Football Greats - Emmett Smith

Emmett James Smith III was born in Pensacola, Florida, on May 15, 1969, and became one of the most revered professional football players in the NFL of all times, setting several records as a running back. In high school, he rushed an amazing 8804 yards and scored 106 touchdowns. He followed this with a star position at the University of Florida, setting 58 school records. He left the school after his junior year, drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1990.

Joining the team led them to the first of three Superbowl wins in four years, and tying them with the San Francisco 49ers for the most Superbowl wins per team (five), a record that the Pittsburgh Steelers have since tied as well. Smith proceeded to lead the NFL in rushing yards and touchdowns several seasons and was the Most Valuable Player in 1993, Superbowl MVP in Superbowl XXVIII, and was elected to eight ProBowls.

Smith holds a place as one of only three players in Cowboys history to have three separate 100-point seasons (and the only non-kicker to do so). Between this and all of his additional records, Emmett Smith remained humble. In 2003, rather than put Jerry Jones in a tough position where he would be forced to cut the star player to keep under the salary cap, Smith volunteered to leave the team. He then signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He spent the first year as a reserve, but in the 2004 season, Smith proved he was still a viable player with a stellar performance. He even became the oldest NFL player in history to complete his first career touchdown pass, a 21-yard pass to the fullback while playing against New Orleans.

In 2005, Smith was signed a 1-day contract for no money with Dallas so that he could retire as a Cowboy. He announced his retirement that February after playing fifteen seasons. He currently holds the record for career rushing yards (18,355), is the only player in history to rush for over 18,000 yards (breaking a record held by Walter Payton, his idol). He is the all-time running back leader with 166 career touchdowns. On September 19, 2005, during the halftime of the Monday Night Football game between the Cowboys and their bitter rivals, the Redskins, the induction of Emmett Smith, along with teammates Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman, into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor was nationally televised. Smith will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and is a virtual shoo-in.

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