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Cam Cameron signed a four-year contract on January 19, 2007 to become the Miami Dolphins seventh head coach. He joins the Dolphins with an outstanding pedigree, having played or coached under some of sports’ greatest winners, including Bob Knight, Bo Schembechler, and Marty Schottenheimer.
He also is universally respected as one of the top quarterback tutors in the game. As an indication of his prowess in developing quarterbacks, four of Cameron’s last five starting QBs went on to earn Pro Bowl or collegiate All-American selection Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, Antwaan Randle El, and Gus Frerotte.
Cameron joined the Dolphins from the San Diego Chargers, where he spent the last five seasons (2002-06) orchestrating the Bolts’ potent offense. With Cameron as offensive coordinator, San Diego led the National Football League in scoring in 2006 and finished third and fifth in that category in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Over those three seasons (2004-2006), the Chargers amassed 1,356 points, a figure surpassed only by the Indianapolis Colts (1,388 points), a difference of only 32 points over 48 games. In addition, he was instrumental in the development of Pro Bowl performers Brees, Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Antonio Gates.
In 2006, the Chargers led the NFL in scoring with a team-record 492 points. It was the third season in a row the team scored more than 400 points, the first time the Chargers accomplished that feat in consecutive seasons since 1980-81. That also was the tenth-highest scoring total in NFL history since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978. They were the only team in the league to rush for 2,500 yards and pass for 3,400 yards, and led the NFL in red zone touchdowns with 42 TDs in 62 trips (67.7%). The Chargers also set a team record by rushing for more than 100 yards in 14 of the 16 games last year, and scored 20 or more points in all but one of those contests.
Under Cameron’s direction, quarterback Philip Rivers posted a 14-2 record in his first season as a starter, which is tied for the second-best record by a QB in his first 16 starts. Cameron’s play-calling helped San Diego running back LaDainian Tomlinson become the Associated Press Most Valuable Player in 2006, when he led the league in rushing with a team record 1,815 yards and set single season NFL records for most total touchdowns (31) and most rushing touchdowns (28). In all, six members of Cameron’s offensive squad were named to the Pro Bowl.
In 2005, Cameron oversaw an offense that produced a 3,500-yard passer (Brees), a 1,000-yard rusher (Tomlinson), and a 1,000-yard receiver (Gates). It was the second time in team history that it happened and the first time since 1981. The Chargers were one of only six NFL teams to feature such a threesome.
Also in 2005, the trio of Brees, Tomlinson and Gates was one of only four in the league to combine for 20 touchdown passes, 10 rushing touchdowns and 10 touchdown catches. It marked the second consecutive year that the trio achieved that feat and the fifth time in team history.
With the Chargers scoring 446 points in 2004 (the third highest total in the NFL behind Indianapolis and Kansas City), all three players were selected to the Pro Bowl after the season. But that wasn’t the only honor Cameron and the offense received that season; in recognition of his accomplishments molding that group into one of the most potent units in the league, Cameron was named NFL Offensive Assistant Coach of the Year by SportsIllustrated.com. In addition, Brees finished with 27 touchdown passes and 3,159 passing yards. His 104.8 passer rating ranked third in the NFL. In addition to his Pro Bowl selection, Brees’ awards that season included Comeback Player of the Year and Most Improved Player of the Year honors.
In 2003, with Cameron heading the offense, Tomlinson became the first player in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards and catch 100 passes in the same season. Tomlinson racked up 2,370 yards from scrimmage, second-most in NFL history, and rushed for 1,645 yards, third-most in team history.
In 2002, Cameron’s first season as offensive coordinator, Tomlinson rushed for a then-team record 1,683 yards. In addition, Brees made his first career start and finished the season with 3,284 passing yards and 17 touchdowns.
Cameron joined the Chargers after five seasons (1997-2001) as the head coach at Indiana University. During his tenure in Bloomington, Cameron was responsible for the creative utilization of Antwaan Randle El, one of the most versatile athletes in college football history. Randle El finished his career as the NCAA Division I-A rushing leader among quarterbacks and was the only player in major college football history to both rush for 40 touchdowns and pass for 40 touchdowns in a career. He finished his career ranked fifth on the NCAA Division I-A total yardage list with 11,366 yards, one spot ahead of Doug Flutie, and had four of the top five seasons in offensive production in Indiana history.
In 2001, his Hoosier team was ranked third in the Big Ten and 19th nationally in total offense (435.3 yards per game) and was fourth in the country in rushing offense (269 yards per game). Their Big Ten victories included wins over Wisconsin in Madison (63-32), at Michigan State (37-28), Northwestern (56-21) and Purdue (13-7). Randle El finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy race, earned first-team All-America honors from the Football Writers Association, and was named as the Big Ten MVP. In addition, running back Levron Williams led the country in all-purpose yardage with more than 200 yards per game, and all five of the team’s offensive linemen garnered All-Big Ten accolades, with four of them earning NFL contracts.
In 2000, Cameron’s Indiana team was 13th nationally in total offense. In particular, the Hoosiers averaged 266.4 rushing yards per game, which led the Big Ten and was seventh in the nation. The team’s average of 5.8 yards per carry ranked second nationally behind Nebraska. They scored more than 30 points on seven different occasions, including 45 points vs. Iowa and 51 against 23rd ranked Minnesota. A year earlier, in 1999, Indiana was 34th in total offense nationally and 19th in rushing offense.
In addition to developing his student-athletes on the field, Cameron worked hard to ensure their success in the classroom as well. During his tenure at Indiana, the school was one of only 13 universities in the country that was recognized by the AFCA for graduation rates of 70 percent or better for three consecutive years (1999-01).
Cameron’s first NFL coaching stop came as the Washington Redskins’ quarterbacks coach from 1994-96. While serving on Norv Turner’s staff, Cameron oversaw the development of 1994 seventh-round pick Gus Frerotte, who became a Pro Bowler in 1996, and Trent Green, who served as the team’s third quarterback in 1995 and 1996 before eventually becoming a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback for Kansas City.
Before moving to the NFL, Cameron was an assistant at the University of Michigan from 1984-93, serving the first six of those years under the late Bo Schembechler. Cameron started as a graduate assistant (1984-85) before working as the wide receivers coach from 1986-89. In addition to the wide receivers, he coached the quarterbacks from 1990-93, including 1991 when Wolverines wide receiver Desmond Howard won the Heisman Trophy. During his 10 seasons as an assistant at Michigan, the program won six Big Ten titles and played in 10 bowl games. In addition to Howard, Cameron was the position coach for such future NFL players as quarterbacks Elvis Grbac and Todd Collins as well as wide receivers Derrick Alexander and Amani Toomer, among others.
Grbac ended his Michigan career under Cameron as one of the most prolific passers in school history. He finished in 1992 as the school record-holder in eight different career passing categories, including completion percentage (62.5), completions (522), yards passing (6,460), touchdowns (71) and passing efficiency (148.14). He was the NCAA leader in passing efficiency in both 1991 (169.0) and 1992 (150.18) and was a finalist for the 1992 Johnny Unitas and Davey O’Brien Awards.
In 1991 Grbac’s 25 touchdown passes set a school record. That same year, along with Heisman Trophy winner Howard, the duo set the NCAA record for most touchdowns by the same quarterback/receiver tandem in a career (31), and tied the NCAA single-season record for touchdown by the same passer and receiver (19).
That same season Howard caught 61 passes for 950 yards with those 19 touchdowns as a senior. He set an NCAA record at the time with at least one touchdown catch in ten consecutive games.
For Cameron, the move into coaching was a natural fit. His stepfather, Tom Harp, was a head coach at Cornell (1961-65), Duke (1966-70), and Indiana State (1973-77). Cameron and Harp each have a unique distinction of coaching a Heisman Trophy winner. Cameron coached Howard at Michigan, while Harp was an assistant coach at Army when Pete Dawkins won that trophy in 1958.
Before embarking on his coaching career, as a collegian Cameron played varsity football and basketball at Indiana. He earned two letters as a quarterback for Lee Corso (1982) and Sam Wyche (1983) and two (1981-82, 1982-83) playing basketball for Bob Knight before a football knee injury in his senior year ended his playing career. He graduated from Indiana in 1983 with a degree in business.
Cameron was a two-sport prep standout for South Vigo High School in Terre Haute, Ind., where he lived while his stepfather coached at Indiana State. In football he was an All-America selection at quarterback as a senior and earned all-state honors twice and all-county honors three times. He was named Vigo County’s Athlete of the Year in 1978 and 1979. Cameron also led his team to three consecutive state basketball finals, and in 1979 he was named the winner of the state’s prestigious Trester Award for mental attitude. Also in 1979, he was named national Athlete of the Year by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Cameron was born on February 6, 1961 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He and his wife, Missy, have four children, sons Tommy, Danny, and Christopher, and daughter Elizabeth. |
