Football is a strange sport. You meet a lot of people, you know a lot of people, but the fast-paced nature of the job means you lose contact with most of the people you work with. But with a very small minority, this is different. They leave an indelible mark. Kevin Campbell is one of them.
Kevin’s character, personality and love was devoted and he would never let you lose contact with him and would call you regularly just to ask, “How are you?” or “How are you?” It was genuine concern, he wasn’t calling because he had to finish a long drive, he wasn’t calling because he wanted something, he was calling as a friend.
I first met Kevin when he was loaned to Everton in 1999 after playing for Trabzonspor in Turkey. Walter Smith called me on transfer deadline day to tell me he had signed both Kevin and Scott Gemmill. Little did we know what a big impact he would have in the months to come.
Everton were struggling a bit at the bottom of the table and struggling with a lack of goals. Kev scored nine goals in eight games to help the team out of dire straits and help them stay in the Premier League that season, but what was most impressive was his influence within the dressing room. His positivity was contagious and he brought out the best in everyone at the club – players, staff and even the PR people. I started to enjoy my job again.
Walter made the no-brainer decision to sign Kevin on a permanent basis for £3 million the following summer and in hindsight it proved to be a real bargain, as Kevin continued to be a major presence on the training ground and throughout the club.
But it wasn’t what the public saw that left a lasting impression on me, it was who he was and was like behind the scenes, and that’s more important, why he became a good friend of mine.
One day I walked into the changing rooms at Belfield Training Ground. Kevin and another player were there and they thought it was funny to criticise my weight and appearance. Of course it was just a joke at the time but it still hurt a bit. Kevin stood up straight away and said “Yeah but Alan you can lose weight. You’ll always have that face”. It put the player at ease and made me feel a lot better. Kevin hated to see anyone being put down. He stood up for the underdog and on that day he stood up for me even though it would have been easier not to.
I remember the day Kevin was named captain. He was the first black captain in the club’s history. He was beaming with pride. We talked about it for a while. Kevin downplayed it, as he always does, but I know how much it meant.
It was a difficult time for me when I left the club. My last game as an employee was against Middlesbrough and Kevin came up to me in the tunnel before the game, handed me the captain’s armband and said I was going to score that day and wanted him to watch me celebrate a goal for me.
We laughed about it, and later that night I Today’s MatchI was feeling pretty down because I’d left a job I loved, but then the Everton game started and sure enough, Kevin scored a goal and did his “Big Al” celebration (his nickname for me). Tears rolled down my cheeks. I’ll never forget that. I still wear the captain’s armband.
After he left the club we kept in regular contact, we would often call each other and talk mainly about Everton but also many other topics. Kevin was a very charismatic man but even more so a gentleman who would never gossip or criticise others even if he had the right to do so.
Kevin Campbell was a great man in many ways – physically, personality, vocally – but what set him apart from the rest was his big heart.
Football needs guys like Kevin, the world needs guys like Kevin, and I will never forget him!