DETROIT — Not even a torn triceps muscle could keep Dan Campbell off the field.
On Christmas Eve 2006, Campbell, then a Detroit Lions tight end in his eighth NFL season, faced the Chicago Bears wearing a knee brace on his right arm as protection.
With under three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Lions quarterback Jon Kitna anticipated a post-corner route from Campbell on the backside, but Campbell instead beat his man on a corner post. Kitna adjusted and let it fly for a 23-yard touchdown. After securing the catch, an ecstatic Campbell raised both arms to celebrate in the back of the end zone before being mobbed by his Lions teammates.
“I think about those times with Dan, and he just never ever complained,” Kitna said. “Like to have to wear a brace on your elbow and not be able to straighten your arm and block people out, but still just kicking people’s tail, you just know there’s tough and then there’s Dan Campbell.
There’s a reason why in Texas, you don’t mess with dudes that wear boots and hats, man. Do not mess with them — and Dan is a boot and a hat guy.”
The touchdown against Chicago would prove to be the last of Campbell’s career, which ended after three more seasons and just four games. His final numbers — 11 seasons, 114 games, 91 receptions, 11 touchdowns — show a career that lasted longer than most but don’t tell the full story of Campbell as a player and the blend of toughness, intensity, intelligence and humor he brought during his stints with the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Lions and New Orleans Saints.
When I played with Dan in my first year [2007], he was playing with one arm, but he was still out there starting and playing with beasts out there, but still sustaining,” said Lions Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson of Campbell, whom teammates jokingly nicknamed “RoboCop” because of the bulky brace on his arm. “So, mad respect to him.”
Campbell’s football life has since extended into a promising coaching career. Now considered one of the NFL’s rising stars, Campbell — who was a member of the Lions team that finished 0-16 in 2008 — has drawn praise throughout the league for helping reverse Detroit’s fortunes with his no-nonsense approach and attention to detail. And on Christmas Eve 2023, his Lions clinched the franchise’s first division title since 1993 with a 30-24 win at the Minnesota Vikings.
“It’s really hard for people, to think it’s real, is how much he loves the game. There are not many people who love the game like that,” Kitna said. “I truly think Dan would’ve been one of those guys that would’ve played as long as he could for free. Like, he just loves ball.
“He loves teaching it, he loves everything about it, he loves being with the guys and it just seems like that’s the culture he’s created there.”
While Campbell the coach is focused on creating memories for a franchise that hasn’t seen a playoff victory in more than 30 years, Campbell the player’s legacy lives on through the teammates, coaches and friends with whom he crossed paths during his college and pro careers. Here are some of their favorite stories.
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