In Arkansas, raising the Texas Longhorns' "Hook 'em Horns" hand gesture is frowned upon by most Razorbacks fans.
But on Monday afternoon at the Little Rock Touchdown Club's luncheon at the Embassy Suites, one of the greatest Longhorns got away with it.
As Earl Campbell, 63, walked to his chair on the Touchdown Club stage, he gave the sign as most of the crowd roared with laughter.
"Only Earl Campbell can come in here and do a 'Hook 'em Horns' sign and not be booed out of the room," said David Bazzel, the Touchdown Club founder and former Razorbacks linebacker.
The Tyler Rose, as he's known because he grew up in Tyler, Texas, did what he wanted on the football field for Texas and the Houston Oilers.
Campbell won the Heisman Trophy in his senior season at Texas in 1977. He led the nation in rushing with 1,744 yards and 19 touchdowns.
In a 13-9 victory at the University of Arkansas on Oct. 15, 1977, Campbell rushed for 188 yards on 34 carries. While Campbell didn't score a touchdown against the Razorbacks, his only reception was one of the biggest plays for the Longhorns. A 28-yard screen pass from Randy McEachern to Campbell set up Ham Jones' go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Campbell said he remembered the screen pass, but it was the postgame moment that he remembers the most.
"I remember coming to Arkansas and getting the screen pass and all that," Campbell said. "Then, 'Bam! What is that?' Cops were telling me to 'keep your head down, son. They're throwing bottles at you.' I said, 'I didn't do anything.' Cops said, 'Just get your a** out of here.' "
Campbell was drafted first overall by his home state Houston Oilers in 1978. He rushed for 1,450 yards and 13 touchdowns in his rookie season, earning the AFC Offensive Player of the Year award.
In 1979, Campbell repeated as AFC Offensive Player of the Year and also earned the NFL MVP award after finishing with 1,697 yards and 19 touchdowns.
For the third consecutive season in 1980, Campbell was the AFC Offensive Player of the Year. He rushed for a career-high 1,934 yards and 13 touchdowns.
In an eight-year career with the Oilers (1978-1984) and New Orleans Saints (1984-1985), Campbell rushed for 9,407 yards and 74 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991, a year after being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Cliff Harris, a six-time Pro Bowl safety and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, has been asked throughout his post-playing career who was the best running back he faced. The answer was simple for him.
"There's one guy. It's Earl Campbell," Harris said. "I had to start in preseason [against the Oilers] in the Astrodome. My gosh, it was Earl right, Earl left."
While Campbell appreciated his football career, he said he was proud of the relationships he formed with his coaches and players. His most important relationship was with his Oilers coach, the late Bum Phillips.
"I'm not sure if he knew so much about football, and I'm serious when I say that, but he knew a lot about good people," Campbell said. "You try being a head coach and everybody is getting paid and they're all stars in college. They have to be a star in the NFL. Bum's big thing was he knew how to handle that.
"He was a player's coach. Everything was for the players."
Sports on 10/16/2018