Emmitt Smith: Career retrospective | Yardbarker

At Escambia Excessive College, Smith was a two-sport star, dashing for practically 9,000 yards and greater than 100 touchdowns whereas additionally competing within the 4×100 meter relay. On the time, Smith’s 8,804 dashing yards was the second most in American highschool soccer historical past.

After not beginning in his first two video games as a freshman at Florida, Smith was within the beginning lineup within the 1987 SEC opener in opposition to Alabama. Smith did not waste any time, dashing for 224 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries in his first-ever faculty begin. That dashing complete broke the Florida single-game document, which had stood for 57 years.

Smith continued to blossom throughout his freshman yr and reached the 1,000-yard mark through the season’s seventh sport. That was the quickest any operating again reached that complete to start a university profession. For his efforts, he earned the SEC and Nationwide Freshman of the Yr honors.

After an harm ruined his sophomore season, Smith got here again with a historic junior marketing campaign. In 1989 he gained 1,599 dashing yards and amassed 3,928 profession yards on the bottom, each of which have been new faculty data. In opposition to New Mexico in October, he broke his personal document with 316 dashing yards in a single sport. He additionally set data with a 96-yard run in opposition to Mississippi State and 36 profession dashing touchdowns.

Regardless of an amazing faculty profession, NFL scouts nonetheless doubted whether or not Smith was sufficiently big or quick sufficient to play within the NFL. The Cowboys reportedly wished to draft linebacker James Francis, however the Cincinnati Bengals chosen him earlier than Dallas had the possibility. Due to this fact, the Cowboys traded up 4 spots to No. 17 to seize Smith. 

Just like the way in which he started his faculty profession, Smith grew to become the Cowboys beginning operating again after one sport and excelled. He reached the Professional Bowl as a rookie and earned the 1990 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yr Award. Smith rushed for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns whereas additionally posting 24 catches for 228 receiving yards in 1990.

In his second yr, Smith carried the ball 124 extra instances than in his rookie season and noticed his dashing common bounce from 3.9 to 4.3 yards per rush. That led to his first of 4 dashing titles. He ranked first within the league with 365 carries and 1,563 dashing yards throughout 1991. Behind Smith, the Cowboys went 11-5 and earned a playoff berth for the primary time since 1985.

In 1992 Smith earned a spot on the NFL All-Professional crew for the primary time in his profession. He would maintain that honor from 1992-95. Smith surpassed all of his marks from 1991 throughout his third season and posted a brand new franchise document 1,713 dashing yards. That led the league, and he was additionally first within the NFL with 18 dashing touchdowns.

Dallas gained its first of 5 straight NFC East titles in 1992 with a 13-3 document. It was the primary time in crew historical past the Cowboys gained 13 video games, and that is a mark they’ve matched solely two different instances (2007 and 2016). However most significantly, Dallas reached the Promised Land once more, routing the Buffalo Payments in Tremendous Bowl XXXVII, 52-17. Smith rushed for greater than 100 yards in all three playoff video games, together with 108 yards within the Tremendous Bowl.

Following the Tremendous Bowl win and three straight dashing titles, Smith was in the hunt for an even bigger payday. Due to this fact, he started probably the most well-known holdouts in NFL historical past. He missed all of coaching camp and the primary two video games of the common season. The Cowboys misplaced each contests and have been in peril of dropping their likelihood at a title protection.

However after the 0-2 begin, Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones admitted he was flawed by opening his pockets and making Smith the highest-paid operating again within the league. The labor guidelines have been totally different again then, so Smith and Jones negotiated his new deal through the season. Regardless of lacking the primary two video games of 1993, Smith nonetheless led the league with 1,486 dashing yards and posted a career-best 5.3 dashing yards per carry common.

No sport helped that common greater than on Halloween when Smith rushed for a franchise document 237 dashing yards and a landing in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles. That document stood till 2011 when DeMarco Murray broke it.

Statistically which will have been Smith’s greatest sport within the NFL, however the signature second of his profession got here in Week 17 in opposition to the New York Giants. The Cowboys wanted a win on the street to safe the NFC East and a first-round bye, however through the first half Smith suffered a separated shoulder. Nonetheless, he by no means left the sport and posted a season-high 42 touches. He rushed for 168 yards with 32 carries and added 61 receiving yards on 10 receptions, as he willed the Cowboys to a 16-13 additional time victory.

Whereas he was large in that sport, Smith was simply downright excellent for the whole month of December in 1993. Through the closing 5 regular-season video games, Smith rushed for 688 yards, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. He additionally posted 24 receptions for 142 yards. With 1,486 dashing yards and 9 touchdowns in simply 14 video games, Smith gained his first and solely league MVP.

Smith wasn’t as dominant within the first two playoff victories, however with Troy Aikman nursing a concussion from the NFC championship sport and no bye week between that contest and the Tremendous Bowl, the Cowboys as soon as once more turned to the league MVP. In opposition to the Payments within the largest sport of the yr once more, Smith rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries and added 26 receiving yards on 4 receptions. For his efforts, Smith gained Tremendous Bowl XXVIII MVP.

In 1994 Smith returned to main the league in dashing makes an attempt, however for the primary time since 1990, he did not lead the NFL in dashing yards. Nonetheless, in 1995 Smith as soon as once more led the league in dashing makes an attempt, yards and touchdowns. Through the 1995 season, Smith posted profession highs throughout the board with 1,773 dashing yards, 25 touchdowns and 377 makes an attempt.

With 150 dashing yards from Smith within the 1996 NFC championship sport, the Cowboys beat the Inexperienced Bay Packers, 38-27, to return to the Tremendous Bowl for the third time in 4 years. The Pittsburgh Steelers held Smith to 49 dashing yards in Tremendous Bowl XXX, however he did rating two touchdowns to seize his third ring.

In 1996, Smith did not make the Professional Bowl for the primary time in his profession as a result of he rushed for a then career-low 3.7 yards per carry. Nonetheless, he nonetheless ran for 1,204 yards on 327 makes an attempt. Through the 1996 season, he additionally reached 10,000 dashing yards and 100 profession dashing touchdowns. On the time, Smith was the youngest again in historical past to succeed in 10,000 yards.

In 1998 Smith was nonetheless a workhorse, accumulating 1,332 yards on 319 dashing makes an attempt at 29 years previous. That is unparalleled in right now’s NFL. Smith definitely did not have the identical explosiveness, however in 1998 he surpassed Tony Dorsett for probably the most dashing yards in Cowboys historical past.

As is true for many operating backs, Smith’s carries and dashing common continued to say no after he turned 30. However he continued to amass not less than 1,000 dashing yards yearly till 2001. He grew to become the primary again to hurry for 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons. In 2002 he broke his streak by simply barely lacking the 1,000-yard mark. Smith rushed for 975 yards that yr.

Regardless of snapping his 1,000-yard streak in 2002, Smith made historical past that yr by passing Walter Payton for probably the most dashing yards in NFL historical past. Smith broke the document with 109 dashing yards in opposition to the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 27.

After breaking the NFL dashing document, new Cowboys head coach Invoice Parcells elected to signal youthful operating backs in 2003. That led to Smith leaving Dallas for the Arizona Cardinals. Smith suffered an harm throughout his first season with the Cardinals in a sport in opposition to, satirically, the Cowboys. That price him a number of video games, and Smith completed 2003 with a career-low 256 dashing yards.

Smith rebounded to hurry for 937 yards and 9 touchdowns with the Cardinals in 2004, however following the season he elected to retire. Three days earlier than Tremendous Bowl XXXIX, he introduced his retirement from the NFL. Following the announcement, he signed a one-day contract with the Cowboys.

Simply two years after his final NFL season, Smith starred on “Dancing with the Stars,” turning into certainly one of many NFL gamers to expertise success on the present. Within the present’s third season, Smith completed in first place.

The previous All-Professional operating again took a stab at broadcasting, starting his tv profession as a studio analyst for ESPN. However he lasted simply two seasons. After an unsuccessful try as an analyst on “Monday Night time Countdown” in 2008, ESPN did not renew his contract.

Not surprisingly, Smith grew to become a first-ballot Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer in 2010. He was a part of a historic class that included himself and broad receiver Jerry Rice. Smith completed his profession with an NFL document 18,355 dashing yards and 164 dashing touchdowns. With a shift towards passing in right now’s NFL, it is onerous to foresee both document being damaged.