Roughly 30 years ago, Dan Campbell walked the campus of Texas A&M as a freshman tight end on a football scholarship.
Fast forward to now, and the Detroit Lions head coach is now a respected figure among the school’s former athletes.
Earlier this week, Texas A&M honored Campbell with the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the school’s Lettermen’s Association. He was surprised with the recognition via a video tribute from former Aggie teammates and coaches at the Lions’ headquarters in Allen Park.
As Campbell watched the tributes, his family waited in the background to celebrate, with his wife, Holly, donning the school colors.
The university teamed up with the Lions to pull off the surprise, tricking Campbell into thinking his alma mater simply wanted to interview him about his playing days as an Aggie.
Campbell has long been respected by his NFL peers as a tough-nosed player and great teammate, but his success as head coach of the Lions undoubtedly played a major role in receiving the honor.
Now entering his fifth season in Detroit, Campbell is at the helm of one of the league’s most remarkable franchise turnarounds.
Campbell holds a 39-28-1 record, has led the Lions to back-to-back NFC North titles (2023, 2024) — their first since the division’s realignment — and guided the team to an NFC championship game appearance in the 2023 playoffs.
**Here’s a look at Texas A&M surprising Campbell with the honor.**