Historical Spotlight: Emmitt Smith
Being able to make a living playing the sport you love is something people dream about as little kids. Getting your passions and talents to align with your livelihood is an amazing testament to the amount of hard work, dedication, and perseverance required over time. Many greats have risen in football and some are regarded as the greatest of all time after setting unimaginable records. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s best running back who had a legendary career.
Emmitt James Smith III was born on May 15, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida to his parents Mary and Emmitt James Smith Jr. He got into football from an early age and started taking it seriously after playing his first organized game at just 8 years old.
He attended Escambia High School and helped the program win two state football championships during his tenure. He rushed for 106 touchdowns and 8,804 yards, the second most yardage in the history of American high school football at the time. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry and rushed for over 100 yards in 45 of the 49 games he started for Escambia.
He also ran track for the school, competing as a sprinter and as a member of the 4 x 100 relay team. In 1986, he was named the national high school player of the year.
He chose to play college ball at the University of Florida. Despite only spending three years as a Gator, he broke and set several school records including career rushing yards, career rushing touchdowns, longest rushing play, and many others, totalling 58 school records at the end of his Florida career.
His freshman year performance was phenomenal as he reached 1,000 yards in only seven games to begin his college career, the fastest of any running back. He was named SEC and National Freshman of the Year and finished the season with 1,341 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He was plagued by an injury during his sophomore year that kept him out of action for a month, but he still rushed for 988 yards on the season. Emmitt bounced back his junior year and was named SEC Player of the Year, was a unanimous first-team All-American, and finished seventh in votes for the Heisman. His production remained consistent and he was named a first-team All-SEC for all three years.
He declared for the 1990 draft instead of playing his senior year. He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round as the 17th overall pick. He actually missed all of the preseason after having the longest holdout by a rookie in franchise history, but still had a successful season. He started in 15 games, rushed for 937 yards, and scored 11 touchdowns before being named Offensive Rookie of the Year, receiving Pro Bowl honors, and being named to the All-Rookie Team.
He continued improving and won NFC Offensive Player of the Month in December 1991. That same season, he had 1,563 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He won the rushing title, earned Pro Bowl honors, and made his playoff debut against the Chicago Bears.
The next season, he was named NFC Player of the Month for both November and December 1992, set the Cowboys’ single-season franchise record, and won the rushing title with 1,713 yards. He earned his first Super Bowl victory and ring after defeating the Buffalo Bills, making him the first player to win both the rushing title and Super Bowl in the same season. He also earned Pro Bowl honors for the third straight season and was named first team All-Pro for the first time.
Emmitt’s contract was up for renewal in 1993, but the Cowboys weren’t receptive to increasing his money so he decided to miss all of training camp and the first two regular season games. Quickly falling down 0-2, the front office acquiesced and made him the highest paid running back in the league. His performance of 1,486 rushing yards and nine touchdowns helped the Cowboys overcome their horrid start and they became the first team to win a Super Bowl after losing their first two games.
He was named the league’s MVP and won MVP for Super Bowl XXVIII (28). He made the Pro Bowl and was named first team All-Pro again and even had a career-high 237 rushing yards during an October 31 matchup against the Eagles.
During the 1994 season, he amassed seven games with multiple touchdowns and finished with 1,484 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. He was named to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl and third consecutive first team All-Pro.
The next season, he became the first player in league history to rush for 1,400 rushing yards or more in five consecutive seasons. He finished with 1,773 rushing yards before winning his third Super Bowl by beating the Stealers. He also became the first player in franchise history to have multiple seasons of at least 2,000 scrimmage yards and was named to the Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro again.
In 1996, he scored his 100th career rushing touchdown and surpassed 10,000 career rushing yards. He finished the season with 1,204 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. The next season, his numbers dwindled a little after rushing for only 1,074 yards and scoring four touchdowns. The Cowboys finished with a losing 6-10 record.
During his 1998 season, he became the Cowboys’ all-time leading rusher and claimed his title as the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown leader. Earning his seventh trip to the Pro Bowl, he finished with 1,332 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
The next year, he had 1,397 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, earning his eighth Pro Bro appearance, but the team finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. As a team, the Cowboys suffered during the 2000 season as well, going only 5-11. Emmitt had a solid performance and racked up 1,203 yards and nine rushing toughdowns.
His production dropped a little to 1,021 yards and only three touchdowns during the next season but he became the first player in NFL history with 11 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons.
In 2002, Emmitt broke the NFL rushing record with 17,162 career yards. He also scored his 150th career touchdown during a game against the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately, he snapped his streak of 1,000 yard seasons after only rushing for 975 yards and scoring five rushing touchdowns.
The Cowboys hired a new head coach at the end of the 2002 season who released Emmitt on February 26, 2003 in favor of younger running backs. In his 13 seasons with the organization, he became their franchise leader in rushing attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and points scored. Him, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin were even known as “The Triplets” because of how well they played together and attacked defenses.
On March 26, 2003, he signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals. He was 34 at the time and unfortunately suffered a broken left shoulder blade during his first game against his former team on October 5. The injury sidelined him for six games and he only rushed for 256 yards on the season.
In 2004, he fully recovered and was able to start and see meaningful snaps. In total, he rushed for 937 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He also became the oldest player in NFL history to throw his first touchdown pass when he threw a 21-yard dot in a game against the New Orleans Saints.
On February 3, 2005, Emmitt announced his retirement from the NFL. He signed a one-day contract for one dollar with the Dallas Cowboys in order to retire with his original team.
Even after his long, 15 year career, he still holds the NFL record in career rushing with 18,355 yards. He also holds the record for career rushing touchdowns with 164 and he’s second to only Jerry Rice in total number of touchdowns with 175. He amassed a total of 21,564 yards from the line of scrimmage, making him one of only four other players in NFL history to accomplish the achievement.
He’s also the NFL’s all-time leader in rushing attempts with 4,409. He’s the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the MVP award, the rushing crown, and the Super Bowl MVP award all in the same season. He, along with Jerry Rice, are the only two non-kickers in NFL history to score more than 1,000 career points.
Even though Emmitt saw much success early, he knew the importance of completing what he started and returned to college during the NFL off-season in 1996 to get his bachelor’s degree in public recreation. He married his wife, Patricia, on April 22, 2000 and they have three children together and two additional children from previous relationships.
In 2002, he and his wife founded the Pat & Emmitt Smith Charities, a nonprofit to connect children with the resources necessary for them to reach their full potential. In 2005, he became a real estate developer and partnered with Roger Staubach to form Smith/Cypress Partners LP. The venture did well and as he expanded over time, he co-founded ESmith Legacy in Baltimore.
He transitioned from being on the field to being in front of the camera and in September 2005, he became a studio analyst for NFL Total Access. In 2007, he joined ESPN as a studio analyst for pre-game coverage and had regular appearances on SportsCenter.
As players have entered and left the league, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time. He was very durable with excellent vision, tremendous leg strength, and great balance, and was known as one of the best second-effort runners ever.
Emmitt was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. In 2007, the Florida High School Athletic Association named him to its All-Century Team and recognized him as the Florida high school football Player of the Century.
He was also inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a Gator Great in 1999 and the Gator Football Ring of Honor in 2006. To commemorate his pro achievements, he was also inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor on September 19, 2005.
He left his mark on the sport and inspired young boys that they too can achieve greatness if they didn’t give up, continued improving their skills, and worked hard to preserve their bodies.
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Signed,
Jessica Marie
