Love for the Tyler Rose

Ta-Nehisi shows some much-appreciated love for one of my childhood football heroes, Earl Campbell.

I'm seriously struggling to think of a football player who resonates more with the great state of Texas. Campbell led John Tyler High School to a high school state championship, won the Heisman Trophy at the University of Texas and literally gave up his body for the Houston Oilers for six grueling seasons.

Every bit of Campbell's back-breaking prime was spent in his home state, and to this day, he remains the standard by which all Texas prep running backs are measured against. That's quite a legacy, considering Texas has produced schoolboy legends like Eric Dickerson, Thurman Thomas, LaDainian Tomlinson and, now, Adrian Peterson.

There's never been a guy quite like him. And, for a number of reasons, I hope that remains true for a long time.