Requested to interview today .
Dan Campbell
Early years
Campbell was born in
Clifton, Texas and attended
Glen Rose High School, where he was a
tailbackand
tight end. As a
senior, he recorded 27 receptions for 423 yards, five
touchdowns and rushed for over 50 yards.
He accepted a football scholarship from
Texas A&M University. In his last 2 seasons, he shared the tight end position with Derrick Spiller. As a junior, he posted 12 receptions for 143 yards (11.9-yard average) and 2 touchdowns.
As a senior, he started 2 games at the "B" slot,
flanker, one game at
split end and 2 contests at flanker. He recorded 7 receptions for 68 yards, one touchdown and 3
special teams tackles.
[2]
Professional career
New York Giants
Campbell was selected by the
New York Giants in the third round (79th overall) of the
1999 NFL Draft. In
2000, he started 4 games and was a part of the team that appeared in
Super Bowl XXXV. In
2001, he became the team's regular starting
tight end after passing
Howard Cross on the depth chart and was mainly used as a blocking tight end.
In
2002, his blocking helped
Kerry Collins throw for a club record 4,073 yards and
Tiki Barber rush for the second best total in franchise history 1,387 yards.
Dallas Cowboys
Campbell was one of the first
free agents to sign with the
Dallas Cowboys after
Bill Parcells was named the head coach in
2003. He quickly became a team leader and although
Jason Witten emerged as the main tight end, he still served as a mentor and remained a key blocker on the
offensive line.
[3]
In
2004, he only played in three games because of torn ligaments in his foot and was placed on the
injured reserve list on September 30. Witten would go on to have one of the best receiving seasons by a tight end in franchise history and received
Pro Bowl honors.
In
2005, he recovered from an
appendectomy on July 27, missing only 10 days of practice and returned to start all four preseason games.
[4] The team employed two-tight end sets, which allowed him to start 12 games alongside Witten.
Detroit Lions
On March 14,
2006, Campbell was signed as a
free agent by the
Detroit Lions. Known mostly as a blocking tight end, he posted career-highs in receiving yards (308), average per reception (14.7 avg), long reception (30 yards), and touchdowns (four), the most by a Lions tight end since
2001.
On September 22,
2007, he was placed on injured reserve with an
elbow injury.
[5] On September 9,
2008, he was again placed on injured reserve with a
hamstring injury. He was released on February 9,
2009.
New Orleans Saints
On February 26,
2009, he signed as a
free agent with the
New Orleans Saints reuniting with head coach
Sean Payton who was his offensive coordinator with the Cowboys. On August 10, he was placed on injured reserve with an
MCL injury he suffered in
training camp.
[6] He was still able to receive his first
Super Bowl ring from the Saints' victory over the Colts in
Super Bowl XLIV, and retired at the end of the year.
Coaching career
Campbell was the tight ends coach with the
Miami Dolphins from 2011 until he took over as the interim head coach when
Joe Philbin was fired on October 5, 2015. Campbell led the team to five wins and seven losses.
[7]
After leaving the Dolphins in January 2016, Campbell was hired by the Saints as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach.
[8]