Former Sunderland centre forward John Campbell was one of the most prominent players in Sunderland’s ‘Team Of All Talents’ and a player who boasts an absolutely incredible goal scoring record – 152 goals in 215 games.
He was born into a footballing family in Renton, Dumbartonshire in 1870. His brother, Robert Campbell, was also involved with SAFC as manager. John was a forward who, by all accounts was celebrated for his no nonsense approach and his powerful and accurate shooting ability. Before joining the lads, he had a great career at his now defunct hometown team, Renton F.C. With the Scottish side, he won the Scottish Cup in 1888 which was followed by a 1888 'World Championship' triumph a few months later. This World Championship was a big deal then, but it is not as glamorous as it sounds for contemporary football fans. Indeed, the World Championship was not a global affair at all – each final took place between the Champions of England and the Champions of Scotland. We are actually three time World Champions, which is an interesting piece of SAFC trivia.
Renton were a huge club in early Scottish football before being ejected from the league in 1891 for breaking rules around professionalism. If the same rules were in place today, I’d bet a few clubs we have played in League One would cease existing pretty quickly. Renton were restored to the league but struggled financially and dwindled away in the minor leagues until they folded in the early 1920’s. What is interesting about Renton is that all their players were from their small community in Dumbartonshire, whilst all the sides they played in England were at this point composed of players from all over Britain.
Campbell made his way across the border with two of his Renton teammates, John Harvey and David Hannah. He made his debut for Sunderland on 18 January 1890 against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup first round in a game that we lost 4–2. He played for the lads from 1890 to 1897, winning three Football League championships (1891–92, 1892–93 and 1894–95). So Campbell is a bit of a legend, having been involved in half of our top flight successes. In each of these seasons, Campbell was the top scorer in the competition. He also won the 1894–95 World Championship with the team, scoring two goals in the win over Heart of Midlothian.
Though we have little to go off about the man himself as a person, club historian Rob Mason hints that he might’ve been a charismatic and confident forward due to the fact he is easy to place in team photos of the time due to his unconventional style of lying on the ground or standing at the front, relaxed. Indeed, the most famous photo of the man depicts him as coolly indifferent, hands hooked into the belt buckles of his shorts.
Someone of his prodigious goal scoring ability today would be an international star, but Campbell never received any plaudits outside of Britain and never appeared for Scotland. This was not for his lack of quality, but simply the Scot’s FA had a tendency to select players who played domestically in Scotland. In 1896 though, Campbell was selected to play for the Anglo Scots team v Home Scots but this doesn't actually count as an international appearance.
Johnny left the club at the end of the 1896-97 season, dropping down a league to join the Mags. He helped them gain promotion, but was suspended in his second season in highly acrimonious circumstances. He had committed the grave crime of taking over a pub in anticipation of his retirement. It was his ownership of The Darnell Hotel that had spelled the end of his career, not injury or a wish to walk away from the sport.
A few years later, John Campbell passed away, due to a brain haemorrhage, at The Turf Hotel on Collingwood Street in Newcastle where he was the licensee. We was just 36. Despite finishing his career with Newcastle and having his pub there, he was buried in Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, Sunderland. His career ended poorly and his life tragically, but Johnny Campbell will be remembered as one of Sunderland’s greatest ever players, who will take some displacing from our top scorers list.
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