Emmitt Smith

Rush for over 1,400 yards and haul in over sixty catches in five straight seasons and you’re definitely considered a legend.

Emmitt Smith was born May 15, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida. He played collegiately at Florida University, where he was eventually elected into the Gator Football Ring of Honor.

Out of college, the Dallas Cowboys drafted Smith in the 1990 NFL Draft with the 17th pick in the first round. He played for the Cowboys for 13 seasons from 1990 to 2002, before joining the Arizona Cardinals in 2003.

For his career, Emmitt Smith compiled 18,355 rushing yards (a 4.2 yard per average) and 174 rushing touchdowns. He currently holds the NFL record for career rushing yards, breaking Walter Payton’s mark on October 27, 2002. Smith also leads all running backs with 164 career rushing touchdowns and his 175 total touchdowns ranks him second to only San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver Jerry Rice, who has 207 total touchdowns.

Emmitt Smith was best known for his tremendous durability, vision and balance. He was never one of the faster or flashier backs, but he was always well renowned for running between the tackles and gaining the “tough yards.”

One knock on Smith has always been that he had great offensive lines blocking for him in Dallas. And fans of Barry Sanders have long believed that if Barry didn’t have an earlier retirement that he would have shattered the NFL career rushing record.

But there’s no denying Smith was a great player – great offensive lines or not. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls, was the 1993 NFL MVP and was a six-time All-Pro selection. He also won the 1990 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was elected into the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.

Perhaps Emmitt Smith’s greatest achievement was winning the MVP Award for Super Bowl XXVIII. Smith finished his career a three-time Super Bowl winner and one of the true NFL greats.