Henry LeRoy "Sunshine" Campbell (October 27, 1915 – January 3, 2007) was an American football player and sheriff. He was a famous minor league football quarterback in the 1930s and was the sheriff of Carroll County for 20 years.[1]
| No. 27, 35, 12 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 27, 1915 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died: | January 3, 2007 (aged 91) Randallstown, Maryland, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Apollo (PA) |
| College: | McDaniel |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Campbell was born on October 27, 1915, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up in and went to high school in Apollo, Pennsylvania.[2] He received an athletic scholarship offer from Western Maryland College (now known as McDaniel College).[2] In college football he was named honorable mention All-American. While in college, he was offered opportunities in sports by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Reds (baseball). He chose to go to the Washington Redskins football team. He was on their roster in 1937 but did not make any appearances as he also played for the Baltimore Blue Birds of the Dixie League.[3] The next season he was sent to their farm team, the Hazleton Redskins of the Eastern Pennsylvania Football League.[4][5][6][7] He was the Redskins' starting quarterback in all of their games.[8][9] He led them to a 5 and 1 record for the EPFL championship. He played with the Paterson Panthers of the American Association in 1939[10] (leading them to the championship) and the Richmond Arrows of the Dixie League from 1940 to 1941.[11][12] He also tried out with teams in baseball, but was released.[13]
After his playing career, he worked at O'Farrell Brothers, Bohn Pontiac and American Ring & Hammer. He also was active in youth sports as a coach.[2] In 1962, he was elected sheriff of Carroll County, Maryland.[14] He and his wife lived above the jail until 1970.[1] He retired in 1982 after 20 years of service, making him the longest serving Carroll County sheriff.[14] He died on January 3, 2007, at the age of 91.[14][2]
References
edit- ^ a b "Former sheriff had to put on many hats often; Retiree: Early in his wide-ranging, 20-year career as Carroll sheriff, H. LeRoy Campbell and his wife lived in the jail, above the prisoners' quarters". January 23, 2000.
- ^ a b c d "H. Campbell Obituary (2007) - WESTMINSTER, MD - Evening Sun". www.legacy.com.
- ^ "Washington Redskins Sign Sunshine Campbell". The News. February 17, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "BACKFIELD ACE. CLUB PRESIDENT". The Plain Speaker. September 24, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "LeRoy Campbell Stats - Pro Football Archives". www.profootballarchives.com.
- ^ "Sunshine Campbell Is Star". The Plain Speaker. September 26, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "HAZLETON REGION WILL SEE FAST TEAM MAKE PRO. DEBUT SUNDAY". Standard-Speaker. September 24, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Leads Hazleton Team". The Evening News. September 28, 1938. and "Redskins Backfield Ace". The Plain Speaker. October 7, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Campbell Leads Attack". The Plain Speaker. November 14, 1938 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Untitled". The Evening Sun. September 18, 1939 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Leroy ('Sunshine') Campbell, Arrow Back". The Times-Dispatch. November 2, 1941 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wiley, Tom (September 23, 1940). "3,000 Watch Local Pros Win Opener". The Times-Dispatch – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Three Released". The Plain Speaker. April 25, 1939 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Sun, Baltimore (January 7, 2007). "H. LeRoy Campbell". baltimoresun.com.
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