these dinky receivers would get their heads ripped off by Blount , Tatum or Houston.can you imagine how these QBs of today would be left crying with their faces busted open by the Steel Curtain ,Doomsday or the Purple People Eaters ..????? [3][4] Sportswriters John Clayton and Peter Richmond both wrote on Tatum's NFL legacy. The hit . Floyd was told by doctors that his injury was connected to his diaphragm. Tatum, who was known for his devastating hits, including one a year earlier that ended the career of Darryl Stingley and left him paralyzed, delivered a blow to Campbell that he never saw coming. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Subjective bias bows at the foot objectivity: as evidenced earlier, players today are no better, and in fact are not as good as players yesteryear many cases. Elisha Archibald Manning III (born May 19, 1949) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New Orleans Saints.He played for the Saints from 1971 to 1982 and also had brief stints with the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings.In college, he played for the Ole Miss Rebels football team at the University of . He is a celebrity football player. At Texas football games, he was always in a golf cart or riding on a scooter. Tatum collided with Fuqua, knocking the ball into the air. This has nothing to do with jealousy its just the facts. Floyd was immediately held out of spring practice. It sounds like he may have taken a few too many to the head. But after retirement, he started out on his own and followed whatever advice was offered. The Raiders and New England Patriots faced off in a preseason game on August 12, 1978. However, what hes done since might not have garnered as much attention, but its more important as it has allowed Campbell to share his story and help change lives in the process. And yet Campbell thinks todays NFL isnt tough enough, and he misses the days when men were men, and they injured each other with brutal hits on concrete-like Astroturf. Players and ex players should be the only ones who give final approval to any rule changes. Bowles hasnt made decision on OC Leftwich, Top storylines for each Divisional Round matchup, Lions OC Johnson reportedly to stay with Detroit, Rodgers thinks he can win MVP in right situation, Despite his injuries, Earl Campbell misses a more physical NFL, Giants hold off Vikings 31-24 to advance to Philadelphia next weekend, Lamar Jackson sends possible message to Ravens on social media, Tom Brady gets away with a dirty move, for now. Campbell underwent the first of five back surgeries in 1999. The hit came on Campbell's fourth carry of the game. He played 10 seasons, from 1971 through 1980, with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers in the National Football League. Head coach Woody Hayes recruited Tatum as a running back. He cries to the ref when a pass rusher falls at his ankles Jack Tatum, the storied Oakland Raiders safety best known for landing the hit that paralyzed New England receiver Darryl Stingley, has died. "So you can imagine every time he would move, sure enough, it would send him sky-high with pain. The referees ruled that Tatum had touched the ball and therefore Harris's touchdown was permitted, allowing the Steelers to win the game. He escaped a horrible possible situation.". "A shock went down to the heels on my feet. In 2008, Bum Phillips, Campbell's old NFL coach and a father figure to him, insisted Campbell come see his own doctor in Houston. But this doctor started me and I don't know, hell, it just happened so fast with the surgeries. Look at the number of ACL/MCL/ripped tendons/muscle injuries in todays gamemany caused by the player just over-stressing their own body (making a cut). "As bad as it would have been for me not to be an athlete, I think when they tell a young man that they can't do something because of stenosis, I think they should really take a hearing to what the doctors are saying," Campbell said. [10] He first worked for the Raiders organization, and soon became a land developer and moved into the real-estate business. Tatum dealt with a series of problems related to diabetes in recent years. [8] The Oakland Raiders released a statement that: "Jack was the standard bearer and an inspiration for the position of safety throughout college and professional football," while Ronnie Lott stated that Tatum was one of his "football heroes". He might have just escaped that one fateful blow. Campbell learned he had played with spinal stenosis all his life. "Some defensive backs covered wide receivers; Jack buried them. Oilers offensive coordinator King Hill, himself a former No. His passing on Tuesday, at age 61, brings forth many more memories than those that come from a seemingly endless highlight reel of his bone-jarring mayhem. Garrett Wilson RPA- 1:7 Odds to Get a Pictured Hit!All 21 packs will be auctioned off exclusively at AuctionofChampions.com. There were even times, in the course of hitting a receiver, when he'd knock out some of his own teammates who were in on the coverage. In the late 1990s, at a benefit 30 miles away from his East Texas hometown of Tyler, Earl Campbell sat at a table while the party's host, a colorful businessman and one of Campbell's best friends, summoned sheepish onlookers to come say hello to the legend. Tatum visited a number of universities before starting his collegiate career with The Ohio State University Buckeyes. I just can't do it. Could Tom Brady end up in Miami, after all? It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. Hell, I didn't know no better, I thought you go to a doctor and that's somebody that's gonna save your life. "The lick I took from Jack Tatum, that's the only time I ever felt somebody hit me," Campbell told ESPN. Campbell arrived at the University of Texas in 1974 with his clothes in a single paper grocery bag from Brookshire's, the store where his mother, Ann, shopped. He was named the AP Rookie of the Year, AP Offensive Player of the Year, and was named to the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams. 1 overall pick who had worked in pro football for 20 years, stunned Wade again. Will epic playoff collapse open door for a Chargers coaching change? Campbell started the company in 1991 with $150,000 and built it into the ninth-biggest sausage manufacturer in the country, selling more than 11 mil- lion pounds per year in 38 states. orange and blue own the nfl says: Earl Campbell's undiagnosed spinal condition was particularly dangerous for the type of power runner he was. Check the tube. Why exactly? A lot of people had it wrong about Jack Tatum. Take the skirts off and you wont have to play games in London to make more $$. Is that why his head is shaped like the inside of a helmet? One of his sons was his inspiration to stop drinking his life away. But if you don't recognize the greatness of this hit (on multiple levels), you don't understand the game. for his first three years, he was as good or better than Jimmy Brown, the goat of running backs. Earl probably had a contusion of the spinal cord at that time, which would explain the burning. You can see Tatum's greatest hits on Earl Campbell, Sammy White . Jones enlisted Campbell's sons, Christian and Tyler, to confront him, knowing they had the best chance of getting his ear. Feb 1, 2017 10:20 AM. and with these pass happy sissy rules of today what kind of numbers would Staubach ,Bradshaw,Stabler and Tarkington put up ?????. He has had four back surgeries. I can't do anything.'". Learn how your comment data is processed. No copyright infringement intended. __________________________________. Earl Campbell. [4] He also suffered from an arterial blockage that cost him his right leg; he used a prosthetic limb thereafter. John David Tatum (November 18, 1948 July 27, 2010) was an American football safety. "At least Earl Campbell can walk," he said, although his balance is a problem from the surgeries. Wade Phillips, then the Oilers' defensive line coach for his father, head coach Bum Phillips, said he hadn't even seen Campbell play yet. When opponents played the Raiders, they knew they were in for a physical battle. There was an awkward collision as Stingley lowered his helmet to protect himself and hit Tatum's shoulder pad. I went and got help for that and I'm not ashamed of it.". "The amazing thing to me about Earl Campbell, this exceptional athlete I'm looking at, is that you weren't paralyzed.". Hayward "Chuck" Carbo (January 11, 1926 - July 11, 2008) was an American R&B singer, best known for his time as a vocalist in the New Orleans group The Spiders. 47K views 4 years ago. Now, Campbell says, football players have gone soft, wont play through injuries the way he did, and seem more interested in staying safe than winning a game. [4][8] The National Football League took no disciplinary action for the tackle; however, the NFL would later tighten its rules on violent hits. And his hit on Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Sammy White in Super Bowl XI ranks as one of the hardest hits in league history. Hard to compare apples to oranges. "It is terrifying," Jones said. You saw what the Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks, Lenny Marshall Giants did to QBs. "It was a test of my faith, the entire story. His example was a goal line situation where literally nothing has changed. Tatum, among the most feared and. Campbell had one doctor from birth to college. Brady would never make it in a more physical NFL. Despite such artificial advantage, have failed to match let alone top various sports records set the 20th century, 1900s. Earl Campbell is one of the greatest players in Titans/Oilers franchise history. Dont know what THIS article had to do with Brady but hes taken some pretty brutal hits over the years and has always popped right up. And by night, they could see the stars through the holes in their roof. That was his trademark. "Not just myself as a spine specialist. "I was mad at myself, literally crying in my dorm, like why did I tell them about the symptoms?" He was popularly known as "the Assassin" because of his playing style. And even more incredibly, he now realizes it's possible the career that changed the trajectory of his life might not have even happened if he were playing today. pic.twitter.com/O9goi6mEeJ. Jack Tatum attended Ohio State University. "In college and pro football, I never had nothing but a doctor telling me to turn your head to the right and cough," Campbell said. So did the constant agitation for painkillers, which he would wash down with Budweiser. The final game of the football season, Passaic's annual Thanksgiving matchup with rival Clifton High School, was regarded as "Jack Tatum Day" and the school honored him with a ceremony at halftime where his number 32 was officially retired. orange and blue own the nfl says: Among the most punishing runners in NFL history, Campbell, 61, wants people who consider him a living legend to know he is, indeed, still living. By TheRaiderWay Jul 27, 2010, 11:55am PDT. He said this hit, by Jack Tatum in 1979 . Feb 1, 2017 10:20 AM "It's hard to articulate," he said. In 1980, Houston equipment manufacturer Byron Donzis, who invented the quarterback "flak" jacket, spoke of the challenges of outfitting Campbell's massive 34-inch thighs. Hes an inspiration for others to follow. I never had experience with cocaine," Campbell said. Im not judging as much as stating my personal observation. 1 - Jack Tatum Paralyzes Darryl Stingley - Jack Tatum dished out some monstrous hits in his football career, including a crushing blow he put on Sammy White in Super Bowl XI. [15], 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes footballconsensus national champions, 1970 Ohio State Buckeyes footballNFF co-national champions, Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft picks, "Jack Tatum, Whose Tackle Paralyzed Player, Dies at 61", "Jack Tatum dies; Oakland Raiders 'Assassin' was 61", "Jack Tatum dies at 61; Oakland Raider safety whose hit left Darryl Stingley paralyzed", "The Assassin and The Reverend: Remembering the late Jack Tatum", "The wounds never healed for Jack Tatum or Darryl Stingley", "No sting of bitterness: 25 years later, Stingley is still forgiving of Tatum", "Lambeau's Lowlights: There were plenty of not-so-fond moments, too", "NFL Records: Individual Records: Fumbles", "Former NJ Football Star Jack Tatum Dies - You Don't Know Jersey - From High Point to Cape May", FWAA 19691994 Quarter-century All-America Team, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Tatum&oldid=1132878792, African-American players of American football, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, Short description is different from Wikidata, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles with old NFL.com URL, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 11 January 2023, at 01:27. And with every standard physical, Campbell said, everything checked out. Well, football is not played like it was when I played, Campbell told USA Today. Im sorry, but Ive seen Earl Campbell in person on several occasions at autograph signings and things like that. [1], Tatum eventually faced his own disability challenges, as all five toes on his left foot were amputated in 2003 due to a staph infection caused by diabetes. Feb 1, 2017 10:58 AM Tatum's most infamous hit came in an exhibition game against the New England Patriots on August 12, 1978, a play that Tatum later stated he did "thousands of times" in practice and in regular game coverage. There was good reason for him to be so miserable.". With 22 seconds left in the game, Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw threw a pass to running back John "Frenchy" Fuqua. Just not as physical as it used to be. And the Steelers go on to win -- not just the game, but the Super Bowl.It's an epic moment. Accidents happen.". Oklahoma drills only happen during PRACTICE. "Now, I know a little bit about Budweiser and tequila. There, Jones was surprised to see the man who had captivated the city with the Oilers arrive in a wheelchair. Plus, the equipment (protection) was inferior back then, so you hit as hard as your soft tissue could take it. That's a severe whiplash, which can cause spinal cord injury, especially with spinal stenosis.". RoY 1979 Bert Bell Award (Player of the Year) Tatum worked on increasing awareness of diabetes. You allow the same hits as before, players will get injured on every play. But it "ate on him," John Madden said. Earl Campbell made the Pro Bowl in five of his first six seasons in the NFL. He still would have made an impact. Campbell wasn't aloof, wasn't too cool to get up, despite the darkened Wayfarers that made him look cool. [5] Richmond, an Oakland journalist and insider, wrote about Tatum's quiet demeanor off the field, which was contrary to most journalistic reports about Tatum. No, they arent better today theyre coddled. It was real football when Jack Tatum and I hit each other on the 2-yard line and I backed into the end zone. Obviously, it would be a red flag for a football player like Campbell who ran with such brute force that he's celebrated in YouTube videos titled "The Human Wrecking Ball. After a family intervention, Campbell checked into rehab. As I've said over and over, it's a violent game. "My body felt the greatest I've ever felt.". Hes right. Only difference is the guys are on average bigger and faster and thus striking each other with more force. I dont need people to maim themselves for the rest of their lives just so I can watch a game. He addressed this in his bio A Football Life. Football didnt do that to him. "What happened over time is everybody just thinks I had football injuries," says Campbell, who turned 65 in March. They do, even on legal hits. He remains on scholarship at Texas but is continuing life as a student, pursuing a career in music. "It's actually more common for people to get paralyzed or have a bad neck injury because you lower your head and engage the other player that way. Campbell now speaks openly about the dangers of painkillers and his addiction. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Ohio State awards during the season a "Jack Tatum Hit of the Week" award. He took a handoff on the 1-yard line and veered off tackle to the right. In a 1979 game against the Raiders, Campbell took a handoff on the 1-yard-line on a sweep to his right. I cant play because Ive got a hangnail on my toe, Campbell joked that todays players say. But Tatum had no reason to regret the career he had -- a career that was about a whole lot more than a single play. In my heart and mind, I forgave Jack Tatum a long time ago. Earl Campbell was a terrifying NFL running back for eight seasons. What he found, starting with several tests by a spinal surgeon in 1999, went much deeper. Feb 1, 2017 10:20 AM [5][7] Clayton wrote that Tatum was part of the reason why the Steelers-Raiders matchup was his most anticipated game of the season while starting his sports-writing career in Pittsburgh, and that Tatum hit like "no other safety in football". After the Houston Oilers selected Earl Campbell with the first pick of the 1978 NFL draft, he proved Switzers theory right and became a dominant force in the NFL his rookie year, when he rushed for a league-leading 1,450 yards, and scored 13 touchdowns. The self-professed country boy who had avoided the temptations of the 1980s as a football star didn't foresee the danger of prescription painkillers. Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference. He was tough. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Tatum was a unanimous All-American in 1969 and 1970. Theyre bigger, stronger and faster today really? He arrived in January at 6-2, 226 pounds and went through winter workouts with the Longhorns primed to live up to his immense promise. And after the game I said, Hey, thats the best I had, and he said, Thats the best I had, too, Campbell. I mean, that was real football. The game has evolved. ___________________________________. There are MORE of them today: large and swift and strong result PEDS/otherwise medicinally addled creations. Campbell never saw Tatum, who was obscured by his linemen and arrived at full speed, meeting him at the goal line with the crown of his helmet delivering a brutal blow right under Campbell's chin. Earl Campbell is a hero of Texas football. Campbell has become the latest current or former ball carrier to complain about the new restriction on the things a player can do while carrying the ball. John David Tatum was an American football safety. As Stingley reached for a pass, Tatum's helmet slammed into his shoulder pad. Since then, the NFL has placed much greater emphasis on player safety, and continues to do so with rules adjustments designed to help minimize a player's exposure to injury. Remarkably, he feels better than he has for much of his life, an uncommon case among retired NFL running backs. Yes, he delivered plenty of crushing blows while patrolling the secondary as a safety for the Oakland Raiders. First, for how it happened: The field was previously named for Joe Jamail, a billionaire attorney and Texas mega-booster who was a close friend of Campbell's. And, no, he shouldn't be viewed as a cold, ruthless villain for his crippling hit on New England's Darryl Stingley in 1978. I do not own the music and the footage used in this video. He was fearless, taking on much larger and stronger opponents such as behemoth Houston Oilers running back Earl Campbell. The oft-rerun hit on Earl Campbell at the goal line when both players were basically knocked out on the play. Oakland Raider Jack Tatum lays a vicious hit on the very tough Sammy White of the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl 11 in January 1977 Show more. I go places. He became a two-time All-American for the Longhorns, leading the nation with 1,744 rushing yards as a senior in an undefeated 1977 regular season on his way to winning the Heisman. The NFL is nothing more than glorified flag football. Marc Ross examines which first-round picks from the 2020 NFL Draft should have their fifth-year options picked up. That the rules have changed to protect passers after throwing the ball helps too. Legendary former Raiders safety Jack Tatum died of a heart attack in Oakland on Tuesday at the age of 61. Tatum was born in Cherryville, North Carolina, and grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, where he had little interest in playing sports in his early years. Campbell could run 100 meters in 10.5 seconds, a more-than-respectable time for many a lithe wide receiver, but downright unfair when paired with his wrecking-ball physique and practiced. [5] The play is famous because NFL rules at the time prohibited a receiver from batting the ball to another player of the same team. "The lick I took from Jack Tatum, that's the only time I ever felt somebody hit me," Campbell told ESPN. With the medical technology available at the time, there certainly weren't any reasons to suspect any physical imperfections for Campbell. The coaches are set for the annual Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Next thing I know, I was in so much pain.". Updated by page admins, read by Earl. Instead, theyd be employed as waiters, deliverymen and other noble occupations, instead playing todays watered down football 21st century, both in terms over-saturation & the over-emphasis $ all bow down to it, integrity the game included. Jack Tatum's highlight reel of NFL hits is a collection of humorless carnage. And, at times, he even separated them from their will to do their job. Another Big 12 team makes Bottom 10's latest list, The 150 greatest players in college football's 150-year history. A shock went down to the heels on my feet. Its like a 12 year old falling 40 times vs an adult. He was renowned for his incredible natural strength and massive legs that had literally knocked defenders unconscious when they tried to hit him at the hip. Similarly, our understanding of Campbell's story is changing. Campbell grew up poor as one of 11 siblings who all worked the rose fields in Tyler by day. Brady would never make it in a more physical NFL. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tatum, who was known for his devastating hits, including one a year earlier that ended the career of Darryl Stingley and left him paralyzed, delivered a blow to Campbell that he never saw coming. Straight-up collisions with shoulders squared and both players running straight at each other almost NEVER happen in a game.There was no intent to injure here; it was a bang-bang play at game speed and a textbook tackle by Shell on a fellow Hall of Famer. I was too young to appreciate Earl Campbells game. Brady would have been folded. Feb 1, 2017 1:28 PM Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will lead the American team and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will head the National team. football is not played like it was when I played. Tatum used the art of intimidation to his full advantage. _________________________________________. Tatum was nicknamed "The Assassin," a name he embraced and relished. Yes, Tatum did deliver the hit in a 1978 preseason game that left Darryl Stingley a quadriplegic. I think one game we played the Oakland Raiders and Jack Tatum and I had an accident on the one-yard line. The man was a legitimately talented. In an iconic NFL moment in 1979, Oilers running back Earl Campbell and hard-hitting Raiders safety Jack Tatum collided near the goal line. But amid a conversation about social justice led by Texas players on campus following George Floyd's death in police custody in Minneapolis, Jamail's three sons asked the university to remove their late father's name and replace it with the names of the two Longhorns legends, replacing a wealthy booster's name with two of the most prominent Black athletes in school history. I never smoked a joint. USS Underhill (DE-682) was a Buckley -class destroyer escort of the United States Navy during World War II. As a sophomore at John Tyler High School, Campbell played middle linebacker -- "I wanted to be the Black Dick Butkus," he says now -- and had eight sacks in his first varsity game. In a game against the Green Bay Packers on September 24, 1972, he returned a fumble 104 yards for a touchdown. (And please wait to see Tatum's hit on Earl Campbell.) One name: Butkus. In 1978, a collision broke the New England receiver's fourth and fifth vertebrae, leaving him almost a quadriplegic. Christian and Tyler were scared to have the conversation with their dad, worried it would affect their relationship. The prospect of tackling him was not for the weak of heart. The so-called hits he takes now pale in comparison to the 70s and 80s. [1] Tatum was used by the Buckeyes to cover the opposing team's best wide receiver, but he also was used occasionally as a linebacker due to the nature of his hits and his innate ability to bring down even the biggest fullback or tight end. Look at Tatum lay into. [10][11] He finished his pro career with them, playing all 16 games that year, and recorded a career-high seven interceptions to finish with a career total of 37 interceptions with 736 return yards. Hes missed time only due to getting his knee caved in once in his career. Tatum, who was known for his devastating hits, including one a year earlier that ended the career of Darryl Stingley and left him paralyzed, delivered a blow to Campbell that he never saw coming. Dr. Kinsey delivered him and was so close to the family he even suggested names. There was plenty of thought behind what Tatum did on the field. Ernie Ladd: 69 350 give or take DT. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2022 season! It might have been more scrappy back then, but the skill and finesse take front stage now. This is not owned by me NFL Legend - Jack \"Assassin\" Tatum Highlights(All rights go to ESPN, Fox, CBS, Universal Music Group, the NFL, NBA, NCAA \u0026 it's broadcasters. Dunta Robinson and DeSean Jackson Both Knocked out 16 of 50 Probably one of the only plays in NFL history where two players are down for the count on one play; it doesn't seem like Dunta Robinson. But that wasn't the extent of Tatum's 10 seasons in the NFL. I cant play because I didnt get a pedicure this week. Youd probably see more of the 70s 80s and 90s players that could play in todays game than youd find players today that could play in the 70s, 80s and 90s. There's no problem with me. Hes really lucky he was not injured severely with that hit, the way his head snaps back and then the way he falls. Browse consumer ratings, consumer reviews, and consumer opinions of Earl Campbell on RateItAll.com. "A shock went down to the heels on my feet. Do players have a longer career nowadays than before? You don't even have to look elsewhere to consider how Campbell's condition might have been handled today.