Notes & Quotes: Emmitt Smith

Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, is the 12th long-time member of the Dallas Cowboys elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Emmitt Smith's HOF Bio>>>

Notes

Emmitt registered an NFL record 78 games with 100 or more yards rushing. This was a trend he continued from his high school and college playing days. At Escambia High School Smith logged 45 career 100- yard games and added an additional 25 in three years at the University of Florida.

In his first collegiate start for the Gators, Smith rushed for a school record of 224 yards on 39 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns against Alabama. Smith also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in his seventh game of his freshman season which faster than any other player in college football history.

Smith's first carry of his NFL career was a one-yard run against the San Diego Chargers on Sept. 9, 1990. His last NFL carry was a two-yard loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 2, 2005. Smith's longest run of his career came on 75-yard touchdown late in the first quarter against the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football in Week 2 of the 1991 season.

Smith ran for more yards -- 2,466 yards on 533 carries in 26 games -- against the Philadelphia Eagles than any other team during his career.

Emmitt was both a short-yardage and long-distance threat during his career. Of his 164 rushing touchdowns, 59 were scored from a distance of five or more yards.

Emmitt still had fuel left in the tank in his 15th and final season with the Cardinals in 2004. He averaged 62 yards per game that season, a figure that was greater than the 59-yard per game average he posted as a rookie in 1990.

Smith's eight Pro Bowl selections are the second most in Cowboys team history among offensive players (Larry Allen, 10).

Emmitt's brother, Emory Smith was a four-year letter winner (1993-96) and a two-year starter as a fullback at Clemson University. He was signed as a rookie free-agent by the Green Bay Packers in 1997 but never made the squad.

Smith scored a touchdown in 124 games in his 226-game career.

Smith left the University of Florida in 1990 after just three years. Following his career, he returned to Gainesville to complete his degree. He received a bachelor of science in public recreation from the College of Health and Human Performance

Quotes

"He'll take your breath away, and you won't get it back until he scores." - Joe Brodsky, former Cowboys' RB coach

"He darts, feints, shifts back and forth like a typewriter carriage. He stops in the hole—comes to a complete stop—looks unhurriedly for a seam and skates across the field like a hot dog wrapper." - Jere Longman, Philadelphia Inquirer

"Consistency shows value. It breeds trust. You know that I'm going to show up every week." - Emmitt Smith

"Every time fans turned on the television or watched the Dallas Cowboys, I wanted to give them the performance of a lifetime." - Emmitt Smith

"He's as much a part of the Cowboys as the star." - Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys' owner

For me, winning isn't something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream. - Emmitt Smith

"In my time at USC with Ricky Bell and Marcus Allen and at the Rams with Eric Dickerson, I've coached some guys who are as physically talented as he is. But I've never been around someone who is as good a runner - vision, break tackles, power, moves, catch the ball like he did today. And he did it with an arm tied behind his back." - Norv Turner, former offensive coordinator

"No question, he has the biggest heart here. He expects to win games and he doesn't expect anyone else to do it for him. Because he cares." - Darren Woodson, former Dallas Cowboys strong safety

"I don't think success has spoiled my son, because he looks back on his upbringing and that keeps him humble. He wants people to touch him, to see he is nothing special." - Mary Smith, Emmitt's mother

"He would be the first to say he's a product of the people in front of him, but they can only gain you so many yards. He did the rest." - Marcus Allen, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2003

"He's passed the test of time. He's been there year after year, playing at a high level and with a lot of consistency. He plays the game like it's supposed to be played. He's a pro's pro." - Tony Dorsett, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1994

"The thing I admire most about Emmitt is the size of his heart. He just seems to have that passion to want to achieve, to want to win." - Franco Harris, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1990

"Some guys have a bad ankle or a charley horse and they say they can't play. But Emmitt is a team player and he realizes that him on one leg is better than the second guy on three legs." - Gale Sayers, Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1977