Caleb Campbell
Encyclopedia
Caleb Matthew Campbell is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

 of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. He is also a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

 in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...

. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 at Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....

.

He has also been a member of the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

.

Early years

Campbell attended Perryton High School where he lettered
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...

 three times in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

. He earned four additional letters in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 and three in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

. He also served as a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...

 for the football team as a senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...

. In football he played both Quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 and Free safety. He was named Amarillo Globe-News
Amarillo Globe-News
Amarillo Globe-News is a newspaper in Amarillo, Texas, owned by the Morris Communications Company.The current-day Globe-News is a combination of several newspapers published in Amarillo. One began on November 4, 1909, as a prohibition publication by the Baptist deacon Dr. Joseph Elbert Nunn...

3A "Player of the Year." He also received All-State honors during his junior
Eleventh grade
Eleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...

 and senior years. He was an All-State selection on both offense
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...

 and defense
Defense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...

. He was a two-time All-Conference selection. He was also an All-District selection as well. He earned First-team All-League honors at both positions as a senior. He rushed for 950 yards and 15 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

s during senior season. He also passed for seven touchdowns. He recorded 32 tackles
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

, four forced fumble
Fumble
A fumble in American and Canadian football occurs when a player, who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed or scoring. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking or successful handing that results in loss of player possession...

s, five pass breakups
Pass deflected
In American football a pass deflected, also known as a pass defended, a pass defensed, a pass knock down, or a pass break up, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player...

 and one interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...

 on defense. He was a sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...

 on the track team. He also played Guard on the basketball team. He was selected as a team captain in basketball as a senior. He was also active in a local church youth group. He was also listed in Who's Who Among American High School Students
Who's Who Among American High School Students
Who's Who Among American High School Students was a web site and publication that listed what it deemed to be high school students "who have excelled in academics, extracurricular activities and community service."-About:Who's Who Among American High School Students compiled and published an...

. He also served as teacher’s aid for a local elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

.

College career

Campbell first attended the United States Military Academy Preparatory School for one year before entering West Point. While there, he majored in Latin American Studies
Latin American Studies
Latin American studies is an academic discipline dealing with the study of Latin America and Latin Americans.-Definition:Latin American studies critically examines the history, culture, politics, and experiences of Latin Americans in Latin America and often also elsewhere .Latin American studies...

.

In 2004
2004 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with several undefeated teams vying for a spot in the national title game, triggering controversy. In the 2003 season, no team finished the regular season unbeaten, and five teams finished the season with one loss...

, Campbell played in all 11 games. He was named to the C-USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...

 All-Freshman Team. He moved into the starting lineup
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...

 during midseason and remained there. He started the final six games at the “whip” position. His first career start came an away game against USF
South Florida Bulls football
The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...

. He ranked fifth on the team with 54 tackles. He tied for second on the team with two forced fumbles. He recorded 48 tackles over the final seven games. He recorded four tackles for loss, including a half of a sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...

. He recorded a then-career-high 12 tackles against UAB in the home finale. He was also one of just seven freshmen to earn a varsity letter.

In 2005
2005 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with the least amount of controversy surrounding the Bowl Championship Series title game in many years.To an extent it was a return to classic football...

, Campbell started all 11 games. He led the team with 97 tackles. He also shared the team MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 honors with Running back Carlton Jones. Campbell was credited with 63 solo tackles. He led the team with five interceptions. He also ranked ninth nationally in interceptions. His interception total stands as highest by an Army player since Kenny Dale Rowland recorded five interceptions in 1998
1998 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first of the Bowl Championship Series, which saw Tennessee win the national championship, one year after star quarterback Peyton Manning left for the NFL...

.

In 2006
2006 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 31, 2006 and, aside from all-star exhibition games that followed, concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game on January 8, 2007 in Glendale, Arizona, where the #2 Florida...

, Campbell was a starter for each of season’s first nine games. He was the starting Strong safety before suffering a season-ending knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...

 injury in a road game against Tulane
Tulane Green Wave football
The Tulane Green Wave football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents Tulane University in New Orleans. The team is a member of Conference USA and is led by interim head coach Mark Hutson, who took over on October 18, 2011, when fifth-year head coach Bob Toledo resigned...

. He ranked third on the team in tackles with 59 at the time of the injury. He ended the year fourth despite missing the season’s final three games. He was credited with 30 solo tackles. He recorded two tackles for loss, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and one interception as well. He also recorded at least nine tackles on three occasions. During the season opener he finished with three tackles at Arkansas State while battling an illness
Illness
Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...

 throughout the game.

In 2007, Campbell was named to preseason watch list for the Lott Trophy
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...

, that is awarded to the nation’s defensive player of the year. He was also on the preseason watch list for the award heading into junior campaign as well. He missed all of the 2007 spring practice recovering from a knee injury. He was selected one of team’s captains for his senior season, along with Tony Fusco, Jeremy Trimble and Mike Viti.

For the season, Campbell finished second on the team on defense. He played in and started all 12 games of the season. He recorded 97 total tackles (68 solo), two tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also had two pass break ups, and two passes defensed.

Campbell became the 22nd Army
Army Black Knights football
The Army Black Knights football program represents the United States Military Academy. Army was recognized as the national champions in 1944, 1945 and 1946....

 player to perform in the East-West Shrine Game
East-West Shrine Game
The East–West Shrine Game is an annual post-season college football all-star game played each January since 1925. The game is sponsored by the fraternal group Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and the net proceeds are earmarked to some of the Shrine's charitable works, most notably the Shriners...

.

Honors

Campbell was named to ECAC
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...

 Division I-A Football All-Star team in 2005. He holds seven career double-digit tackle games. He appeared in 31 consecutive games before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Tulane in 2006.

Military future

Due to a newly implemented rule at the U.S. Military Academy that would change the way cadets are selected in the NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...

, Campbell was able to pursue a professional football career.

The rule states:

Cadets accepted into the program, "will owe two years of active service in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, during which time they will be allowed to play their sport in the player-development systems of their respective organizations and be assigned to recruiting stations. If they remain in professional sports following those two years, they will be provided the option of buying out the remaining three years of their active-duty commitment in exchange for six years of reserve time."


Campbell is the first Army player to be selected in the NFL Draft since Quarterback Ronnie McAda
Ronnie McAda
Ronnie McAda is a former American football quarterback for the United States Military Academy. He was drafted with the final pick of the 1997 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, thus earning the distinction of being Mr. Irrelevant. In his senior season, he led Army past Navy and to the Independence...

 was the final pick
Mr. Irrelevant
"Mr. Irrelevant" is the title bestowed each year upon the last pick of the annual National Football League draft.- Irrelevant Week :The name arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded "Irrelevant Week" in Newport Beach, California. He announced the final...

 in the 1997 NFL Draft
1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997. No teams elected to claim any players in the supplemental draft that...

 by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...

.

The rule, known as the "Alternative Service Option", or ASO, has since been suspended after undergoing review by the Department of the Army. All players not under contract had to return to their active-duty station. Since Campbell and Mike Viti of the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 were under contract, they were tentatively authorized to play with their respective teams with the provision that if cut, they would have to return to their active duty station and not be able to sign with another team. The Army dropped the ASO option on July 8, meaning that both players will have to serve two years of their active duty commitment before they can petition for early release. Campbell, however, was not informed until July 22, after reporting to the Lions training camp. He chose Air Defense Artillery (ADA) as his duty branch, but will serve on the coaching staff at the Army Prep School.

Campbell will try out for the 2010 U.S. Olympic bobsled team.

Pre-draft

Campbell was invited to the 2008 NFL Combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.56 seconds. On April 26, 2008, Campbell, along with punter Owen Tolson, were featured in an interview piece on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

's Headline News. The piece featured interviews with both players and Army football head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

 Stan Brock
Stan Brock
-External links:...

. It focused on the NFL prospects of the two, both of whom participated in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 in March 2008. In addition, the two players discussed the Department of the Army's alternative service option plan which would allow them to play in the NFL in 2008. The CNN Headline News piece was the second national story about Army players' NFL chances that week. ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

's E:60
E:60
E:60 is a weekly investigative journalism newsmagazine show. It premiered on ESPN on October 16, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. PT. The show is one hour long....

profiled Campbell.

Detroit Lions

Campbell was selected in the seventh round (218th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...

 by the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

. Campbell, who was in attendance on the second day of the draft, was featured several times. He was interviewed by the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 broadcasters, and asked about his opinion on the "service option" rule that allowed him and teammate Owen Tolson to enter the NFL Draft upon graduation. While being interviewed, and before teams made their seventh round draft selection, fans could be heard chanting "Ca-leb Camp-bell" or "USA...USA" in support of Campbell. Upon his selection by the Lions, Campbell received a standing ovation by the fans in attendance as well as numerous chants and cheers.

On July 22, 2008, Campbell agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Lions. However, he did not have a chance to sign the contract and the following day the Army ordered him to serve his military service time, preventing him from playing football until at least 2010.
Being an unsigned draft pick in 2008, Campbell became an unrestricted free agent in 2009, but was then serving military time.

On March 11, 2010, it had been reported that Campbell has been offered a one-year contract with the Lions after working out for them. Campbell officially re-joined the Lions on April 29, 2010. He did not make the final roster, however, as the Lions cut him on September 5, 2010.

On September 6, 2010, the Lions announced that Campbell had been placed on its practice squad. On November 20, 2010, the Lions signed Campbell to the active roster. According to the NFL website, during the 2010 season Campbell participated in three games and had a total of three tackles (two solo & one assist).

Campbell was waived during final cuts on September 3, 2011.

Indinapolis Colts

On September 14, 2011, Campbell was signed to the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

. Campbell was released on September 28.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

 signed him to their practice squad on November 15, 2011.

Family

Campbell's parents are Gregg and Stephanie Campbell. His older brother, Jacob, has been a professional bull rider
Bull riding
Bull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....

. His younger brother, Jeremy
Jeremy Campbell
Jeremy Campbell is a Paralympic athlete from the United States competing mainly in category P44 pentathlon events.He competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China...

, has a prosthetic leg, yet still played quarterback on his high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 team. Jeremy Campbell participated in the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...

 in track in 2006, and remains a member of the U.S. national team. He won gold
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

 in the pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...

 and discus throw
Discus throw
The discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...

 at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK