Dave Campbell, a Waco native, built a legendary career in Texas sports journalism. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and later met his wife, Reba, a
Navasota native and fellow Baylor graduate, while they worked at the Waco Tribune-Herald. Their partnership began when Campbell helped Reba file a difficult story after a fatal auto accident. They married in 1949 and remained partners in life and work for more than 70 years.
Campbell joined the Waco Tribune-Herald after graduation and rose to sports editor within three years. In 1960, frustrated by the lack of national coverage of Texas teams, he launched Texas Football magazine with fellow Waco sportswriters Hollis Biddle, Jim Montgomery and Al Ward. He published the first issue from his kitchen. The inaugural 96-page edition, featuring Texas Longhorns running back Jack Collins on the cover, sold for fifty cents.
The magazine quickly became the best-selling football publication in the state and earned the nickname “The Bible of Texas Football.” Known for its closely guarded cover selections, Dave Campbell’s Texas Football is now a statewide magazine with more than 400,000 readers and remains a defining tradition that signals the start of football season across Texas. From the beginning, the magazine covered not only college programs but also hundreds of Texas high school teams, setting it apart from national publications. In 2015, Dave and Reba Campbell received the Lamar Hunt Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors individuals whose lifelong contributions have made a lasting impact on sports in Texas and beyond. Campbell passed away in 2021, leaving behind a legacy that shaped generations of Texas sports fans and forever defined the coverage of football in the state.
