He asked Earl if he "wanted to run the ball at this university." Earl, of course, answered that he did. Akers went on to explain that he wanted to change the offense from a wishbone attack to a straight back formation and desired Earl to be the focal point, carrying the ball 35 to 40 times during each game. Earl was familiar with the offense from his years at John Tyler High School and declared to Akers that he could handle the formation.

Akers said, "Good, Mr. Campbell. You're going to have to prove it to me, and it's going to take an awful lot of hard work on your part. I want you down to 220 pounds by the time the season begins. That's a key ingredient if this is going to work."

Earl was stunned. He'd weighed almost 245 pounds for several years and had no idea if he could shed that much weight in such a short period of time. But determined to make his team successful and respect Coach Akers' wishes, Earl decided to visit Frank Medina, the Longhorns' infamous trainer. Medina had served with two different Olympic teams and was nationally respected as one of the best athletic trainers in the world. Earl began to train with Medina every morning at 6:30 AM, pounding the heavy bag in a rubber sweat suit, running track for an hour, lifting weights and doing 400 sit-ups while wearing a weighted vest. Then it was off to the sauna for over a half-hour. He would attend his classes for a few hours and then participate in practice for the remainder of the evening. Although he thought it would be virtually impossible, Earl Campbell reported for the first home game at 220 pounds. With his hard work and determination throughout the pre-season, Earl inspired his teammates to "step up" their game as well. He also began to think more and more about winning the infamous Heisman Trophy, awarded to the best collegiate athlete in the country. Earl had never even heard of the Heisman when he visited Texas for the first time while still in high school. But now the Heisman was definitely in his reach…if he continued to work hard, lead his teammates to victory and bring the national spotlight back to Texas.

After opening the season with a 44-0 thrashing of Boston College at home, the Horns went on to defeat their next two opponents, Virginia and Rice, with a combined score of 140-15. Although they were clearly on a roll, the sportswriters continued to doubt the Horns because they had not beaten any tough teams. The first real test would be the annual Texas vs. Oklahoma rivalry. After two starting Texas quarterbacks went down in the first half, Randy McEachern, who had always worked out mainly with the practice squad, was forced to step in at signal caller. This opened the door for Earl, in a way, as the team was now dependent on their running game. One of the most exciting plays of the game would also be the infamous run that would thrust Earl into the national "Heisman Hype." After the handoff, Earl cut right and saw a dead end. He then reversed, hurdled an Oklahoma defensive player and exploded down the field for a 25-yard touchdown score.

After that run and Earl's first ever win against arch-rival Oklahoma, Earl found himself at the top of his game and truly in a position to bring the first-ever Heisman Trophy home to Texas. The next week, Earl rushed for 188 yards on 354 carries, as the nation watched the Horns defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks. But, that week, Earl also displayed his receiving abilities. Taking a pass from quarterback McEachern, Earl dashed down the sideline, dodged Razorback defenders and bulldozed a defensive back in the process. The referee called Earl down at the one-yard line, but that play convinced sports fans all across the country that Earl Campbell was one of the most outstanding all-around athletes in the country.

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