LORAN SMITH: Good things do happen to good people

VILANO BEACH, Fla. — You may have heard the bad news about the health of the old Swamp Fox, Marion Campbell, the one-time head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons (twice).

But now there is some very good news.

The former NFL defensive guru had agreed to meet an old friend for breakfast at a restaurant just a short distance from the ocean. Sea gulls floated aimlessly in the wind and pelicans sat immobile on the pilings of a pier—the Swamp Fox was grateful to be peacefully ensconced in the midst of a scene that reflected that all was right with the world.

Swampy, as many of his countless National Football League buddies call him, has experienced his third miracle. If you recall, Marion tripped and fell almost two years ago, crashing into the wall of his den and breaking his neck.

The doctors, following surgery, inserted a plate into his neck to direct food and liquids into the right tube, which led to his stomach. He had to live on that feeding tube for months. After a period of time, the doctors discovered that the plate could not be removed without great risk. To remove it would have brought about a life-threatening circumstance. He would have to continue living on a feeding tube. Being the tough-minded disciple that he is, Marion took the bad news in stride but was overwhelmed when he went to the doctor in October and was told that his neck had fully healed. He could eat anything he wanted.

When friends asked him if he went out and ordered a big steak, he responded negatively.

“All I wanted,” Campbell said, “was a bottle of my good friend’s wine.” The Swamp Fox was referring to Dick Vermeil, former head coach of the Eagles and the Rams, who owns a winery in Napa Valley.

“Dick, one of the great human beings on earth,” Campbell says, “sends his wine this way frequently, and I can’t think of a better way to end the day than with a glass of his California cabernet.”

When the good news came about, Campbell had been living on a feeding tube for 17 months. No solid food, nothing to drink. This former Bulldog lineman who lettered in Athens, 1949-51, has experienced three miracles during that period of time. When the accident happened, he knew his neck was broken. He told his wife, June, that it was broken, and that’s what he told the paramedics who made the emergency call to his home.

“In my mind there was no question about it. I just knew,” the Swamp Fox said. He broke vertebrae 3 and 4 and fractured 5 and 6. “I was a mess,” he said, “but I’m still here.”

When he got to the hospital the doctor’s first words were, “You are lucky to be alive.”

That was miracle No. 1.

Then the doctor added, “You are also lucky that you are not paralyzed from the neck down.”

Miracle No. 2.

The last miracle obviously is that he is now cured and can lead a normal life, which includes an unrestricted diet.

“I am a lucky man,” Campbell said as he reminisced with his former teammate Zippy Morocco, who has a second home not far from Campbell’s residence in St. Augustine. “The power of prayer got me through.”

It was so bad that Campbell became delirious at the hospital and told the nurses that he was leaving. The hospital ordered ’round-the-clock sitters for him, making sure he did not bring about damage to himself while he was “out of it” for over a week. He is confident that for him to survive, his football experience and training were critical factors.

Prior to the accident, the worst football injury for Campbell in over 16 years of playing the game had been a sprained ankle.

“That wasn’t a big deal. They would shoot me up for every game and I still played,” he said. You gotta play hurt! You recall that era, no doubt. Campbell flourished in those times, starting out his career with the San Francisco 49ers and finishing with the Eagles, who won the 1960 NFL championship by defeating the Green Bay Packers, 17-13, in the championship game. It would be the only playoff game Vince Lombardi ever lost. Marion was an All-Pro defensive end for the Eagles.

Known for his defensive expertise, Campbell is highly regarded as a gentleman. He always treated people with respect and the respect to him in return was overwhelming.

With the Swamp Fox, life in football was about the game—it wasn’t about him. His story is reminder that sometimes, good things happen to good people.