Troy Hambrick Troy Hambrick ( born November 6 , 1976 ) is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals . In his career , he amassed 2 , 179 yards rushing and 276 yards receiving in 61 games played . He rushed for nine touchdowns and caught one in his career . Early years . Hambrick and his brother Darren helped Pasco High School win the 1992 Class 3A state championship in football . He began his collegiate career at the University of South Carolina in 1996 and was the Gamecocks ' leading rusher in 1997 and 1998 . However , off the field issues led to his dismissal by then newly - hired Lou Holtz before the start of the 1999 season . He transferred to Savannah State University in Savannah , Georgia for his senior season where he ran for 1 , 189 yards and 18 touchdown s . Professional Career . Dallas Cowboys . Hambrick was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000 . He was the backup behind Emmitt Smith and played some fullback also , which allowed him to flash the potential to become a starter . In 2001 he had 579 yards with a 5 . 1 average per carry , good for third place in the NFL . In 2002 his numbers decreased , but still excelled in special teams finishing second on the team with 17 tackles . His play in limited appearances even created a controversy whether he should start ahead of Smith , which in turn affected the relationship between the two players . Hambrick is best known for being the player that replaced Emmitt Smith as the Cowboys starter in the 2003 season . As the featured running back , using his size and deceptive speed , he rushed for career highs with 275 carries for 972 yards and 5 touchdown s , helping the team back to the playoffs for the first time since the 1998 season . During that season against the Washington Redskins , he ran 33 times for 189 yards , which at the time was the third - most rushing yards in a game by a running back in franchise history , only Tony Dorsett and Smith had better games . The Cowboys ended up waiving him at the end of the season , after drafting Julius Jones and taking into consideration his production ( 3 . 5 yards per carry ) . Oakland Raiders . The Oakland Raiders signed him as a free agent , but within a month he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals along with Peppi Zellner , in exchange for a draft choice in the 2005 NFL Draft . Arizona Cardinals . During the 2004 season in a twist of fate , he ended up once again backing up Smith with the Arizona Cardinals . Hambrick played in the first 10 games rushing for 283 yards and one touchdown on 63 carries , before spraining his foot and being placed on the Injured reserve list . He was released during the 2005 offseason . Utah Blaze ( AFL ) . In 2007 he signed with the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League in an attempt to comeback , but was waived within a month after being arrested . Personal Life . Hambrick ' s brother Darren Hambrick was also a player in the NFL ; he played linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys , the Cleveland Browns , and the Carolina Panthers . In September 2005 , Hambrick was arrested on domestic abuse charges , which were dropped after prosecutors declined to file formal charges . In 2007 , he was arrested for selling cocaine , and later sentenced to five years in prison .