Earl Campbell ranks in the all-time elite tier for running backs — a career that places Campbell in the top 3% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Campbell a career score of 83, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Career Value · VORP
220 career value over replacement — #315 all-time of 4,695. 27.5/season above a replacement-level RB.
Pick #1 (Rd 1) · HOU · 1978 · +19.7 vs expected KV-H
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Rate Earl Campbell — All-Time
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Season totals or exact team stints. Career totals count each season once.
Career games unavailable for incomplete season coverage. Verified career totals remain shown; career per-game figures require complete coverage.
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | TD | Y/A | TD% | 1D | 1D% | Fmb | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1978 | 23 | HOU | 15 | — | 302 | 1,450 | 13 | 4.8 | 4.3 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 48 | 0 | — | 4.0 | — | — | — |
| 1979 | 24 | HOU | 16 | — | 368 | 1,697 | 19 | 4.6 | 5.2 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 94 | 0 | — | 5.9 | — | — | — |
| 1980 | 25 | HOU | 15 | — | 373 | 1,934 | 13 | 5.2 | 3.5 | — | — | — | — | 11 | 47 | 0 | — | 4.3 | — | — | — |
| 1981 | 26 | HOU | 16 | — | 361 | 1,376 | 10 | 3.8 | 2.8 | — | — | — | — | 36 | 156 | 0 | — | 4.3 | — | — | — |
| 1982 | 27 | HOU | 9 | — | 157 | 538 | 2 | 3.4 | 1.3 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 130 | 0 | — | 7.2 | — | — | — |
| 1983 | 28 | HOU | 14 | — | 322 | 1,301 | 12 | 4.0 | 3.7 | — | — | — | — | 19 | 216 | 0 | — | 11.4 | — | — | — |
| 1984 | 29 | HOU / NO | 12 | — | 146 | 468 | 4 | 3.2 | 2.7 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 27 | 0 | — | 9.0 | — | — | — |
| 1985 | 30 | NO | 16 | — | 158 | 643 | 1 | 4.1 | 0.6 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 88 | 0 | — | 14.7 | — | — | — |
| Career | — | — | — | 2,187 | 9,407 | 74 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 121 | 806 | 0 | — | 6.7 | — | — | 0 | |
Regular-season all-time ranks
Postseason all-time ranks
An all-time caliber running back (top 5% all-time) who combined elite production with exceptional availability — almost never missed time. Iron Legends define eras — they show up, every game, for years on end.
Worth 220 points of value above a freely-available replacement running back — top 8% of all 4,695 ranked at the position. 8 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +27.5 on average.See board →
Seasons above replacement
8 seasons × ~27.5 surplus ≈ VORP 220
Jerome Bettis
RB
87% match
1978 Draft ClassmatesFull class →