What Happened to Earl Campbell Sausage? The Rise and Fall of a Texas Football Legend’s Food Empire

Earl Campbell was one of the biggest names in Texas football history. The powerhouse running back won the Heisman Trophy with the University of Texas Longhorns before becoming a star for the Houston Oilers. After retiring from football Campbell decided to parlay his fame into a food business making Texas-style sausages and barbecue products. For over 20 years, Earl Campbell Sausage thrived – until the company abruptly declared bankruptcy in 2021. What led to the downfall of this Texas football legend’s business?

I was curious to learn more about the story behind Earl Campbell Sausage and understand how such a seemingly successful company could fail so suddenly. Here is what I discovered from researching online sources about Campbell’s football career the rise of his sausage business and the factors that ultimately led to its demise.

From Football Stardom to Food Business

Earl Campbell grew up in Tyler, Texas and became a high school football standout before joining the University of Texas Longhorns. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1977 after a season where he dominated defenses and ran over opponents like a freight train. The Houston Oilers drafted Campbell in 1978 and he continued his punishing running style in the NFL, making three straight Pro Bowls. Though injuries took their toll, Campbell retired after the 1985 season as one of the greatest power backs in football history.

In 1990, five years after retiring from the NFL, Campbell decided to capitalize on his famous name by launching a food company selling Texas-style sausages and barbecue products. The company was based in Austin and initially focused on selling to local supermarkets and restaurants.

The Earl Campbell Sausage brand quickly gained popularity around Austin and then expanded to wider distribution across Texas. Campbell’s sausage products were known for their quality and use of bold flavors like jalapeño and cheddar. As the company grew, Campbell’s smiling face on packages of “Earl Campbell’s Smoked Sausage” became a familiar sight in Texas grocery stores.

Expanding the Brand in the Late 90s

As his sausage products took off in the 1990s, Campbell looked to further grow his food empire In October 1999, he opened Earl Campbell’s restaurant in Austin – a barbecue joint on 6th Street serving up plates of sausage, ribs and other Texas favorites

The restaurant interior featured Texas sports memorabilia and trophies from Campbell’s storied football career. The menu centered around Campbell’s sausage, allowing diners to sample flavors like the “Heisman Hot Links” sausage. Though the food earned positive reviews, the downtown 6th Street location proved a challenge for the restaurant.

Around this same time, Earl Campbell Sausage expanded distribution to supermarkets across the U.S. , aiming to establish itself as a national brand. Though the company was growing quickly, some challenges lurked under the surface.

Challenges Emerge: Changing Preferences and Rising Competition

Despite Earl Campbell’s fame, the company faced difficulties standing out from the crowd of brands in the crowded processed meat market. Health-conscious consumers were also increasingly wary of highly processed foods and red meats high in saturated fat.

While the company briefly benefited from the high-protein diet craze in the early 2000s, changing preferences toward foods seen as more natural and healthy limited demand for Earl Campbell’s indulgent sausage recipes over time.

The restaurant also struggled, facing high overhead costs on 6th Street while lacking a neighborhood local customer base. In 2001, just two years after opening, the original Earl Campbell’s restaurant closed. A few other Austin-area locations opened later but failed to drive profits.

Though the core sausage business stayed afloat, rising competition in grocery stores made growth difficult. From large brands to small specialty sausage makers, the market offered consumers many alternatives to Earl Campbell’s products. Faced with these challenges, the company’s sales declined over most of the 2000s.

The Pandemic Deals a Final Blow

In the 2010s, Earl Campbell Sausage focused on their core Central Texas customer base as a regional brand. But in early 2020 COVID-19 hit, dealing a dramatic blow to the food industry. With demand from restaurants and stadiums evaporating, the company struggled.

As the pandemic wore on, Earl Campbell Sausage’s declining financial condition turned into a full-blown crisis. In February 2021 the Austin restaurant abruptly closed after falling behind on rent payments. Then in April 2021, with debts mounting and revenues plummeting, the parent company was forced to file for bankruptcy protection.

While COVID setbacks certainly hastened the company’s demise, the bankruptcy filing was the culmination of long-standing competitive and market challenges. After 30+ years in business, the Texas legend’s company couldn’t survive the pandemic storm.

What’s Next for Earl Campbell’s Food Brand?

Though the original company entered bankruptcy, the Earl Campbell’s brand lives on. A meat processing company in Flatonia, Texas purchased the rights to manufacture and market Earl Campbell sausage products after the bankruptcy.

Campbell himself is still actively involved, traveling around Texas to promote the rebranded Earl Campbell Meat Co. sausage. Focusing just on the core sausage business, without restaurants or major expansion plans, may help the company avoid past mistakes. However, in the crowded food market, success is far from guaranteed.

For Earl Campbell, now in his late 60s, the rise and fall of his sausage empire represents an uncertain business legacy. The brand clearly benefited from his football fame when launched. But staying power as a business requires more than a celebrity name – even for a Texas legend. The former Heisman winner’s second act as a food entrepreneur shows both the power and limitations of translating athletic renown into a consumer brand.

While fans still reminisce about Campbell plowing through defenses, his business story underscores that on-field success and marketing fame alone can’t assure viability over the long run. Brands need to give consumers compelling reasons to choose their products – and adapt as tastes evolve. The demise of Earl Campbell Sausage follows a familiar arc of companies that rely too much on past brand equity without keeping products, marketing and strategy fresh.

As the rebranded company works to rebuild, only time will tell if Earl Campbell sausage products can regain their allure with Texas consumers. But the brand’s past rise and fall provides an cautionary tale on the difficulties of parlaying even the biggest name recognition into an enduring, profitable company.