Emmitt Smith
Teams
Dallas Cowboys (1990-2002)
Arizona Cardinals (2003-2004)
Playoffs
Appearances - 8 (1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1998,1999)
Conf Champ Games - 4 (1992,1993,1994,1995)
Super Bowls - 3 (1992,1993,1995)
Championships - 3 (1992,1993,1995)
Awards and Honors
Offensive Rookie of the Year - 1990
MVP - 1 (1993)
Super Bowl MVP - 1 (1993)
All-Pro First Team - 4 (1992,1993,1994,1995)
All-Pro Second Team - 1 (1991)
Pro Bowl - 8 (1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1998,1999)
Hall of Fame - 2010
All-Time Ranks
Rushing Yards - #1
Rushing Touchdowns - #1
Total Touchdowns - #2
Scrimmage Yards - #2
Rushing Yards per Game - #15
League Leads
Rushing Yards (#1-1991,1992,1993,1995, #3-1994, #4-1999, #5-1998, #8-1996, #10-1990)
Rushing Touchdowns (#1-1992,1994,1995, #2-1991, #3-1993, #4-1998,1999, #5-1990,1996, #10-2000)
Yards per Rush (#1-1993, #4-1995, #6-1992, #9-1994,1999, #10-1991)
Rushing Yards per Game (#1-1992,1993,1995, #2-1991,1994, #4-1999, #8-1996,1998)
Total Touchdowns (#1-1992,1994,1995, #3-1991,1996,1999, #5-1998, #6-1993, #9-1990)
Scrimmage Yards (#1-1993,1995, #2-1992, #3-1991,1994, #9-1996, #10-1998)
Yards per Touch (#10-1993)
As a junior at Florida, Emmitt Smith rushed for 1599 yards and 14 touchdowns and finished 7th in voting for the Heisman, then decided to skip his senior season to enter the 1990 NFL Draft, where he was taken #17 overall by the Dallas Cowboys.
Smith rushed for 937 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie, which was good enough to earn him Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and it would be the last time for over a decade that he would fail to reach 1000 yards, starting with his first rushing title in 1991, when he finished with 1563 yards.
1992 is when he really took off. He led the league with 1713 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, and he led the Cowboys to the Super Bowl, where he had 108 yards and a touchdown in a blowout 52-17 win over Buffalo. That year he became the first rushing leader in history to win a Super Bowl in the same season.
He held out for the first 2 games of the 1993 season, but after the Cowboys lost both games, they gave in to his contract demands, and he responded with the best season of his career. He led the league in rushing for the third year in a row, with 1486 yards, while also leading in yards per carry for the only time in his career, with 5.3, by far the best of his career. He was also the leader in scrimmage yards for the first time.
He was named the MVP that season, and he wasn't done yet. He took the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl for a rematch with Buffalo, and this time he had 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 30-13 victory, and was named the game's MVP. He is the only player ever to win MVP, Super Bowl MVP, and the rushing title in the same season.
He failed to win the rushing title in 1994, breaking his streak at 3, and the Cowboys fell a game short of the Super Bowl, losing to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. He had another great season in 1995, leading the league with career highs of 1773 rushing yards and 2148 scrimmage yards, and setting a new record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 25.
He helped get Dallas back to the Super Bowl after a year's absence, and though he only had 49 rushing yards in the win, he scored 2 touchdowns, and the Cowboys won 27-17, giving him his 3rd championship in 4 years.
After that legendary run to start his career, Smith settled into a role as a good running back who rarely missed games and piled up stats. After 5 straight seasons over 1400 yards, he never reached that mark again, but had 6 more seasons of 1000 yards in a row, and in 1998 he broke Marcus Allen's record for most career touchdowns and Tony Dorsett's franchise rushing yard record.
In 2001, he became the first player ever to reach 1000 yards eleven times, and in 2002, he broke Walter Payton's career rushing yard record, a mark that he still holds today. After 13 seasons with Dallas, he was released, and he signed with the Arizona Cardinals for 2 years.
Smith broke his shoulder blade early in his first season with Arizona, ending a disappointing season early. He returned to play in 2004, and gained 937 yards, but was not resigned by the team, and decided to retire from the game at age 35.
Smith is the all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, and is #2 in all-time scrimmage yards, behind Jerry Rice. He won an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP in the same season, and used to hold the record for most touchdowns in a season. What holds him back a little is the fact that he is not near the top 100 in yards per carry, and only had one season where he gained more than 5 yards per rush, but even with that one small deficiency in his game, there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest of all time.
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