30 greatest players to never win a Super Bowl

5. Earl Campbell, RB, Houston Oilers

He doesn’t have the longevity of some of the other players on this impressive list. But all one needs to is watch running back Earl Campbell have his way with opposing defenses and it’s impossible to ignore his impact.

It is somewhat ironic that the first overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft made his debut in a season in which the league had made dramatic rule changes to emphasize the passing game.

The “Tyler Rose” wasted little time stamping his mark around the National Football League. Or should it be stomping? Campbell led the league in rushing yards in each of this first three seasons. He totaled a minimum of 300 carries in each of his first four years and five of his first six NFL campaigns. You will recall in 1982 the schedule was reduced to nine games to the players’ strike.

Back to the start of his career. A total of 46 regular-season contests added up to 1,043 attempts for 5,081 yards and 45 touchdowns. Campbell racked up 100 or more yards rushing in 28 of those contests. He was the main catalyst in three straight playoff runs in his first three seasons. The Houston Oilers lost consecutive AFC Championship Games to the Pittsburgh Steelers and then were eliminated in the 1980 wild card round by the Oakland Raiders. In each instance, those other teams went onto win the Super Bowl.

Wear and tear would take its toll on Campbell as he finished his career with the New Orleans Saints. In eight seasons, he ran for 9,407 yards and 74 scores and was a no-brainer first-ballot Hall of Fame selection.

Next: No. 4