Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith III, born to a bus driver and an aspiring football player, is widely recognized as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Smith's football journey began at a young age, leading to a standout high school career at Escambia High School, where he helped the team secure two state championships and set multiple rushing records. He went on to play for the University of Florida, breaking several school records, including the single-game rushing record, and earning All-American honors.
Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990 NFL Draft, Smith quickly silenced critics who doubted his potential due to his height. He became a key player in the Cowboys' success during the 1990s, forming a legendary trio with quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin, known as "The Triplets." Over his illustrious career, Smith won three Super Bowl championships, was named league MVP, and became the NFL's all-time leading rusher before his retirement in 2005.
Beyond football, Smith has made significant contributions through philanthropy, including the Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities, which support disadvantaged youth. He has also appeared on television, winning "Dancing with the Stars" in 2006, and he has pursued entrepreneurial ventures. Smith's legacy is marked by his remarkable achievements on the field and his commitment to giving back to the community.
Emmitt Smith
Football Player
- Born: May 15, 1969
- Birthplace: Pensacola, Florida
Football player
By the time he retired in 2005, Smith held the National Football League (NFL) career records for total rushing yards and touchdowns. While playing for the Dallas Cowboys, he won the NFL and Super Bowl most valuable player awards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Areas of achievement: Dance; Philanthropy; Radio and television; Sports: football
Early Life
Emmitt James Smith III was the eldest of four sons born to Mary Smith and bus driver Emmitt James Smith Jr., who had played semiprofessional football. The game of football and the Dallas Cowboys in particular captivated Smith; he began playing organized football at the age of eight, often competing against older children.
Smith played running back for Escambia High School’s football team. The team—which had only one winning season in the previous eighteen years—won the state championship twice during Smith’s tenure. He rushed for 8,804 yards during his high school career and was named by Parade magazine the 1986 high school player of the year.
During his senior year (1987) at Escambia, Smith received many college scholarship offers from football powerhouses including Nebraska and Auburn. He chose the University of Florida. Against the University of Alabama in his freshman year, Smith broke Florida’s single-game rushing record with 224 yards. As a junior, he broke his own record when he ran 316 yards against the University of New Mexico. In three years at Florida, Smith set fifty-eight school records, ran for 3,928 yards, and was unanimously named a first-team All-American. He decided to leave college before his senior year and enter the National Football League (NFL) draft. However, because Smith was only 5 feet, 9 inches tall, many experts predicted that he would not succeed in the NFL.
Life’s Work
The Dallas Cowboys selected Smith with the seventeenth pick in the 1990 NFL draft. Smith defied his doubters, was named offensive rookie of the year, and earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl. The next season, he led the league in rushing yards and helped Dallas reach the play-offs. Along with quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin, Smith formed a talented Cowboys nucleus that became known as “The Triplets.” In 1992, Dallas won Super Bowl XXVII.
When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Smith could not come to terms on a new contract, Smith sat out the first two games of the 1993 season. After Dallas lost those two games, however, Jones increased his offer. Smith accepted the contract; that year he was named league most valuable player (MVP) and won his third rushing title. When the Cowboys repeated as champions, Smith was named Super Bowl MVP.
In 1995, Smith set career highs with 1,773 yards, 62 receptions, and 25 touchdowns. In January 1996, Dallas won its third Super Bowl in four years. Although the Cowboys failed to return to championship form during the rest of his career, Smith continued to excel individually.
In 1996, Smith fulfilled his promise to his mother and completed his bachelor’s degree in public recreation at the University of Florida. In 1999, he became the Dallas Cowboys’ all-time leading scorer. The next year, he married Patricia Southall Lawrence; they went on to have two daughters.
Smith became the first NFL player to post eleven straight 1,000-yard seasons. He fell just short of extending the streak in 2002, his final season with the Cowboys. That season, he passed Walter Payton to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. He spent the final two years of his professional career with the Arizona Cardinals before signing a one-day contract with the Cowboys and officially retiring as a Cowboy in 2005. He had been named to a total of eight Pro Bowl teams, won three Super Bowl rings, and amassed a number of NFL scoring records.
After retirement, Smith worked as a football commentator in radio and television. He retraced his ancestry to Africa on the NBC reality show Who Do You Think You Are? and was the 2006 season winner of the competition series Dancing with the Stars. He also became involved in real estate and philanthropy, and he encouraged Super Bowl organizers to include minority- and female-owned businesses. The Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities provide opportunities for disadvantaged children. In 2016, he expanded his entrepreneurial efforts by becoming a co-owner of the men's lifestyle club the Gents Place.
Significance
Smith was one of the best running backs ever to play in the NFL. His consistent, reliable productivity in the backfield helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to remarkable success in the 1990s. At the time of his 2010 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he remained the league’s all-time leading rusher. Nine years later, in 2019, he was one of the people included on the NFL's 100 All-Time Team.
Bibliography
Bertsche, Rachel. "Emmitt Smith: Sports Is My Gift, But My Kids Are My Legacy." Yahoo! Parenting. Yahoo!, 12 Aug. 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
Evans, Kelley D. "Emmitt Smith's Next Chapter Is as Big as His Record-Breaking Football Career." The Undefeated, 28 Mar. 2018, theundefeated.com/features/emmitt-smith-former-nfl-running-back-next-chapter/. Accessed 21 July 2021.
Harris, Christopher. "Emmitt Smith's New Passions." Ebony. Ebony Magazine, 29 Mar. 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2016.
Pearlman, Jeff. Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboy Dynasty. New York: HarperCollins, 2008. Print.
"Running Back Emmitt Smith." Pro Football HOF. Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2016. Web. 31 Mar. 2016
Smith, Emmitt, and Steve Delsohn. The Emmitt Zone. New York: Crown, 1994. Print.