Football
Campbell, Steve
Steve Campbell
- Title:
- Director of High School Relations
- Email:
- scampbell@athletics.msstate.edu
- Phone:
- 662-325-3470
Steve Campbell returned to Mississippi State on Feb. 3, 2023, as Director of High School Relations.
Campbell’s impressive coaching résumé includes three national championships as both a player and a coach. Campbell owns a 168-79 (.680) record across two decades while leading four different institutions.
Campbell began his South Alabama tenure after a four-year stint at Central Arkansas, where he led the Bears to a 33-15 record including a mark of 24-3 in the Southland Conference his last three seasons. UCA turned in a 10-2 record and claimed the conference title with a 9-0 mark in 2017 to earn the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. In addition to being named the Southland Coach of the Year, the Bears claimed four of the league’s other six individual awards, with 10 first-team all-conference selections and another 10 individuals picking up second-team and honorable mention recognition.
Prior to his time at UCA, Campbell led Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to a record of 87-22 and the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship in 10 seasons at the helm of the program. During his final eight seasons at MGCCC, the Bulldogs spent 115 consecutive weeks in the NJCAA top 25, claimed six Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) South Division titles and won the Mississippi Junior College championship three times. Campbell was twice named National Coach of the Year, earning those honors on three occasions at both the conference and region levels. In addition, 28 of his players received All-America accolades and 17 were selected as Academic All-Americans. Before his arrival, MGCCC had not made it to the state playoffs since 1986.
Campbell was also the head coach at Delta State for three seasons from 1999-01, posting a 27-8 record that included a 14-1 mark and the NCAA Division II national championship in 2000 when he was selected the Chevrolet National Coach of the Year. In his first head coaching job, at Southwest Mississippi Community College during the 1997 and ’98 campaigns, he led the Bears to their first winning season in 12 years while going 12-8 overall.
In his first 19 seasons as a head coach, Campbell — who was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2014 and served as the President of the NJCAA Coaches Association in 2012 — never guided a team that finished with a losing record. He compiled an astounding 159-53 overall mark.
Campbell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Pat Dye at Auburn in 1988-89, and during that time the Tigers would go 20-4 overall and 12-2 in the Southeastern Conference while playing in the Sugar Bowl and defeating Ohio State in the Hall of Fame Bowl. He moved on to become the offensive line coach (1990-91) and offensive coordinator (1992) at Delta State, also serving stints as the offensive coordinator at Nicholls State (1993-95) and as running backs coach at Southwest Mississippi C.C. (1996). In 2002, Campbell was the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee, and the following year he coached the offensive line at Mississippi State on the staff of Jackie Sherrill.
After beginning his collegiate career at Southeastern Louisiana, Campbell moved on to Troy where he was a part of the Trojans’ 1987 NCAA Division II national championship team; during his two years with the program the team went 22-3 with a 16-0 record in the Gulf South Conference en route to claiming back-to-back league titles. He was named first-team all-conference at center his senior year.
Campbell played at Tate High School under legendary coach Carl Madison from 1980-83.
Campbell received his undergraduate degree in economics from Troy in 1988, and a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn in 1990. He and his wife, Shellie, have three children — Kelsie, Steven Jr. and Tate — and two grandchildren, Jennie Austin and Sophia.
Campbell’s impressive coaching résumé includes three national championships as both a player and a coach. Campbell owns a 168-79 (.680) record across two decades while leading four different institutions.
Campbell began his South Alabama tenure after a four-year stint at Central Arkansas, where he led the Bears to a 33-15 record including a mark of 24-3 in the Southland Conference his last three seasons. UCA turned in a 10-2 record and claimed the conference title with a 9-0 mark in 2017 to earn the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. In addition to being named the Southland Coach of the Year, the Bears claimed four of the league’s other six individual awards, with 10 first-team all-conference selections and another 10 individuals picking up second-team and honorable mention recognition.
Prior to his time at UCA, Campbell led Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College to a record of 87-22 and the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association national championship in 10 seasons at the helm of the program. During his final eight seasons at MGCCC, the Bulldogs spent 115 consecutive weeks in the NJCAA top 25, claimed six Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) South Division titles and won the Mississippi Junior College championship three times. Campbell was twice named National Coach of the Year, earning those honors on three occasions at both the conference and region levels. In addition, 28 of his players received All-America accolades and 17 were selected as Academic All-Americans. Before his arrival, MGCCC had not made it to the state playoffs since 1986.
Campbell was also the head coach at Delta State for three seasons from 1999-01, posting a 27-8 record that included a 14-1 mark and the NCAA Division II national championship in 2000 when he was selected the Chevrolet National Coach of the Year. In his first head coaching job, at Southwest Mississippi Community College during the 1997 and ’98 campaigns, he led the Bears to their first winning season in 12 years while going 12-8 overall.
In his first 19 seasons as a head coach, Campbell — who was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2014 and served as the President of the NJCAA Coaches Association in 2012 — never guided a team that finished with a losing record. He compiled an astounding 159-53 overall mark.
Campbell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Pat Dye at Auburn in 1988-89, and during that time the Tigers would go 20-4 overall and 12-2 in the Southeastern Conference while playing in the Sugar Bowl and defeating Ohio State in the Hall of Fame Bowl. He moved on to become the offensive line coach (1990-91) and offensive coordinator (1992) at Delta State, also serving stints as the offensive coordinator at Nicholls State (1993-95) and as running backs coach at Southwest Mississippi C.C. (1996). In 2002, Campbell was the offensive coordinator at Middle Tennessee, and the following year he coached the offensive line at Mississippi State on the staff of Jackie Sherrill.
After beginning his collegiate career at Southeastern Louisiana, Campbell moved on to Troy where he was a part of the Trojans’ 1987 NCAA Division II national championship team; during his two years with the program the team went 22-3 with a 16-0 record in the Gulf South Conference en route to claiming back-to-back league titles. He was named first-team all-conference at center his senior year.
Campbell played at Tate High School under legendary coach Carl Madison from 1980-83.
Campbell received his undergraduate degree in economics from Troy in 1988, and a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn in 1990. He and his wife, Shellie, have three children — Kelsie, Steven Jr. and Tate — and two grandchildren, Jennie Austin and Sophia.