PHILADELPHIA -- Marion Campbell was quietly one of the great figures in the long history of the Philadelphia Eagles.
As a two-way player on the 1960 championship team, Campbell was eclipsed by the larger-than-life Chuck Bednarik.
As the defensive coordinator on the Eagles' 1980 Super Bowl team, Campbell worked in the shadow of beloved head coach Dick Vermeil.
And Campbell's three seasons as head coach, from 1983 through 1985, are remembered primarily as the down years before the arrival of Buddy Ryan.
But Campbell, who died last week at the age of 87, deserves to be remembered as one of the all-time Eagles. He played in 71 games for the Eagles from 1956 to 1961. Campbell went to the Pro Bowl after the 1959 and 1960 seasons.
"Marion Campbell will be missed by the Eagles community but also remembered for his spirited impact on our game," Eagles owner Jeff Lurie said in a statement released by the team. "Like Chuck Bednarik, he was a great two-way player during a special era in NFL history. He played with the type of toughness that our town so deeply admires."
Campbell was selected as a first-team All-Pro in 1960, the year the Eagles defeated Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers for the NFL championship. They have not won a championship since.
In 1977, Vermeil hired Campbell as his defensive coordinator. Working with linebackers Bill Bergey, John Bunting and Jerry Robinson, cornerbacks Herm Edwards and Roynell Young, and defensive end Carl Hairston, Campbell fielded one of the NFL's best defenses.
During his six seasons as defensive coordinator, the Eagles gave up the fewest points in the NFL. The team went to the playoffs four times, including their run to Super Bowl XV against the Oakland Raiders.
After the strike-shortened 1982 season, Vermeil resigned, citing burnout. Campbell was promoted to head coach. It was a tough transition, as the top players from the 1980 Super Bowl team were moving on or on the decline.
When Norman Braman bought the team from owner Leonard Tose in 1985, Campbell had a target on his back. Braman was eager to put his own stamp on the team and he had little patience for a coach who had gone 11-20-1 in the previous two seasons.
There were reasons for optimism in 1985. The Eagles selected quarterback Randall Cunningham in the second round of that year's NFL draft. That summer, they cut a deal to sign defensive end Reggie White away from the USFL's Memphis Showboats. Wide receiver Mike Quick and safety Wes Hopkins had Pro Bowl seasons in 1985.
But the team got off to a 1-4 start before rallying to a 6-5 record by November. A four-game losing streak sealed Campbell's fate. In late December, a story broke that Braman had secretly met with David Shula, son of the legendary Don Shula, about becoming the Eagles' new head coach.
Campbell, seeing the writing on the wall, met with Braman. If he was going to be fired, Campbell said, he would rather have it happen right away rather than coach the last game as a lame duck. Campbell walked away with a 17-29-1 record as a head coach.
Campbell went on to become head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 1987 to 1989. It was the second tour of duty for the former University of Georgia star. Campbell was Falcons head coach from 1974 to 1976, before joining Vermeil's staff.
Despite his time in Atlanta, Campbell was ultimately an Eagle as a player, assistant coach and head coach.