World Affairs Board - View Single Post - Army Football Player Caleb Campbell and the NFL Draft

**Shek** · 04-25-2008, 06:44 AM

Here are two more articles on the subject:

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Caleb Campbell National Football League West Point Iraq Afghanistan Hudson River - SI Vault

The policy's rationale is straightforward: West Point grads with highly visible talents create positive publicity for the Army, an aid to recruiting at a time when the military can be a hard sell. Josh Holden, a minor leaguer for the Cincinnati Reds, was the first Army graduate to benefit, in 2005; in all, fewer than 10 athletes have been excused from active duty. Campbell would become the first football player to receive the exemption, a distinction that makes him uncomfortable. "I came here after 9/11; I knew what to expect," he says. "We've been trained to lead troops into battle. I expected to do that. I didn't expect the Army to give me an opportunity to play in the NFL. But the difference gets to you. My best friends are probably going to be in Iraq soon."

He may feel awkward, but Campbell is a singular football talent. He became a starter in the sixth game of his freshman season, and after finishing his sophomore year with a team-high five interceptions, Campbell was targeted by other college programs. (Cadets can transfer out of West Point after their sophomore years without penalty.) "That season coaches and players would talk to me after games and tell me to look at their school," he says. The lobbying convinced Campbell to transfer to a football school with easier academics. In the summer of 2006 he took his transfer papers to then coach Bobby Ross—but Ross, using the exemption policy as a selling point, persuaded him to stay. "He told me I'd graduate from another school, but I wouldn't care and that I probably wouldn't even go to my own graduation," Campbell says. "That got to me. I've never quit anything in my life. It's hard here, really hard, but they make leaders of character."

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Duty calls: Army says Cadets can turn pro now | NFL News | Sports News | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas

Service academy players, even the legends, rarely have NFL careers.

Felix "Doc" Blanchard (1945) and Pete Dawkins (1958) won Heisman trophies and never played in the NFL.

After fulfilling his military commitment, including a stint in Vietnam, Staubach reported to training camp in 1969 with the Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie. He would quarterback Dallas to four Super Bowls in the 1970s and earn himself a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

How much glossier would Staubach's football legacy have been had he spent those five prime years of his professional life – ages 23 to 27 – on the football field instead of in the military? That was the tradeoff for one of the best educations a college scholarship could buy.

"When I went there, I knew what the deal was," Staubach said. "When I left high school, I wasn't thinking I was going to play pro football. But today if you're thinking that way, it would be nice to have an option like Army has. If Army has it, Navy should be able to compete with it as well."