So long, Emmitt: we look back at the amazing career of the NFL's all-time rushing king

WHEN EMMITT SMITH ANNOUNCED his retirement after 15 illustrious seasons during an emotional news conference three days before Super Bowl 39, the NFL's all-time leading rusher thanked virtually everyone but the peanut vendors and parking lot attendants at Texas Stadium.

Smith mentioned family members, friends, former teammates, and coaches beginning when he first donned shoulder pads and a helmet as a youth football player in Pensacola, Fla. While some of those he identified, such as Troy Aikman and Michael Iron, could one day be alongside him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, others will remain household names only in their own households.

"The memories that I have, the relationships that I'm taking away from the game are something dear and something I will take with me for the rest of my life," said Smith, who rushed for an NFL-record 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns. "I'm moving on to another chapter in my life, and that's a chapter I'm looking forward to."

Sitting at a table in the Super Bowl media center in Jacksonville between his wife Pat and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Smith began dabbing tears from his eyes when he mentioned longtime teammate Daryl "Moose" Johnston, a bruising fullback who opened holes for him during 10 seasons with the Cowboys, from 1990 to '99.

"Daryl, I love you to death," Smith said to Johnston, who attended the news conference. "You've been there with me through thick and thin. I don't know why every time I think of you, I end up breaking down."

Smith played his first 13 seasons with Dallas, and although he spent his final two years with the Arizona Cardinals, he revealed that he would sign a one-day contract and officially retire as a Cowboy. "That is the plan, and that is what is going to happen," Smith said. "I just want to say it's been a tremendous ride."

Placing his hand on one of two Cowboys helmets on the table in front of him, Smith said to Jones: "You don't know how much this star means to me and how much you and your family really mean to me. The Super Bowls and all are great, but to have you believe in me in the manner in which you have, I truly, truly am in debt to you."

"Your place with the Dallas Cowboys has always been secured," Jones responded. "You were always a Dallas Cowboy. I am here today to claim you forever more as a Dallas Cowboy."

One year after drafting Aikman with the first overall pick, Jones gambled on Smith with the 17th selection in 1990. Though Smith was an all-American back at Florida who set 58 school records in three seasons, some scouts questioned whether the 5'10", 216-pounder possessed the size and speed to excel in the NFL.

The Cowboys traded up from the 21st spot to grab him, dealing a third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers to switch spots. Dallas feared that the Green Bay Packers (with the 18th and 19th picks) or the Atlanta Falcons (20th), both of whom needed a running back, would take Smith.

Green Bay chose Minnesota running back Darrell Thompson at No. 19, and Atlanta followed by picking Washington State running back Steve Broussard. Those two players combined to rush for just 4,266 yards and 26 touchdowns in 14 NFL seasons.

The 10 players drafted immediately ahead of Smith in 1990 were quarterback Andre Ware, linebacker Chris Singleton, offensive tackle Richmond Webb, defensive lineman Ray Agnew, defensive end Anthony Smith, linebacker James Francis, linebacker Percy Snow, defensive end Renaldo Turnbull, linebacker Lamar Lathon, and defensive back James Williams.

A model of consistency, Smith rushed for 937 yards in his rookie season with the Cowboys in 1990 and 937 yards again in his final year with the Cardinals in 2004. In between, he became the first player in NFL history to post 11 straight 1000-yard seasons, from 1991 to 2001.

Smith became the NFL's all-time leading rusher on October 27, 2002, eclipsing Walter Payton's record of 16,726 yards on an 11-yard run against the Seattle Seahawks at Texas Stadium. Smith was voted to eight Pro Bowls, trailing only Barry Sanders (10) among NFL running backs, and his four league rushing titles (1991-93, 95) rank second to Jim Brown (eight). Smith won three Super Bowl championships in four seasons with the Cowboys and was selected as the NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP in 1993.

Smith was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1990. He then led the league with 1,563 yards in 1991, becoming the youngest player (22 years, 7 months) to surpass the 1,500-yard barrier in a single season. He holds the NFL record with 78 100-yard regular season games, one ahead of Payton and two more than Sanders, and he was also the first player in league history to post five straight 1,400-yard seasons.

One of the most remarkable games of Smith's career was the 1993 season finale against the New York Giants. With both teams entering the contest at 11-4, the winner would claim the NFC East championship, a first-round bye, and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Despite separating his right shoulder late in the second quarter--an injury that required offseason surgery--Smith rushed for 168 yards on 32 carries and caught 10 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown to lead the Cowboys to a 16-13 overtime victory at Giants Stadium. Smith set up the winning field goal by generating 41 yards on nine touches on a 12-play, 52-yard drive.

The stirring win helped propel Dallas to its second straight Super Bowl championship, as the Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills in the title game for the second successive year. Smith was named Super Bowl MVP after rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the second half and 132 yards overall. Dallas scored 24 unanswered points to turn a 13-6 halftime deficit into a 30-13 win.

The most prolific rushing game of Smith's career came earlier that season when he compiled a team-record 237 yards on 30 carries in a 23-10 win at Philadelphia on Halloween. In eclipsing Tony Dorsett's club mark of 206 yards, set against the Eagles on December 4, 1977, Smith ran for more yards than anyone in the NFL since Payton amassed a then-league record 275 yards against the Minnesota Vikings on November 20, 1977.

Fighting through hamstring injuries that kept him out of all or part of five games in 1994, Smith still led the NFL with 22 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,484 yards and did not lose a fumble all season despite touching the ball 418 times on an NFL-high 368 rushes and 50 receptions.

In 1995, Smith won his fourth NFL rushing title in five years with 1,773 yards, the 10th-best rushing season in league history at the time. He also established an NFL record that has since been broken by Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes by scoring 25 touchdowns. Smith opened the 1995 season by rushing for 163 yards and four touchdowns--including a 60-yard scoring romp on his first carry of the year--in a 35-0 drubbing of the Giants.

Smith's devotion to his team was clear in the 1996 opener, when he bruised his neck and back while diving over a pile as a decoy on a play-action fake late in a 226 loss to the Chicago Bears. Later that year, Smith established an NFL record with his 18th post-season rushing touchdown in a 40-15 win over the Vikings.

Smith ultimately left the Cowboys after becoming the NFL's all-time leading rusher, signing with the Cardinals in 2003.

"It was tremendous," says Dave McGinnis, Arizona's head coach from 2000 through '03. "I felt an instant connection with Emmitt the first time we brought him in and sat down when the free-agent process started. Emmitt Smith is a very special person, and you don't become an Emmitt Smith overnight. It takes years and years of dedication that 98% of human beings can't imagine. I really am thankful for my time with Emmitt Smith. I will always count him as someone that is very special to me."

Smith made a not-so-triumphant return to Texas Stadium in his first season with Arizona, sustaining a separated shoulder and fractured shoulder blade in a 24-7 loss to the Cowboys. Smith, who had missed just four games in 13 NFL seasons due to injury, was sidelined for six weeks but fought his way back onto the field.

"That was a young football team that had a lot of injuries," McGinnis recalls. "We were regrouping every week to try to get out there and compete. It would have been very easy for Emmitt to say, 'I'll just rehab this and come back next year.' But he worked as hard as he could to come back and compete that year, and that said a lot about Emmitt Smith. That meant a lot to me, and he knew that meant a lot to me. But it also spoke to the fiber and the fabric of the man."

COPYRIGHT 2005 Century Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group