BUIES CREEK, N.C.--Documents available indicate that Campbell first fielded a varsity football team in 1925 and did so until 1950, except for 1940-45 during World War II.

Coaches Edge and Baker led Campbell's first football team in 1925 to a 3-1-1 record, including a 7-0 victory over Carthage in the team's first game. The 1929 squad, under the direction of Coach Bob Hays won Campbell's first-ever state championship while posting a 5-2-1 record.

Campbell again won a state junior college championship in 1932 under the guidance of Coach S.O. Brandon. Coach H.H. Smith's Camels tied Belmont Abbey and Brevard for the title in 1939.

After World War II interrupted many sporting events nationwide from 1940-45, Campbell won three-consecutive North Carolina Junior College Championships from 1946-48 under the direction of Coach Earl Smith.

The 1947 team defeated South Georgia 47-6 to win the Eastern United States Junior College Championship. One year later in 1948, Campbell again won the N.C. title, but fell to South Georgia 26-19 in the Eastern U.S. championship.

With the on-set of the Korean Conflict and the movement of many North Carolina schools to senior college status in the 1950s, Campbell dropped its varsity football program after the 1950 season.

Ten individuals who either played or coached football at Campbell have been inducted into the Campbell Sports Hall of Fame.

Bobby Bowie
A native of Galax, Virginia, Bobby Bowie was an all-state guard on the 1948 football team that won the North Carolina Junior College Championship under the direction of Coach Earl Smith. Bowie's blocking helped clear openings for fellow Hall of Fame member Archie Brigman as the Fighting Camels advanced to the Eastern United States Junior College Championship game. Following his days in Buies Creek, Bowie served his country for five years as a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. A graduate of North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering, Bowie embarked on a distinguished career in the business world. Bowie retired from Federal Paper Board Company in 1991 as Senior Vice President and General Manger of Converting Operations. In addition, Bowie serves on the Board of Directors of MAP International, a non-profit medical assistance program to aid those suffering throughout the world. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Archie Brigman
Archie Brigman was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 7, 1989. He entered Campbell in 1946 following three years of duty in the United States Navy (1943-46). While at Campbell, Brigman earned three letters in football and an additional two monograms in baseball. He served as co-captain of the 1948 football team and earned all-conference recognition that year. He went on to Elon College after receiving his associate degree, and was a starting halfback on the football team while twice earning all-conference recognition in baseball. A longtime resident of Falcon, Brigman coached on the prep level for 20 years and served as a principal in the Cumberland County Schools for 15 years before retiring. He was also a recipient of Campbell's Alumni Service Award.

Walter Deal
Walter Deal was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 5, 1991. He was a star on Campbell's football and basketball teams during his stint in Buies Creek, earning three letters in football and an additional two letters in basketball. Deal served as co-captain of the Camel football squad and received all-conference honors in 1947 and 1948. In addition, he was a team captain and an all-state performer in both of his varsity basketball seasons (1946 and 1947). In 1947, he grabbed a North Carolina Junior College all-tournament selection as part of his many athletic honors.

George Graybill
George Graybill was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 3, 1992. Attending Campbell from 1948-50, he was a three-sport standout, earning letters in football, basketball and baseball. He served as team captain for all three sports during the 1949-50 season. Among the highlights of Graybill's career was leading the Fighting Camels to the 1949 National Junior College Basketball Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Following his playing career, Graybill went on to coach and teach in the Roanoke, Virginia area schools.

George (Buck) Hardee
"Buck" Hardee was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 6, 1990. He starred both in baseball and football while at Campbell from 1948-49, hitting .400 for the '48 baseball squad and receiving all-state recognition on the football field as the Camels' team captain in 1949. After furthering his education at East Carolina, Hardee began one of the most storied and respected coaching careers in North Carolina Athletics. From 1959-84, he served as head coach of Wilmington's American Legion Post 10 baseball team and led his clubs to a 524-267-3 record that included five state championships and two state runner-up finishes. In 1971, Hardee was inducted into the American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame. From 1964-88, he led the New Hanover High baseball team to a record of 396-133-1, 13 conference championships and two state runner-up showings. Wilmington's municipal baseball facility was named in Hardee's honor in 1984.

Willard B. Harris
A native of Warrenton, N.C., and resident of Martinsville, Va., Willard B. Harris is a longtime benefactor of Campbell University, who was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. After graduating from John Graham High School in Warrenton, Harris enrolled in college on a baseball scholarship, but a draft notice and subsequent arm injury ended his playing career. He enrolled at Campbell and was a quarterback on its 1948 conference champion football team. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a bachelor of science degree and a master's degree. Harris retired as Vice President/Finance of Tultex Corporation of Martinsville, Va., a sweatshirt manufacturer. He was honored by Campbell in 1987 with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Inspired by the Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training Camp in Vero Beach, Florida, Campbell University's Willard B. Harris Baseball Training Center provides space and equipment for supplemental pitching and hitting practice. The heated indoor facility offers a site for pre-season training during colder weather or for regular practice when inclement weather occurs.

Billy Mason
Billy Mason was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 2, 1993. He graduated from Campbell in 1949 after a standout two-sport career with the Fighting Camels. Mason led the basketball team in scoring in both of his seasons at Campbell and helped the 1949 squad to the national junior college tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. He was twice selected all-state and all-state tournament and was an honorable mention Junior College All-America basketball player in 1949. On the football field, Mason was a standout offensive end and defensive halfback. Mason served in the public education field for 37 years as a coach, principal and associate superintendent of the New Hanover County School System before retiring in 1988.

Captain Eugene "Red" McDaniel
Born in New Bern, N.C., and raised in Kinston, Red McDaniel arrived at Campbell in the fall of 1950 and became a standout in football, basketball and baseball. He helped lead the 1952 basketball team to a berth in the Junior College National Championship Tournament in Hutchison, Kansas. After graduating from Campbell in 1952, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Elon in 1954. McDaniel then embarked on a distinguished career in the service of his country by enrolling in Naval Aviation Training in 1955. On May 19, 1967, while flying on his 81st combat mission over North Vietnam, A-6 Intruder pilot Red McDaniel was shot down near Hanoi. He was listed as "missing in action" until 1970, when the Hanoi government acknowledged that he was being held prisoner. A POW for more than six years, he was released on May 4, 1973 after the Vietnam cease-fire. One of the most brutally tortured prisoners of the Vietnam War, McDaniel played an active role in camp communications during an organized escape attempt by fellow prisoners. He is the author of Scars and Stripes, a book telling of his six years in a communist prison. He also provided POW/MIA material for the best-selling book Kiss the Boys Goodbye. For his service in Vietnam, Captain McDaniel was awarded the Navy's highest award for bravery, the Navy Cross. He is the recipient of the Freedom Foundation's American Patriot Award. He is the recipient of the Freedom Foundation's American Patriot Award. Among his other military decorations are two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit with Combat "V", the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars with Combat "V", and two Purple Hearts for wounds received at the hands of his North Vietnamese captors. Captain McDaniel's national TV appearances include The Today Show, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Phil Donahue, The McLaughlin Show, CNBC, Crossfire, Sonya Live, CNN and C-SPAN. During his naval career, Captain McDaniel served as Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington and as Director of Navy/Marine Corps Liaison to the United States House of Representatives. In 1983, he founded the non-profit public policy group American Defense Institute to conduct research in national security issues and to increase public awareness of the need for a strong national defense. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

James Sessoms
James Sessoms was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 2, 1993. The native of Erwin graduated from Campbell in 1938. He won 12 letters at Erwin High School before attending Campbell where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball. Coached by Gaffney Smith and Clarence Stasavich, Sessoms was named captain of both the football and baseball teams during his sophomore year when he led the football squad to a state runner-up showing. That same year he also batted .445 on the baseball team, a mark that stands among the best in school history. After serving his country in the United States Navy during World War II, Sessoms entered the business community in Mount Airy and Maryville, Tennessee.

Earl Smith
Earl Smith was inducted into the Campbell Sports Hall of Fame in April of 1986. While coaching at Campbell from 1946-53, he directed the Fighting Camel football, basketball, baseball, tennis and cross country teams. Under Smith's guidance, Campbell won three straight North Carolina Junior College football championships (1946-48). He also led the 1948-49 and 1951-52 basketball teams to the junior college national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. Smith graduated from East Carolina and in 1953, returned to coach there. After a successful tenure at ECU, he was inducted into the Pirate Hall of Fame in 1977. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.