Staley Da Bear
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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A ticket out of town
Football helped earn Campbell a ticket out of town and a free college education via a scholarship from the University of Wisconsin. He was generally being ignored by colleges, however, until he starred in a game against Upper Darby High School. A throng of college recruiters were in the stands to see star guard Floyd Wedderburn, a 6-7, 325-pounder who went on to play at Penn State and for four seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks.
"Everyone came to that game to see him and I ended up having a monster game," Campbell said. "After the game, my phone started ringing. The first time Joe Paterno of Penn State called my house, my mom thought it was a practical joke and hung up on him."
Wisconsin's coach Barry Alvarez had much better luck, opting for an in-person visit at Campbell's home over a phone call.
"When Barry came to recruit me, he pulled up and there were drug dealers on the corner," Campbell said. "He went up to them and said, 'I'm looking for LaMar Campbell.' They were like, 'Who are you?' He said, 'I'm coach Alvarez.' And they said, 'Well, he lives right there.'
"Strath Haven was a really nice school and my neighborhood was really bad. Coaches always wanted to meet me at school because it was safe. Barry Alvarez came to the projects of Chester, Pennsylvania, to recruit me through the drug dealers and all those things to get to my house, and that's why I chose Wisconsin. He was the only coach courageous enough to come to where I actually lived. I respected that, and because I respected that, I chose to go to Wisconsin."
Campbell played immediately as a freshman with the Badgers, which helped his transition to college. But he concedes that it took him a little while to grow accustomed to life in the Midwest. "My roommate didn't lock our door," Campbell said. "And as a kid from the projects in Chester, Pennsylvania, I had a problem with unlocked doors."
During his time in Madison from 1994-97, Campbell was part of a football resurgence that led to bowl-game appearances and winning records in 23 of 24 seasons after Wisconsin had losing marks eight straight years. He also experienced tremendous growth as a person.
"I fell in love with academics," Campbell said. "I fell in love with learning cultures and understanding history. I was really coming out of my shell and being exposed to new things. So that was a phenomenal experience, to play on a great team, to help build that culture. I take a lot of pride in that and what we were able to accomplish."
Becoming an NFL player
Although Campbell went undrafted, his football career wasn't over. He signed with the Detroit Lions in 1998 as an undrafted free agent and spent his entire five-year pro career with the organization, appearing in 64 games with 18 starts. Campbell recorded 137 tackles, one interception, one sack, 13 pass breakups, three tackles-for-loss and one fumble recovery. His lone interception came on a pass by Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre that Campbell returned 42 yards for a touchdown in a 2000 win over the Packers.
Most undrafted free agents never play in an NFL regular-season game, let alone stick around for five seasons.
"I wasn't a high draft pick," Campbell said. "I wasn't the fastest. I wasn't the strongest. But I understood the mental aspect of the game. I understood the work ethic. I was going to out-work you. I was going to out-prepare you. And whatever deficiencies I had athletically, I was going to make up for them mentally. I always approached practice and games like that. Being able to grow and always self-assess my weaknesses, my strengths and always just focus on getting better, I think that really helped me last as long as I did."
Life after football
After his playing career ended, Campbell completed his undergraduate degree at Wisconsin and followed by earning a Master's Degree from the school. He was hired as a Big Ten minority intern in Wisconsin's Office of Student-Athlete Development in 2015 before serving as the school's assistant athletic director of student-athlete engagement in 2016-17.
"The thing that was impressive to me was when his playing days were over, he had a plan and a vision of where he wanted to go," said Alvarez, who retired as Wisconsin's full-time coach in 2005 but has served as the school's athletic director since 2004. "He's got so much energy and personality. He was able to focus that, and he knew what he wanted and went and got it. I knew he would really relate to our players well and to our coaches. So I just wanted him [to be] a part of our program."
Before working with athletes at Wisconsin and with the Bears, Campbell was actively involved with helping players transition from football into their next stage of life through "Life After the Game," a consulting firm he founded that collaborated with the NFL, NBA, NCAA and Major League Baseball.
"I always wanted to be able to help people," Campbell said. "That was always just kind of who I was. That's how I was raised. And I was passionate about it. They say find something you're passionate about outside of football and I was always passionate about helping people."