Emmitt Smith

Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, 13 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Among other accolades, he is the league's all-time leading rusher.

Smith grew up in Pensacola, Florida, and became the second-leading rusher in American high school football history while playing for Escambia High School.

Smith played three years of college football for the Florida Gators, where he set numerous school rushing records.

For his efforts, Smith was named the USA Today and Parade magazine high school player of the year for 1986.

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.

That performance earned him a spot in the starting lineup the following week in the Gators' SEC opener against Alabama at Legion Field.

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.

He finished the season with 1,341 yards, was named SEC and National Freshman of the Year, and was ninth in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy.

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 was unable to return to action for a month, during which Florida lost four games in a row and did not score a touchdown in 14 consecutive quarters of play, including a 16–0 loss to Auburn that is their most recent shutout to date.

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.

Smith rushed for 988 yards on the year (not including the bowl game) at 110 yards per game, the lowest totals of his college career.

After being named a unanimous All-American in 1989, Smith chose to forgo his senior year of eligibility and play professionally.

Smith stayed healthy throughout his junior season in 1989 and found success again.

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 all, Smith owned 58 school records at the conclusion of his Florida career despite playing on Florida teams with virtually no passing game, which made him the focal point of opposing defenses.

The Cowboys selected Smith in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft with the 17th overall pick.

During his long professional career, he rushed for 18,355 yards, breaking the record formerly held by Walter Payton.

He also holds the record for career rushing touchdowns with 164.

While playing for Dallas, Smith plus quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin were known as "The Triplets," and led their team to three Super Bowl wins during the 1990s.

Smith was born in Pensacola, Florida, the son of Mary J. Smith and Emmitt James Smith Jr.

At the age of eight, he played his first organized football game on a team that was sponsored by the Salvation Army.

He attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, where he played high school football and ran track for the Escambia Gators.

During Smith's high school football career, Escambia won two state football championships, and Smith rushed for 106 touchdowns and 8,804 yards, which was the second most yardage in the history of American high school football at the time.

Emmitt 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.

Twice, he broke the 2,000-yard rushing mark in a season.

In track & field, Smith competed as a sprinter and was a member of the 4 × 100 m (42.16 s) relay squad.

Smith led the league in rushing and won the Super Bowl in the same year three times (1992, 1993, and 1995) when to that point it had never been done.

Smith is also one of only two non-kickers in NFL history to score more than 1,000 career points (the other being Jerry Rice).

Smith is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993).

He is also one of four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons, joining Steve Van Buren, Jim Brown, and Earl Campbell.

In 2007, twenty years after Smith graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) named Smith to its All-Century Team and recognized him as the Florida high school football "Player of the Century."

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. When he falls flat on his face, remember where you heard it first."

Smith was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Smith played 13 seasons with the Cowboys and two with the Arizona Cardinals.