The United States Sports Academy is mourning the loss of its longtime Board of Trustees chairman Robert “Bob” Campbell, III, who passed away March 27, 2024, at the age of 81.
Campbell served as USSA’s board chairman for the last 24 years and as a member of the board since 1993, serving all three university presidents. He was awarded the university’s Honorary Doctorate in May 2023 for his three decades of service.
“Bob represented the very best of Champions in every way for the United States Sports Academy,” USSA president Dr. Steve Condon said. “Bob was loved and respected by the faculty, administration and Board of Trustees for his loyalty, work ethic, passion and integrity. He led by example and was a role model for so many future leaders. His legacy will be the mark he left on the lives of all he touched.”
Campbell was born in Delaware County, Pa., on December 11, 1942, and grew up in Drexel Hill, Pa. He was a star member of the basketball team and student choir (alongside his classmate Jim Croce) at Upper Darby High School. He went on to graduate from Georgetown College, where he played varsity basketball and was the captain of the varsity tennis team and a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He received his juris doctor degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University, where he was a Student Bar Representative and Vice-President of the Law School Bar Association.
Following law school, Campbell served in the US Army Infantry attached to JAG from 1967 to 1969. He then moved to Mobile, where he served as Chief Assistant District Attorney from 1970 to 1973 before founding the law firm of Sintz Campbell Duke & Taylor, where he served as senior partner until 2019. Campbell then joined the firm of Adams & Reese LLP, where he practiced law until his passing. During his long and distinguished legal career, he represented many school boards in and around Mobile and Baldwin County, Ala., and was the lead attorney responsible for creating the school systems for Saraland, Satsuma, and Chickasaw. He was a fierce litigator and was never weary of a difficult legal battle. He appeared before the US Supreme Court in numerous cases regarding constitutional issues pertaining to school desegregation, voting rights, and school prayer. He also served as the Town Attorney for the Town of Dauphin Island, and general counsel for the Alabama School of Math and Science.
Bob never met a stranger, quickly making strong and enduring friendships with many. He was always willing and eager to assist those in need of legal advice, with particular willingness to assist others at his church, Holy Family Catholic Church. However, his greatest passion was his family. He was a dedicated husband and father who loved watching his sons compete in various sports, primarily tennis and swimming.
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church, 1400 Joyce Road, Mobile, Alabama 36618, followed by a mass of Christian burial at 12:00 PM. Bob will be laid to rest in Pine Crest Cemetery, Mobile, Ala.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to the Dauphin Island Veterans Association, the United States Sports Academy, and/or Save a Stray.
