Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969 in Pensacola, Florida) is a former American football player. He played for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals and is the NFL's all-time rushing leader, a record formerly held by his childhood hero, Walter Payton. He is the only running back to ever win a Super Bowl championship, the NFL Most Valuable Player award, the NFL rushing crown, and the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award all in the same season (1993). He is also one of four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons, joining Steve Van Buren, Jim Brown, and Earl Campbell.

While playing for the Cowboys, Smith, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin were the "Triplets" who led their team to three Super Bowl championships during the 1990s.

High school career

Emmitt Smith attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida. During his football career there, Smith rushed for 106 touchdowns and 8,804 yards, which was the second most yardage in the history of American high school football at the time. He rushed for over 100 yards in 45 of the 49 games he started for Escambia (including the last 28 in a row) and finished with a 7.8 yards per carry average. Twice, he broke the 2000 yard rushing mark in a season.

For his efforts, Smith was named the USA Today and Parade Magazine high school player of the year for 1986. In 2007, Smith was named the best player in the 100 year history of Florida high school football by the Florida High School Athletic Association.

Yet despite his accomplishments and accolades, some college recruiting experts opined that he was too small and too slow to succeed in major college football when he signed to play at the nearby University of Florida.

College career

Emmitt Smith did not start the first two games of his college career in the fall of 1987, but made the most of his opportunities in a 2nd-week rout of Tulsa in which he turned 10 carries into 109 yards, including a 66 yard touchdown run. That performance earned him his first collegiate start in the next contest: the SEC opener against Alabama in Birmingham.

In his first full game, Smith promptly broke Florida's 40-year old all-time single game rushing record, carrying 39 times for 224 yards and 2 TDs as the Gators upset the Crimson Tide. Smith went on to break the 1000-yard barrier in the 7th game of his freshman season, the fastest any running back had ever broken that barrier to begin his college career. He finished the 1987 season with 1,341 yards and was named Southeastern Conference and National Freshman of the Year. He also finished 9th in that year's Heisman voting.

Smith started the 1988 season strong until injuring his knee against Memphis State. The Gators, who had started the campaign 5-0 with Smith in the backfield, lost the game in which he was injured and then the next three as well while Smith was unable to play. Upon returning, he almost reached 1000 yards on the season, finishing with 988.