The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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54 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2020 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? But he did not improve — at first. That happened when he received what has become a hot-topic treat- ment. He was given hydroxychloro- quine, the anti-malarial drug. "I'll tell you this — it changed the entire course for me," Campbell said. "Essentially, I was not really getting better. But they did the hydroxychlo- roquine, they did zinc with the Z- pack, all through the IV drip, and the nasal oxygen strip. "They gave me the hydroxychloro- quine and within 12 hours, I started to feel better. When my fever broke, that felt like heaven on earth." Campbell went home shortly there- after and took a few days to get going again — but not many. As an owner- ship partner in two firms — Medki- nect, a distributor of medical equip- ment, and Industry Lab Diagnostic Partners (ILDP), a molecular lab — he wasn't staying on the bench for long. "I kind of hit the ground running," he said. "I didn't really have a choice. I own a molecular lab, as a partner. And of course we do what? COVID testing." He also hit the interview circuit, do- ing as many as three a day for nearly two weeks, after agreeing to tell his story. Eventually, he wound up at the White House — for the second time. Campbell's '97 experience high- lighted his Michigan career, he noted, but it did more than that. It became the template for all future success. "Ever since then, that 1997 team has been the expectation for every team or business I've been associated with," he said. "It's what I always use as my goal. "In my own company, I will refer- ence things in my mind of how we handled things that year. I can't think of a better example of how a group of young men sacrificed all of their own personal goals for the team." He remembers the offseason condi- tioning leading up to the champion- ship run. He's never been on a team that close, he insisted, where the star players were all about the team. "We were all out," he said. "The guys leading were guys like Charles Woodson. How do you not follow him? He ended up winning the Heisman, and that was the guy pushing every- body. It's hard not to follow that guy." It would have been easy to slip up once and not go undefeated. That appeared to be happening Oct. 18 at Michigan Stadium. The Wolverines fell behind Iowa at the half, 21-7, on Tim Dwight's 50-yard punt return touchdown on the final play of the opening 30 minutes. Campbell remembers it all too well. "I remember missing him twice," Campbell said of Dwight. "I whiffed on him, got up, took an angle, tried to get him and missed him again. I always think of that play, but coming back in that game was a big boost for us. We didn't play our best, but we found a way to win." They did win, 28-24, and never looked back. Michigan ran the table, finishing with a 21-16 victory in the Rose Bowl over Washington State to claim col- lege football's greatest prize. "It's the feeling you have when you finally conquer your ultimate dream," Campbell recalled of that moment. "That feeling of pure joy is the same, whether it's in the NFL or any other level. It's just the magni- tude of it and how much exposure it gets. The feeling is the same." The feeling when you beat an even bigger opponent isn't bad either. ❑ The Mark Campbell File Michigan Accomplishments: Played tight end for Mich- igan from 1995-98, appearing in 46 games … Recorded 30 career catches for 339 yards and one touchdown … Played on Michigan's 1997 national championship squad. Professional Accomplishments: Performed for 10 sea- sons in the National Football League, with the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints … Made 146 receptions for 1,356 yards and 12 touchdowns … Now holds ownership in two medically related businesses. Michigan Memory: "It's relationships gained that I'll have forever, and being a part of something that can never be taken away from us. And Coach Carr was a huge person in my life, one of my mentors to this day. One of my favorite people on this planet. He was instrumental in showing me how to do things right and still be yourself. It's also learning how to give back — going to Mott Chil- dren's Hospital, and how you can influence people." Education: Earned a BS degree in kinesiology in the spring of 1999. Family: Married to Michell, and the couple has three kids: son Caden, 14; daughter Evan, 11; and son Case, 9. Campbell had to be hospitalized during an extended battle with COVID‑19 before finally recovering. PHOTO COURTESY MARK CAMPBELL Campbell on his experience battling COVID-19 "Essentially, it's like getting the worst flu you ever had and fighting pneumonia at the same time. … I had a temperature for 16 straight days. At day five, things got a lot worse be- cause I started coughing. By day seven, I was waking up in the middle of the night with shortness of breath. I'd have to sit up to catch my breath."