let's face it. we haven't won tons of championships as a city. we are proud and hungry. we want the best but, save the rockets' two titles, we usually come up short. so we talk trades and compare ourselves to the greats. but hey, we ain't givin' up. BTW, i think earl campbell was the greatest houston athlete ever.
How about Nolan Ryan?? Earl was the best RB in football for a couple of seasons. Hakeem was the best C in basketball for the majority of his career. Longevity counts for alot in IMO, not to mention the two titles he brought to our city. IMO, the only reason Earl really gets votes over Hakeem is because football is king in these parts, while basketball is not even considered #2 in alot of fan's minds. The fact that both played in the region during their college days makes the comparison even more special.
hey, i'm a white guy that thought about naming my son hakeem. (ultimately thought it would be to weird/hard on the boy). however, earl ran, for however short a time, with so much passion and fury. love that guy
I loved Hakeem but Earl had more heart than any athlete I have ever seen. The Steelers would pound him mercilessly and Earl took every blow and dished out some. Earl ran hard everytime, never complained - the consumate team player. It was his willingness to accept the challenge and play through the pain that shortened his career. Earl will always be #1 in my book.
Who the heck is Earl Campbell? Just kidding, old guys. Hakeem took us to the promised land. Campbell's team isn't even here anymore. Easy.
Riet, Those are lovely burnt orange glasses that you are wearing. Thats what makes the comparison so great. You talk about Earl being a warrior, but I think Hakeem was every bit the warrior that Earl was. Hakeem took a pounding and willed us to victory on numerous occasions just like Earl did (my fondest memory was his epic double OT performance in the 87 playoffs against Seattle). As I said before, I think it comes down to where ones passion really lies, football or basketball??? BobFinn would probably pick Ryan.
Ill give you my tiebreaker. Earl never cared about money. Hakeem never not cared about money. Caring about money isn't a bad thing but when you're talking about the best Houston athlete ever, it's a consideration in my book.
Why compare when it's 2 different sports???? Campbell was before my time so I'll say Dream, Carr/Johnson (eventually), Franchise/Dynasty (with nick names like that, you know we're all gonna REALLY love 'em when they're done).
sports at the highest point are all comparable when they transcend the normal expectations. watching jordan is like hearing beethoven is like looking at picasso is like... well, you get the picture.
who'd win the boxing match? dream had the reach, legs, and some pop earl could take a beating, and was all power interesting what-if
The two championships give the nod to Hakeem, but Earl, in my book, was the greatest running back of all time. He just didn't last as long as Jim Brown, who is still probably the greatest in most peoples' opinion.
Earl Campbell in childhood. Hakeem in adulthood. I shant pick a fave. Thank GAWD for those two lads. God bless them in eternal heaven & brimstone.
The sad thing is they both finished their career wearing the wrong jersey. As dominating a back as Earl was in his first 4 seasons, he was exactly the opposite from 82-84 while the Oilers were busy winning 6 games in 3 years. At times he looked like he was laying down at first contact. I don't think he broke a single tackle during those 3 seasons. I can't put Nolan Ryan in the same catagory with Earl and Dream. I think when most people outside of Houston think of Ryan, they don't think of his Astros years. Sure he got the $1,000,000 contract, and the no hitter, but what did he really accomplish as an Astro? I think he's best remembered for the general manager letting him go too soon. Personally, when I think Houston sports, I think Rudy T. j
That's pretty much what I always tell people younger than myself. I was still too young to notice when Brown was playing,but started watching/following football right after that. Earl is easily the best running back that I have ever seen,including Payton,Dorsett,and plenty of other elite runners. My favorite Earl moments are two that every Earl fan knows...the run against the Rams when he broke about 7 tackles and finished with tatters of a jersey and the Monday night game against Miami. If you aren't old enough to have seen him,you really missed something special. Check into him sometime. The man could just as easily out-run you as he could run right over you. I guess that's pretty much like Dream could out-quick you with his Dream Shake or a drive, or he could back you in and power over you. Then there's the guy with those measley,never happen again 7 no hitters and unreachable career strikeouts. And you can't break the tie by measuring their class and dignity off the field either. Those of us old (LUCKY) enough to have seen all three Houston #34's have a hard time picking between the three. At least this old geezer does!
On the other hand, Ryan is the only one of them TRULY from the Houston area. So if anyone is HOUSTON, he certainly is.
Let me ask a question, how many NBA players would you guys rank ahead of Earl Campbell, assuming they attended UofH and played for the Rockets? Now, how many NFL players would you rank ahead of Earl Campbell, assuming they played for UT and the Oilers. be honest
