Emmitt Smith: From College Prodigy to NFL Legend

Emmitt James Smith III, born May 15, 1969, is an American former professional football running back. Smith played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. His college career at the University of Florida laid the foundation for his later success.

Early Life and High School Career

Emmitt Smith grew up in Pensacola, Florida, and attended Escambia High School, where he played high school football and ran track for the Escambia Gators. Smith rushed for over 100 yards in 45 of the 49 games he started for Escambia (including the last 28 in a row) and finished with a 7.8 yards per carry average. During his high school football career, Escambia won two state football championships, and Smith rushed for 106 touchdowns and 8,804 yards. This was the second most yardage in the history of American high school football at the time. Twice, he broke the 2,000-yard rushing mark in a season. Smith earned national Player of the Year honors from Parade magazine and USA Today for 1986.

Despite his accomplishments and accolades, some college recruiting analysts opined that he was too small and slow to succeed in major college football when he signed to play for the University of Florida. Recruiting expert Max Emfinger didn't list Smith among the top 50 high school running backs in his high school class and opined that, "Emmitt Smith is a lugger, not a runner. He's not fast. He can't get around the corner.

Arrival at the University of Florida

Smith accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he played for coach Galen Hall's Gators for three seasons (1987-1989). He did not start the first two games of his college career in the fall of 1987, but made the most of his opportunities in a second-week rout of Tulsa in which he gained 109 yards on just ten carries, including a 66-yard touchdown run.

Freshman Phenom (1987)

In his first collegiate start, Smith promptly broke Florida's 57-year-old all-time single game rushing record held by Red Bethea, carrying 39 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns as the Gators upset the Crimson Tide. Smith went on to break the 1,000-yard barrier in the seventh game of his freshman season, the fastest any running back had ever broken that barrier to begin his college career. Emmitt Smith came to the University of Florida as the national high school player of the year, after scoring 109 career prep touchdowns. At Florida, he became an instant sensation as a freshman. In his first game, he broke the school single game rushing mark in an upset of Alabama. He gained 1,341 yards as a freshman and finished ninth in the Heisman voting. At the time, his top-ten finish was only the second time a freshman had broken the top ten. He also earned national freshman of the year honors that initial season.

Sophomore Season (1988)

The Gators got off to a 5-0 start in 1988 with Smith averaging over 120 rushing yards per game. However, during the sixth contest against Memphis State in mid-October, he was sidelined with a sprained knee and starting quarterback Kyle Morris broke his finger, leading to an upset loss. Smith returned to the lineup in mid-November and Florida won two of its final three games, highlighted by a victory in the 1988 All-American Bowl in which he ran 55-yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage and was named the game's MVP.

Dominance in 1989

Smith stayed healthy throughout his junior season in 1989 and found success again. In his 1989 junior season, he finished third in the nation in rushing, was a near-unanimous All-America selection and placed seventh in the Heisman vote.

Records and Accolades

He finished the campaign with Florida records for rushing yards in a season (1,599), rushing yards in a single game (316 versus New Mexico in October 1989), longest rushing play (96 yards against Mississippi State in 1988), career rushing yards (3,928), career rushing yards per game (126.7), and career rushing touchdowns (36), among many others. In three years, he set 58 school records rushing for 3,928 yards, scoring 36 touchdowns, and earning SEC Player of the Year honors. Smith was named a first-team SEC selection for the third year and SEC Player of the Year, was a unanimous first-team All-American, and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

Leaving for the NFL

Days later on January 1, 1990, Steve Spurrier was introduced as the Gators' new head coach. Smith, concerned about his potential role in Spurrier's reportedly pass-first offense, decided to forgo his senior year at Florida and enter the NFL draft, which for the first time in history allowed juniors to be eligible.

Draft and Early Career

In the 1990 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys considered drafting linebacker James Francis with their first round selection, but after he was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cowboys focused on improving their running game when Smith started dropping, because despite his collegiate success, some NFL teams still felt that Smith was too small and slow for the pro game. The Cowboys traded up with the Pittsburgh Steelers moving from the 21st to the 17th pick, in exchange for a third round draft choice (#81-Craig Veasey), to select Smith in the first round.

Legacy at Florida

Smith was subsequently inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great" in 1999, the Gator Football Ring of Honor and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006. As part of a series of articles written for The Gainesville Sun in 2006, he was recognized as the No.

NFL Career with the Dallas Cowboys

Smith soon established himself as one of the league’s premier running backs. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1990 and the following season ran for 1,563 yards to capture the first of his four NFL rushing titles (the other three were in 1992-93 and 1995). In 1991, he had 1,563 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. In 1992, he set the Cowboys' single-season franchise record and won the rushing title with 1,713 yards. In 1993, he missed all of training camp and the first 2 regular season games. The Cowboys lost both contests with rookie Derrick Lassic running in his place. With the season in jeopardy the Cowboys relented and reached an agreement, making Smith the highest paid running back in the league. Smith had 1,486 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns, and helped the Cowboys become the first team to win a Super Bowl after starting the season 0-2. He also received the league MVP and the Super Bowl XXVIII MVP award. On October 31, his 237 rushing yards against the Philadelphia Eagles set the single-season franchise record. The 1994 season saw Smith led the league with 21 rushing touchdowns, a new career-high despite battling a hamstring pull late in the season. In 1995, Smith became the first player in league history to rush for 1,400 rushing yards or more in five consecutive seasons and set the NFL record with 25 rushing touchdowns. Smith, Jim Brown, Adrian Peterson, and LaDainian Tomlinson are the only players with seven straight ten-touchdown seasons to start their careers. He also broke two of Tony Dorsett's Dallas franchise rushing records, the first for most consecutive initial games of a season with 100+ rushing yards (Smith's four to Dorsett's three) and the second for single-season rushing yards (1,773 to Dorsett's 1,646). In 1998, he became the Cowboys' all-time leading rusher (passing Dorsett) and the NFL's all-time rushing touchdown leader (surpassing Marcus Allen). In 2002, he reached the goal he set as a rookie, finishing the season with 17,162 career yards and breaking the NFL rushing record previously held by Walter Payton against the Seattle Seahawks. In the same game against the Seahawks, Smith ran for a touchdown that gave him 150 career rushing touchdowns. He finished the 2002 season with 254 carries for 975 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. With quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin, Smith was part of a formidable Dallas offense, helping the Cowboys win consecutive Super Bowls over the Buffalo Bills in 1993 and 1994. He rushed for 1,486 yards during the 1993 regular season-averaging a tremendous 5.3 yards per carry-and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. Smith won a third Super Bowl championship in 1996.

Arizona Cardinals (2003-2004)

On March 26, 2003, Smith signed a two-year contract as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals, who were not only looking for Smith to improve their team, but also helped them promote it with their local fan base. Responding to questions about what he could do as a 34-year old running back, he said "I think I'm a 1,300-yard back, and I will be out to prove that." Head Coach Dave McGinnis announced that Smith would start for the Cardinals. On October 5, in a highly anticipated game, he returned to Texas Stadium to play against the Dallas Cowboys, but suffered a broken left shoulder blade after safety Roy Williams hit him in the second quarter. The Cardinals lost 24-7, and Smith's 6 carries for minus-1 yards marked the first time in his career he rushed for negative yardage. In 2004, new head coach Dennis Green was hired and named Smith as the team's starter at running back. He posted 937 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

Retirement and Legacy

Three days before Super Bowl XXXIX on February 3, 2005, Smith announced his retirement from the NFL. Smith currently holds the NFL record in career rushing yards with 18,355, breaking the previous record held by Walter Payton, on October 27, 2002, against the Seattle Seahawks. He leads all running backs with 164 career rushing touchdowns, and his 175 total touchdowns ranks him second only to Jerry Rice's 208. The total of his rushing yards, receiving yards (3,224), and fumble return yards (−15) gives him a total of 21,564 yards from the line of scrimmage, making him one of only four players in NFL history to eclipse the 21,000 combined-yards mark. Smith also accumulated several NFL postseason records, including rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (9), and 100-yard rushing games (7). His 1,586 yards rushing is also top on the NFL postseason chart, and he shares the total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas. With the Cowboys, Smith won three Super Bowl rings and rushed for over 100 yards in two of those games, Super Bowl XXVII (108 yards and a touchdown, and six receptions for 27 yards), and Super Bowl XXVIII (132 yards and two touchdowns, and four receptions for 26 yards). Smith is one of only five NFL players who have amassed over 10,000 career-rushing yards and 400 career receptions.

Post-Football Life

Smith then transitioned to the role of businessman and entrepreneur and runs several companies spanning real estate, construction, and technology. In August of 2021, it was announced that Smith has become a co-owner of a NASCAR team partnering with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports for the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. In the fall of 2006, Smith won the third season of Dancing with the Stars with professional dancer Cheryl Burke. On March 12, 2007, Smith joined ESPN as a studio analyst for their NFL pre-game coverage alongside Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, and Chris Mortensen. However, he was removed from this coverage for the 2008 season. Instead, he appeared Sunday mornings during the NFL season on SportsCenter. In June 2010, Smith returned to his high school alma mater, Escambia High School (EHS) in Pensacola, Florida, for a taping of ESPN's show Homecoming with Rick Reilly.

Personal Life

Smith was initiated as a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity at the University of Florida. Smith is a devout Christian. He has a daughter, Rheagen Smith (born November 2, 1998), with ex-girlfriend Hope Wilson. He married former Miss Virginia USA Patricia Southall on April 22, 2000. His brother, Emory, played on the practice squads of the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers.

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