Dan Campbell has been known to bring his enthusiastic and passionate voice inside the Detroit Lions locker room. He’s found a way to galvanize a franchise that had been down for three decades and wrapped up the NFC North title last Sunday.
But before Campbell rose to fame in the Motor City, he used that same loud voice and vigor for the Dallas Cowboys — the same Cowboys he’ll soon game plan against on Saturday.
Looking Back at Dan Campbell’s Cowboys Career
The native of Clifton, Texas, first landed in Dallas in 2003 after wrapping up a four-year career with the New York Giants. He arrived at “Big D” during a time when the Cowboys were seeking NFL relevancy again by turning to legendary head coach Bill Parcells.
Campbell became a 16-game starter for Parcells’ first Dallas team. He ended up catching 20 passes for 195 yards and scored just once. However, Campbell was more lauded for his run-blocking and locker-room leadership.
That ’03 Cowboys team ranked 12th in rushing yards while finishing 10-6 overall, earning a playoff bid. Dallas, though, got bounced in the first round against the eventual NFC champions that season — the Carolina Panthers.
Campbell went on to start in a combined 14 more games over the next two seasons. While he wasn’t much of a receiving threat, he became more revered for his leadership — signaling early that he was going to be a future head coach.
Even the Cowboys’ main tight end, Pro Bowler Jason Witten, raved about Campbell’s “tough guy” leadership in an ESPN interview in Oct. 2015.
Campbell eventually signed with the Lions as a free agent in March 2006.
What Are Campbell’s Final NFL Stats?
Campbell went on to play his final three seasons with the Lions. Unfortunately, that does include the infamous 0-16 season of 2008, his last full season in the league.
But what were Campbell’s final stats across the board? Here’s what he was able to accomplish:
- 76 total starts out of 114 possible games
- 91 career receptions
- 934 total yards across 10 NFL seasons
- 11 total touchdowns (His most was four in his first season with Detroit in 2006)
Campbell wasn’t considered the household NFL name he is now as a head coach. That coaching journey began right away.
When Did Campbell Dive Into Coaching?
Campbell’s last NFL stop was with the New Orleans Saints in 2009. However, he never recorded any stats with the Saints.
The following season, Campbell’s coaching career launched.
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He began as a coaching intern for the Miami Dolphins in 2010. Then, from 2011-2015, he served as tight ends coach. At that time, Parcells was involved in the front office.
He was then an interim head coach in 2015 when Joe Philbin got fired after a 1-3 start. Miami went 5-7 the rest of the way under Campbell.
Campbell eventually returned to the Saints as the TE coach and assistant head coach from 2016 to 2020. His work and attitude eventually won over the Lions, as they hired him as head coach in 2021.
Now, Campbell has gone from being a beloved locker-room leader in Dallas to a rock star figure in the Motor City.
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