Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith , III ( born May 15 , 1969 ) is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s . Considered one of the greatest and the single most complete running back in NFL history , Smith played college football for the University of Florida , where he was an All - American . A first - round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft , he played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL . During his long professional career , he became the NFL ' s all - time rushing leader , breaking the record formerly held by Walter Payton , and played for three Super Bowl - winning Dallas Cowboys teams . Smith 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 only four running backs to lead the NFL in rushing three or more consecutive seasons , joining Steve Van Buren , Jim Brown and Earl Campbell . Smith led the league in rushing and won the Super Bowl in the same year three times ( 1992 , 1993 , and 1995 ) when to that point it had never been done . Smith is also one of only two non - kickers in NFL history to score more than 1 , 000 career points ( the other being Jerry Rice ) . Smith was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 , and is the first player from the 1990 NFL Draft to be inducted . While playing for the Dallas Cowboys , Smith , quarterback Troy Aikman , and wide receiver Michael Irvin were known as " The Triplets , " and led their team to three Super Bowl championships during the 1990s . Early years . Smith was born in Pensacola , Florida , the son of Mary Smith and Emmitt James Smith , Jr . He attended Escambia High School in Pensacola , where he played high school football for the Escambia Gators . During Smith ' s high school football career , Escambia won the state football championship , and 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 . Emmitt 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 2 , 000 - 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 , twenty years after Smith graduated from high school , the Florida High School Athletic Association ( FHSAA ) named Smith to its " All - Century Team , " recognizing him as one of the thirty - three greatest Florida high school football players of the last 100 years . As part of its " 100 Years of Florida High School Football " awards ceremony , FHSAA named Smith as its " Player of the Century . " Despite his accomplishments and accolades , some college recruiting analysts opined that he was too small and too slow to succeed in major college football when he signed to play for the University of Florida . Recruiting expert Max Emfinger said of Smith , " Emmitt Smith is a lugger , not a runner . He ' s not fast . He can ' t get around the corner . When he falls flat on his face , remember where you heard it first . " College career . Smith received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida , where he played for coach Galen Hall ' s Florida Gators football team for three seasons from 1987 to 1989 . He 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 second - week rout of Tulsa in which he gained 109 yards on just ten carries , 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 two touchdowns as the Gators upset the Crimson Tide . Smith went on to break the 1 , 000 - yard barrier in the seventh 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 reeled off a 5 – 0 record 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 1 , 000 yards on the season , finishing with 988 . Smith stayed healthy throughout his junior season in 1989 and found success again . He finished the campaign with Florida records for rushing yards in a season ( 1 , 599 ) , rushing yards in a single game ( 316 versus New Mexico in October 1989 ) , longest rushing play ( 96 yards against Mississippi State in 1988 ) , career rushing yards ( 3 , 928 ) , and career rushing touchdowns ( 36 ) , among many others . In all , Smith owned 58 school records at the conclusion of his Florida career despite playing on Florida teams with virtually no passing game , making him the focal point of opposing defenses . At the conclusion of his junior season in 1989 , Smith was named a first - team SEC selection for the third year and SEC Player of the Year , was a unanimous first - team All - American , and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting . On January 1 , 1990 , Florida hired Steve Spurrier to coach the Gators . Smith , concerned about his potential role in Spurrier ' s reportedly pass - first offense , decided to forgo his senior year at Florida and enter the NFL draft ( Smith ' s school rushing record would be broken by Errict Rhett , Spurrier ' s first starting running back at Florida , albeit over four seasons instead of three ) . Smith returned to the university during the NFL off - season and completed his bachelor ' s degree in 1996 . Smith was subsequently inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a " Gator Great " in 1999 , the Gator Football Ring of Honor and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 . As part of a series of articles written for " The Gainesville Sun " in 2006 , he was recognized as the No . 3 all - time player among the top 100 from the first 100 years of the Gators football program . Professional career . Despite his collegiate success , some NFL teams still felt that Smith was too small and slow for the pro game . He fell to the 17th pick in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft , when he was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys , who traded up to draft him . Smith was the first player in NFL history to rush for 1 , 400 rushing yards or more in five consecutive seasons . Smith , Jim Brown , and LaDainian Tomlinson are the only players with seven straight ten - touchdown seasons to start their careers . With 1 , 021 rushing yards in 2001 , Smith became the first player in NFL history with 11 consecutive 1 , 000 yard seasons and the first to post eleven 1 , 000 - yard rushing seasons in a career . He is the NFL ' s all - time leader in rushing attempts with 4 , 409 . Smith is the only player to post three seasons with nineteen or more touchdowns . He also holds the record for most games in a season with a touchdown and most games in a season with a rushing touchdown ( 15 ) , set in 1995 . Smith currently holds the NFL record in career rushing yards with 18 , 355 , breaking the previous record held by Walter Payton , on October 27 , 2002 . He leads all running backs with 164 career rushing touchdowns , and his 175 total touchdowns ranks him second only to Jerry Rice ' s 208 . The total of his rushing yards , receiving yards ( 3 , 224 ) and fumble return yards ( −15 ) gives him a total of 21 , 564 yards from the line of scrimmage , making him one of only four players in NFL history to eclipse the 21 , 000 - combined yards mark . Smith also accumulated several NFL postseason records , including rushing touchdowns ( 19 ) , consecutive games with a rushing touchdown ( 9 ) , and 100 - yard rushing games ( 7 ) . His 1 , 586 yards rushing is also top on the NFL postseason chart , and he shares the total playoff touchdown mark of twenty - one with Thurman Thomas . With the Cowboys , Smith won three Super Bowl rings and rushed for over 100 yards in two of those games , Super Bowl XXVII ( 108 yards and a touchdown , and six receptions for twenty - seven yards ) , and Super Bowl XXVIII ( 132 yards and two touchdowns , and four receptions for twenty - six yards ) . Smith received the Super Bowl MVP award for Super Bowl XXVIII , becoming the only Cowboys running back ever to win that award . He also scored two touchdowns in Super Bowl XXX . In his last season , Smith became the oldest player in NFL history ever to throw his first touchdown pass , throwing a 21 - yard touchdown strike on a halfback option play . It was the only passing attempt of his career . Smith is one of only five NFL players who have amassed over 10 , 000 career - rushing yards and 400 career receptions . Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice are the only two non - kickers to score 1 , 000 points in a career . Playing style . As a runner , Smith was consistently effective , though not dazzling in style . " ( Smith ) darted , slithered and followed his blockers , and squeezed yard after yard out of plays that didn ' t have any yards in them . He didn ' t look especially fast or powerful or blindingly deceptive , yet he couldn ' t be stopped . " Smith was noted for being a very durable back with excellent vision , tremendous leg strength , and great balance , and was known as one of the best second - effort runners ever . Smith was also a reliable receiver and an excellent blocker in pass protection . During his career , he was often compared to Detroit Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders , as both men were extremely successful for their respective teams and combined for 8 rushing titles during the 1990s . Some give Smith the edge for his consistent " north - south " style that took full advantage of Dallas ' talented offensive line , while some think Sanders ' spectacular running style with sudden changes of direction made him a better back . Observers agree , though , that both Smith and Sanders were among the greatest men to ever play the game . In 1999 , while he was still playing and three years before becoming the game ' s all - time rushing yardage leader , Smith was ranked No . 68 on " The Sporting News " ' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players . Retirement . Three days before Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005 , Smith announced his retirement from the NFL . He was released by the Arizona Cardinals and signed a one - day contract for one dollar with the Dallas Cowboys — after which he immediately retired as a Cowboy , the team he played for from 1990 to 2002 . Life after football . In September 2005 , Smith signed on to serve as a studio analyst on the NFL Network show , " NFL Total Access " . On September 19 , 2005 , at halftime of the Cowboys - Redskins game ( broadcast on " Monday Night Football " ) , Smith was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor with his long - time teammates Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin . On July 23 , 2006 , Smith was a judge at the Miss Universe 2006 pageant . In the fall of 2006 , Smith won the third season of " Dancing with the Stars " with professional dancer Cheryl Burke . Smith was praised for " making dancing look manly " and for his " natural charm , " and Burke was given credit for coaching Smith while still allowing him to improvise some moves . On March 12 , 2007 , Smith joined ESPN as a studio analyst for their NFL pre - game coverage alongside Chris Berman , Mike Ditka , Tom Jackson , and Chris Mortensen . However , he was removed from this coverage for the 2008 season . Instead , he appears Sunday mornings during the NFL season on " SportsCenter " . He performs with Steve Young and Stuart Scott at the Monday Night Football site each week on Monday Night Countdown . His contract was not renewed for the 2009 season . Smith was criticized by some in the media and sports blogs as being inarticulate . " Jimmy Kimmel Live ! " created a video called " Emmitt Smith : Wordsmith " mocking his numerous malapropism s . " Sports Illustrated " ′ s Peter King called Smith ' s comments regarding Michael Vick ' s involvement in the Bad Newz Kennels " idiotic and inappropriate . " Smith was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 , in his first year of eligibility . On February 7 , 2010 , Smith flipped the coin at the start of Super Bowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints . In June 2010 , Smith returned to high school alma mater , Escambia High School in Pensacola , Florida , for a taping of ESPN ' s show Homecoming with Rick Reilly . In October 2010 , he was inducted into the Escambia High School Sports Hall of Fame during halftime of an EHS football game along with former Seattle Mariners third baseman Jim Presley , and a several other EHS alumni . In 2005 Smith made his first move toward becoming a real estate developer . He teamed with another Cowboy legend , Roger Staubach , the founder and CEO of Staubach Co . , to form Smith / Cypress Partners LP , a real estate development enterprise specializing in transforming underutilized parcels in densely populated areas into commercially viable properties anchored by national retail giants . In his first deal , Smith helped the firm sign Mervyn ' s , a California - based department store chain , to anchor a $ 45 million , project in Phoenix . With access to $ 50 million in capital , Smith has several other projects in the works . He has a letter of intent to develop a site in a densely populated yet underserved area near northwest Fort Worth ( it was formerly a college operated by a Masonic lodge ) , and he ' s haggling over another potential project in southeast Fort Worth . On one of the sites , Smith plans to build a complex with as much as of retail space , more than double the size of the Phoenix property . " There ' s a huge need for top - quality retail in these areas , and I understand how the deals are cut , " Smith said before lunch . " I ' m not an engineer . I ' m not a contractor . And I ' m still learning the jargon . But I understand deals , and the only way to grow is to be in the middle of the deals . " Smith / Cypress is a joint venture ( Smith owns 51 percent ) with Cypress Equities , the retail development arm of Roger Staubach ' s real estate services company . Early in his own playing career , Smith approached the former Cowboy quarterback with an interest in learning more about real estate . Skeptical at first , Staubach told Smith to spend some time at his company ' s offices during the spring and summer if he was sincere . Smith did just that , spending the off - season at Staubach Co . ' s headquarters in Dallas . Staubach founded the company in the late 1970s to locate and negotiate office and retail space for clients . In 2006 the privately held firm had transactions totaling $ 26 billion and of space . Smith also co - founded ESmith Legacy , a Baltimore - based company that specializes in commercial real estate development and investment management . He serves as its Co - Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer . In 2007 , he was a guest in How I Met Your Mother , where he joked to Super Bowl about this question asked by Barney Stinson " What is more important than the Super Bowl ? - Dance , my friend , dance " . Smith participated in the 2011 National Heads - Up Poker Championship , defeating David Williams in the first round and losing in the second round to Andrew Robl . He returned to " Dancing with the Stars " in its fifteenth season as one of the " All - Stars " contestants . Smith once again had Cheryl Burke as his professional dance partner . They were voted off during the ninth week of the competition . Career Stats . GP : Games Played GS : Games Started Att : Rushing Attempts Y / A : Yards per Attempt Y / G : Yards per Game Played A / G : Rushing Attempts per Game Played Rec : Receptions Y / R : Yards per Reception R / G : Receptions per Game Played Y / G : Receiving Yards per Game Played Personal life . Smith was initiated as a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity at the University of Florida . He returned to the university during the NFL off - season to complete his coursework , and graduated with his bachelor ' s degree in public recreation in May 1996 . Smith has a daughter Rheagen Smith with ex - girlfriend Hope Wilson . Smith married former Miss Virginia USA beauty queen Patricia Southall on April 22 , 2000 . They have a son , Emmitt IV — who was born on Smith ' s 33rd birthday May 15 , 2002 — and daughter Skylar , who was born on October 15 , 2003 . She brought to their marriage her daughter Jasmin Page Lawrence , from her previous marriage to comedian Martin Lawrence . His brother , Emory , played on the practice squads of the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers .