When I was at The University of Texas at Austin, I had the privilege of getting to know a few of the football players. One of them was a guy by the name of Earl Campbell. One Friday afternoon, my sorority was having a picnic in Pease Park, and someone decided to “kidnap” Earl. He willingly joined us in the festivities, and I was able to snap a few photos that afternoon. Later, I took the developed pictures to class, where I saw Earl and asked him to autograph them for me. He reluctantly said, “Why in the world do you want my autograph?” I replied that I thought maybe, someday, he just might be famous.
That year, Earl was injured and feeling pretty down about his future as a running back. But I got that autograph anyway and the rest is history. Earl went on to become one of the greatest football players ever to wear the Texas Longhorns uniform. A Heisman Trophy winner, All-Pro and the accolades go on. His Houston Oilers coach, Bum Phillips, was once heard to say, “If Earl isn’t in a class by himself, it doesn’t take long to call the roll.”
Years later, as his fame grew, sports reporters and the press surrounded him after every game. When I recall Earl’s replies to the media, I am reminded of one of the greatest lessons of my life as a leader. Questions would range from, “How did you run for over 200 yards today?” to “Are you the greatest running back in UT history?” Earl never hesitated. He always answered the same way: “It wasn’t me; it was my teammates.” He’d talk about how the offensive line made it possible, how the defense played so well that the offense had plenty of opportunities to score. And so it went—he never took credit or said the word “I.”
Sometimes as leaders, it’s tempting and even natural to say I did this or I did that. Let’s all take a lesson from Earl and shine the light back on our teammates. The ones who make greatness in our everyday actions possible.
Hats off to the team,
Gay Gaddis
Founder. Author. Artist. Trailblazer.
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