Emmitt Smith
Considered to be one of the greatest running backs of all time, Emmitt Smith holds one NFL (National Football League) rushing title, three NFC (North Football Conference) rushing titles, a Super Bowl MVP (Most Valuable Player) award, and many other awards. As a teenager he grew up attending Escambia High in Pensacola, Florida. Being a dreamer like any other teenager Emmitt made his dreams a reality by working hard and taking his career in steps. Not jumping ahead with the future he stayed focused with the present and things at hand. (Spagnola 1)
May 15, 1969 Emmitt James Smith, the III was born in Pensacola, Florida to a bus driver that played Minor League football on the weekends with a local Florida team. Emmitt Smith Jr. was also a football and basketball star in high school. His mother Mary Smith who worked at the bank recalls when Smith was a baby he was a sports fanatic the only way to calm young Emmitt down was to set him in front of a televised game. He would settle down in his swing, rocking back and forth while he was watching a game. Gifted from an early age, Emmitt spent many of his days playing football with his older cousins and some of the neighborhood kids because of his athletic ability. "Little Emmitt always played with older kids because of his athletic skills; he had the balance to walk forever on neighborhood fences and curbs without falling off." (Emmitt Smith 1)
Emmitt loved football growing up; his parents did not have to push him into playing football. When Emmitt turned seven he wasted no time by joining the Minnie-Mites division, his first organized football team, with the Salvation Army Optimists League. While some of the other kids lost interest in football, Emmitt kept on playing. His mother was very strict on raising Emmitt and his two brothers by providing them with strong moral values and religious training. Working hard and staying in shape for football Emmitt never had time to get into trouble or join gangs. (Emmitt Smith 1) Drugs were a big turnoff for Emmitt growing up. One day while Emmitt was walking to football practice a white gentleman pulled up alongside Smith and motioned him to his car and asked Emmitt if he could shoot him up. Being clueless about drugs he asked what that meant and the Gentleman showed Smith the needle. Emmitt took off running all the way to practice never forgetting the dirty syringe and the crazy look in the mans eyes and on his face (Delsohn 29). Playing quarterback Emmitt was not the traditional pocket passer. He would scramble if his receivers were covered up (34). Being big for his age Emmitt’s mother had to bring his birth certificate to the games if Emmitt was going to play because other parents thought he was an older kid. Moving up to the Mite Division the coach put Emmitt at running back. Emmitt was devastated because he thought only quarterbacks could get the M.V.P. (Most Valuable Player) award, less than a week later Emmitt could care less about quarterback. That year he was a physical player taking hits and running people over (40). When Emmitt turned ten the Salvation Army closed the football program they had. Signing up with the hard-nosed Bellview football league Emmitt got moved to linebacker breaking another player’s finger and fractured another one of his teammate’s tailbone (41). That year Emmitt was a third string running back that ran trick plays scoring on wing-reverses, returning kicks, and punts (41). "Doing all those different things on a football field, I had a blast. That football season was my favorite season of my childhood career" (41). Turning eleven Emmitt had to watch his weight if he was going to play in the Midgets league. So on Friday nights he stayed over at his coach’s house. The coach would give Emmitt low-fat things to eat, and the next morning Emmitt would lose the rest of his weight by running it off (41). Going to Brownsville Middle school and being an unstoppable runner Emmitt caught the eye of Dwight Thomas; Escambia Highs head football coach (Graham 552).
Emmitt chose to go to Escambia High school since it was the closest school to his home, and he already lived in the district. When Emmitt talked to his football coach his coach asked Emmitt what he wanted to play. Loving offense and defense he asked the coach which side of the ball he would have a better chance of starting on. The coach told Emmitt that he would start on offense. "In that case, I told him, Id like to play running back" (Smith 45). Before Emmitt had arrived at Escambia High the football program was highly known for its history of losing football games more than winning. Not having a winning season in twenty-one years Emmitt helped change that (Emmitt Smith 2). The previous season before Emmitt arrived at Escambia high the team had went one and nine, with Emmitt they finished seven and three (Smith 51). When football was over Emmitt went to basketball. Making the varsity team as a freshman Emmitt though he would dominate the court like he had in junior high, not being able to deal with missing all his shots he quit the team. His sophomore year he also quit once again (52). Emmitt went twelve and two his sophomore year making it to the state playoffs and then winning the 3-A state championship against Bartlow (55). Moving up to 4-A as a junior Emmitt would be playing amongst the largest schools in Florida (57). Going thirteen and one and winning another championship Emmitt was expecting a perfect fourteen and zero season but instead finished the season early losing one game, not going to the playoffs, and having a nine and one season (65). In the four years high school football Emmitt rushed for 8,804 yards, 106 touchdowns, and averaged 7.8 yards per carry (66).
By the end of Emmitt's sophomore year he was getting letters and calls from college recruiters. After awhile, Emmitt was getting tired of all of the late phone calls at eleven in the evening (67). Emmitt received letters from almost every division one college in the nation and also from small colleges also. Emmitt finally narrowed his final choices down to: Nebraska, Clemson, Florida State, Auburn, and Florida (68). Living in Pensacola, Florida his whole life Emmitt had grown attached to Florida (70). Emmitt finally made up his mind and called the Florida coach and told him he wanted to sign with him and the University of Florida (71).
Emmitt's first year at Florida he rushed for 1,000 yard being the only freshman to do that in his first seven games (Emmitt Smith 2). Emmitt finished the season with 1,341 yards, eight 100-yard games, averaged 5.9 yards per carry, and ninth in the Heisman voting polls (Smith 76). Missing two games because of an injury his second year Emmitt ran for 988 yards (84) and going 6-5 for the second straight season (85).
"We went to the All-American Bowl in Birmingham, Alabama, where we won 14-10 against Jeff George and Illinois. This game was very satisfying for me, because Illinois came in bragging...Emmitt Smith has not been hit this year". (85)
Starting his junior year at Florida Emmitt was not pleased about having another offensive coordinator, being his third in three years. Meeting the new Coach Whitey Jordan Emmitt soon changed his mind about the program (87). Emmitt's junior year ended with a 7-4 record, rushing for 1,599 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per carry. That year Emmitt broke the SEC (South Eastern Conference) and Florida record for rushing yards (96). After the season ended and his coach Whitey Jordan was leaving the program as Head coach Emmitt did not feel a reason for himself to stay another year at Florida (96).
"The NFL ( National Football League) draft is where dreams are made. It's also where they get derailed. In the course of my three years at Florida, I had teammates who told me: "I'm going in the first round..." (101). April of 1990 was The Draft Day for Emmitt he had no idea what team would draft him, or if he would even get drafted because the draft being so large having juniors eligible for the draft (102). Watching the draft at a friend's house Emmitt watched several players get drafted from the defensive side of the ball (104). Suddenly the phone rang with Bob Ackles, the director of the Dallas Cowboys Personnel asking Emmitt if he wanted to be a Cowboy. Emmitt told him he would love to be a Cowboy (104). The phone rang five minutes later with Jimmy Johnson asking Emmitt how he would love to have a star on his helmet Emmitt told him he would love to have a star on his helmet. Jimmy told Emmitt he was going to draft him (105). Waiting for the twenty-first pick to get drafted by the cowboys Emmitt waited patiently when suddenly the Cowboys had the seventeenth pick and the drafted Emmitt (105).
Not signing with the cowboys because of a dispute with his contract Emmitt missed training camp and the first game of the season. When Emmitt finally returned he was the starting running back for the Cowboys. Emmitt finished up his rookie year with 937 rushing yards, 228 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns. Earning rookie of the year Emmitt got a chance to play in the Pro Bowl (Emmitt Smith 3). His second year Smith rushed for 1,563 yards, scoring 12 touchdowns he became the youngest player in the history of the NFL to rush for more than 1.500 yards. Finishing the 1991 season with a record of 11-5 and making the playoffs. In 1992 Emmitt became the ninth player in Football history to win two straight rushing titles he ran for a 1,713 yards and ran for 18 touchdowns. Winning the NFC conference Smith and the Cowboys had a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Winning the Super Bowl Smith was the only player to lead the league in rushing yards and win a Super bowl Championship (3). In 1993 Emmitt and the Cowboys went 12-2, though missing two games Smith won the rushing title three years in a row with 1,486 yards, and were named the Most Valuable Player. Emmitt injured his hamstring in 1994 and only rushed for 1,484 yards, and led the league in touchdowns with 22 (4). By the end of the 1995 season Emmitt won back the rushing title by running for a career best 1773 yards, setting a NFL record of 25 touchdowns, and rushing for 40 percent of the cowboys’ total yards from the line of scrimmage. Emmitt Smith and the cowboys defeated the Arizona Cardinals that year to win the Super Bowl. Over the next few years Emmitt began getting injuries that caused him to get benched (5).
After chasing Walter Peyton’s NFL (National Football League) rushing record of 16,726 yards for twelve years (Spagnola 2). Emmitt finally broke Walter Peyton’s rushing record with the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals with a career high of 18,355 yards (Johnson 1). Some of Emmitt’s records include: winning the NFL’s (National Football League's) rookie of the year on offense, to being the leading rusher in the NFL, (National Football League) then winning the Most Valuable Player award, having the single season scoring touchdown title, and being consistent on rushing for more than 1,000 yards consecutively ten straight seasons, and winning three Super Bowl rings (Spagnola 2).
After having a career in football for fifteen years with the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals Emmitt Smith has set his sights on the real estate business having more than fifty million dollars in capital. Emmitt helped his firm sign Mervyn’s as his very first deal in real estate, being a forty-five million dollar deal, where he ended his career in Phoenix, Arizona with the Cardinals. He is the Co founder and CEO of Smith/Cypress Partners LP which we went into business with Cowboy legend Roger Staubach. They’re business helps build up small populated areas into more densely populated areas that are backed up by national retail giants. Emmitt can also be called Dancing with the Stars Champion which is a reality television show, which he won by tangoing and tap dancing (Johnson 1). “My talent came from God. What I add is desire. I have great desire” (Smith 1).
Whether it is running the family business Emmitt Incorporated which sells sports merchandise, or talking to youths about drug and alcohol prevention, or simply having a good time by playing video games, building model trains, or playing a good game of basketball and golf (Emmitt Smith 6). Although Smith is retired he tries to set a good example as a role model if it’s on the field or off the field.
O.J. Simpson can be considered the greatest running back of all time. But nooo, everyone forgets about him because he killed someone.
I know he may be a killer, but he was still an excellent running back.
+mspin
