Mark Campbell (tight end)
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Position: | Tight end | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Clawson, Michigan, U.S. | December 6, 1975||||||
Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 260 lb (118 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Madison Heights (MI) Bishop Foley Catholic | ||||||
College: | Michigan | ||||||
Undrafted: | 1999 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Mark Joseph Campbell (December 6, 1975) is a former American football player. He played professional football for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a tight end for the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2002, the Buffalo Bills from 2003 to 2005, and the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2008. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1998.
Early years
Campbell was born in Clawson, Michigan, in 1975. He is the youngest of 5 children of John and Elizabeth Campbell. His siblings are John (brother), Kevin (brother), Diann (sister), and Doug (brother). He grew up in Clawson and attended Bishop Foley Catholic High School in Madison Heights, Michigan.[1][2] He was an All-State selection as a High School Senior in football, basketball, and baseball. Additionally, Campbell was 1 of 2 Tight Ends (Future Hall of Fame member Tony Gonzalez as the other) to be selected as a Football Parade All-American. He accepted a football scholarship to attend the University of Michigan. In later years, Campbell was selected in the Catholic League Hall of Fame.
University of Michigan
Campbell enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1994 with Gary Moeller as head coach. He played college football on head coach Lloyd Carr's Michigan Wolverines football teams from 1995 to 1998.[2] Campbell began his collegiate career playing multiple offensive positions but primarily as a tight end. He started his first game as a fullback in 1995 and started 5 games as the second tight end in 1996.[3][4] In 1997, he started one game each at fullback and tight end. Campbell separated himself from competitors with his blocking efficiency. He was rated as the #2 ranked blocking tight end in all of college football by USA Today.[5] Campbell started and caught the first pass of the Rose Bowl leading the charge to victory. He was 1 of 32 players on the team to eventually play in the National Football League. Campbell was a key member and team leader of the 1997 National Championship team. As a senior in 1998, he started 7 games at tight end or as the second tight end on the field.[6] In four years at Michigan, Campbell caught 32 passes for 357 yards and one touchdown. Again, he played a key member in team leadership and was presented as the Bob Ufer award winner as voted on by his teammates. This award signifies his appreciation by his peers as a low profile but essential part of the team's success.[7]
Professional football
Campbell was undrafted in the
In February 2003, the Browns traded Campbell to the
Campbell concluded his NFL career playing for the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2008. He appeared in 23 games, 14 as a starter at tight end, for the Saints and caught 30 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns.[1] In 2006, he was awarded as the tight end on the All-Joe Team by USA Today. This team is composed of low profile players that quietly excel. It is voted on by all of the general managers of NFL teams. In 2007, Campbell injured his back in the last pre-season game versus the Kansas City Chiefs. He was placed on Injured Reserve for the entire season. In 2008, Campbell returned to the field and filled a variety of offensive roles. He retired after suffering a knee injury late in the 2008 season, and having undergone ten surgeries in 10 years to repair a variety of football injuries. He turned down an offer to play for the 2009 Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV.[9] He was considered an extra quarterback on the field due to his preparation and football IQ. Campbell was offered multiple NFL and Division I coaching positions but ultimately, he wanted to move back to Michigan to raise his young family rather than potentially move around the country to coach.
In ten NFL seasons, Campbell appeared in 111 games, 77 as a starter, and caught 146 yards for 1,356 yards.[1] Sports Illustrated in 2010 called him "one of those blue collar guys who carves out a solid career in the NFL ... without ever receiving much in the way of accolades or time in the spotlight. He could make his teams look great without the average fan knowing it. Campbell is one of the leadership guys you want in your locker room or on your side when things weren't going well. He'll help guide the ship out of it."[9]
Later years
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2024) |
After retiring from football, Campbell accepted a job in healthcare and as a broadcaster covering games for the Big Ten Network.[9] He founded a medical company, Medkinect, in 2010. He also invested in a high complexity toxicology laboratory. He is a board member of the ChadTough Foundation, meant to inspire and fund research to discover effective treatments for pediatric brain cancer, with an emphasis on Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Mark Cambell". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ a b "Michigan Football Roster Database". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
- ^ "1995 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "1996 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "1997 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "1998 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
- ^ "Michigan Football Statistic Archive Query Page". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2015.(to retrieve Campbell's statistics, enter "campbell" in the box for the player's last name and "mark" in the box for player's first name)
- ^ "Buffalo locks up tight end". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (AP story). November 5, 2003. p. 2C.
- ^ a b c "XLIV title bittersweet for ex-Saint". Sports Illustrated. February 12, 2010.