Milt Campbell attended Indiana and besides playing football was a star track athlete. At the age of just 18, Campbell finished second in the decathlon in the 1952 Olympics, and then four years later Campbell became the first African-American to win a gold medal in the Decathlon at the summer Olympics (Melbourne, 1956).
Campbell played one season with the Cleveland Browns of the NFL before coming North to play in Canada. In 1958, after his release by Cleveland, Campbell played 8 games with Hamilton as a running back, piling up a very respectable 468 yards. Campbell moved to the Alouettes in 1959, Campbell lost his job in Hamilton to rookie Billy Reynolds, but hung around Canada playing for the Kitchener Waterloo-Dutchmen of the ORFU. When injuries struck the Montreal Alouettes, they picked up Campbell who played three games for them mainly as a defensive back, recording one pass interception.
Campbell then played for the Kitchen Waterloo-Dutchmen of the ORFU in 1960, one game with the Toronto Argonauts in 1964 and then after a two year absence played eight games for the Argos in 1964. Campbell was traded by Toronto to Edmonton, though he never played for the Eskimos. The trade, brought about by a rule change that limited teams to three naturalized players helped spark the formation of the CFL Players Association and Campbell was one of the players on whose behalf a lawsuit was brought in 1965. Born in Plainfield, NJ, Milt Campbell was elected to the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
Milt Campbell passed away on November 2, 2012.
Milt Campbell is the Forgotten Champion
Milt Campbell, the World's Greatest Athlete
Campbell Signs With Hamilton - September 19, 1958
Campbell Cut by Hamilton - August 28, 1959
Campbell May Replace Injured Wells - October 14, 1959
Campbell Nearly Took Kickoff Back for Alouettes - October 26, 1959
Campbell OUt With Ankle Injury - October 1, 1964
Camplbell Traded to Edmonton - March 12, 1965
Campbell Part of Lawsuit Launched by Players - March 15, 1965
Milt Campbell Elected to the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame - 2012
African-American Decathalon Pioneer Milt Campbell Dead at 78
Milt Campbell, Greates Athlete in New Jersey History, Dies at 78
| Year | Team | GP | TC | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | HAM | 8 | 98 | 468 | 4.8 | 3 | 73 | 11 | 157 | 14.3 | 1 | 53 | 24 |
| 1959 | KWD | ||||||||||||
| 1959 | MON | 3 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | KWD | ||||||||||||
| 1961 | TOR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | TOR | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Year | Team | KOR | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | HAM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | KWD | |||||
| 1959 | MON | 4 | 91 | 22.8 | 0 | 40 |
| 1960 | KWD | |||||
| 1961 | TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Year | Team | Int | Yds | Avg | TDInt | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | HAM | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1959 | KWD | |||||
| 1959 | MON | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1960 | KWD | |||||
| 1961 | TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1964 | TOR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
