Paul Campbell

Paul Edward Campbell (March 11, 1926 – February 10, 2005) was a college athlete who was the starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns football team in 1948 and 1949. He was the 22nd pick overall in the 1948 NFL draft, selected by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Early life Campbell was born in Olney, Texas, but shortly thereafter moved to Breckenridge, Texas, where he was an all-district fullback and kicker on the high school football team as well as playing tennis and basketball. He was originally playing in the school band, but after showing talent in a physical education class, his coach Eck Curtis asked him to switch to football. He alternated between halfback and fullback, though occasionally threw the ball, including a game-tying touchdown pass in his last game against Waco in the 1943 Texas 2A state playoffs (they lost the game on the penetrations tiebreaker). The previous year, Campbell and Breckenridge made it all the way to the state semi-finals before losing to eventual state champion Austin.

In his first season at Texas in 1946, Campbell played in only a few games. He intercepted a pass against Missouri and went 4–5 against Colorado for 145 yards.

In 1949, Campbell was again the starting quarterback for Texas. Though Texas posted a disappointing 6–4 record, finishing unranked and without a bowl game invitation, Campbell had a stellar season. He set the school record for most yards passing in a single game in a 27–14 defeat of Arkansas that took Texas to the #10 ranking; and set the record for most passing yards in a single season. He led Texas to a 20–0 upset of #6 Baylor. But the Longhorns lost all the close ones, dropping games to #9 Rice by two points, #11 SMU and unranked TCU by one point and #3 Oklahoma by six. Campbell earned 2nd Team All-Southwest Conference recognition and was invited to the 1950 Senior Bowl.

Campbell finished his career at Texas with a 13–7–1 record and with the second most career passing yards in school history, behind only Layne, a position he would hold until the early 1980s. He led the team in offense in both 1948 and 1949.

To cap off his college career, Campbell was the quarterback for the North team in the inaugural Senior Bowl. Campbell completed the most passes in the game, even more than MVP Travis Tidwell , going 18 of 37 for 147 yards, but it was not enough as the Yanks lost, 22–13. After the game, it was announced that three Southwest Conference schools, including Texas, would immediately cut off financial support to participants in the game because they accepted the $343 cash reward for playing. Though all of the players, including Doak Walker, had completed their eligibility, they were continuing to receive scholarships through the spring 1950 semester.

Records UT – Most Passing Yards, game (257), surpassed by Rick McIvor in 1979 UT – Most Passing Yards, season (1372), surpassed by Robert Brewer in 1982

Professional football In May 1950, Campbell was signed by the Eagles and went to training camp, and that summer he participated in the Chicago College All-Star Game, which the defending NFL Champion Eagles surprisingly lost. By the start of the 1950 season he'd been cut, and was hired by the Paterson Panthers of the American Association. He played well, but the team went 4–4 and was forced to disband due to a financial dispute with one game remaining on the schedule. The league disbanded at the end of the year.

Later life In January 1947, Campbell married his high school sweetheart, Doris Gracey and together they had four sons. He was divorced in 1995 in Odessa, died Thursday, February 10, 2005, at Midland Memorial Hospital in Midland, Texas and was buried in Odessa.