Earl Campbell day set for aug 22nd in Kerrville! Free Autographs 12-2

Helping a customer outside Rustic Elegance earlier this month, owner Jan Lynch was asked if she could give the man’s friend some prices.

“Sure,” Jan said, as she walked toward the car he was sitting in. “Yeah, it’s Earl,” the friend said.

A lifelong Houston Oilers fan and “Luv Ya Blue” diehard, the name Earl set off alarm bells.

“In my head I went, what?,” Lynch said. “Because when you hear Earl, there’s only one Earl.”

When Lynch reached the car she knew immediately she was looking at her idol, Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell.

“I went out there and it was him, and I told him ‘Do you even have a clue what an honor it is to meet you and what you’ve done for Texas?’” Lynch said. “You made football the best it could have been.”

From that point a series of dream-like eventsunfolded for Lynch and her husband, Steve, who was sitting in the back room with no knowledge that his gridiron hero was looking at cowhides 30 feet away. Campbell gave the Lynches a No. 34 Oilers jersey, signed it, posed for pictures and was on his way.

“When he left, I was just in awe,” Jan said. “I started calling everyone, and while I was on the phone with my brother-in-law, Joey, a call came in and it was Earl.”

Campbell told Jan he wanted to do something special for the store. He explained that while he was headed to Cleveland for a short time, he would like to return to Kerrville and help promote Rustic Elegance — free of charge.

“He said ‘I’ll bring some sausage, you just bring me some tacos with carne guisada,’” Jan said. “That he wanted to do something for us just made me feel unbelievable.”

Hundreds of phone calls made, banners constructed and stories told later, Rustic Elegance will be hosting the city-recognized “Earl Campbell Day” on Aug. 22.

Campbell will be signing autographs between noon and 2 p.m., free of charge. Jan encourages fans to bring favorite Campbell apparel, from the “Luv Ya Blue” collectibles from his days with the Oilers to memorabilia for the University of Texas, where “The Tyler Rose” won the Heisman Trophy in 1977.

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Wolf said:

I think i am going to try to use my sisters on saturday.. I have an old oilers pennant and a texans hat... maybe my sisters could take one of each and see if earl would sign them (the items and not my sisters or I would probably have to frame both of my sisters to the wall)

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Silver Oak said:

didn't Earl have some surgery recently...back or knee?

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Earl Campbell recovering after back surgery
Thursday, September 04, 2008 | 7:07 PM By Laura WhitleyDoctors say football legend Earl Campbell underwent successful spinal surgery in July. The Hall of Famer is expected to talk about his recovery and condition later today.

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FirstTexansFan said:

I've only had two hero's in my life... My dad, and Earl Campbell. A man among children, a treasure we'll never see in this lifetime again.

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