 1978, 1979, 19808 NFL seasons115 career games57 career passing yards1 career passing touchdowns9,407 career rushing yards74 career rushing touchdowns121 career receptions806 career receiving yardsJersey: 06 playoff appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 3, 1978Most recent: Dec 22, 1985

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history