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It is something EMMITT SMITH has been thinking about for decades.

Eclipsing one of his idols, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back WALTER PAYTON, and becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, has been a long-time goal.  And now, it is almost upon Emmitt Smith.

In his 13th season from Florida, Smith has rushed for 16,313 yards and needs 414 yards to surpass Payton as the NFL’s top career rusher.  He will try to add to that total when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia this Sunday for an NFC East meeting with the Eagles. 

"The moment I break the record will mean a great deal to me," says Smith.  "You play the game because you love it and you strive to win championships.  You set individual goals that are intertwined with team goals, and the all-time rushing record is one of them.  It will mean a great deal to me.  I can’t even begin to explain how great the ‘great deal’ is."

 

ALL-TIME NFL RUSHING LEADERS

Player	Years	Attempts	Avg.	Yards
Walter Payton	13	3,838	4.4	16,726
Emmitt Smith	13	3,833	4.3	16,313
Barry Sanders	10	3,062	5.0	15,269
Eric Dickerson	11	2,996	4.4	13,259
Tony Dorsett	12	2,936	4.3	12,739

 

Smith will no doubt one day be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio with the other greats of the game.  His accomplishments already speak for themselves.  He has rushed for 1,000 yards an NFL-record 11 times, a streak that began in 1991 and continues to this day as he seeks his 12th consecutive 1,000-yard season.  Smith has captured four NFL rushing titles and been selected to the Pro Bowl eight times.

The former Escambia (Florida) High School star has earned three Super Bowl rings and the Associated Press’ 1993 NFL Most Valuable Player Award when he led the league in rushing for a third consecutive season, piling up 1,486 yards despite playing in only 14 games.  Smith captured that season’s Super Bowl XXVIII MVP award, rushing for 132 yards and two second-half touchdowns, leading the Cowboys to a 30-13 win over the Buffalo Bills.

"I’m not flashy," Smith says.  "I come to work with my hammer and my hard hat every day."

Perhaps the quintessential example of Smith’s work ethic and determination came in the final regular-season contest of ’93, when the Cowboys traveled to New York to face the Giants.  With the NFC East title and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs on the line, Smith came through with a virtuoso performance.

Late in the first half, he separated his shoulder but courageously remained in the game.  He finished with 32 carries for 168 yards and added 10 receptions for 61 yards, including a five-yard touchdown catch, as the Cowboys earned a hard-fought 16-13 overtime win.

"That game against the Giants is one of my favorites," Smith says.  "I remember playing that second half with a shoulder injury but not wanting to come out of the game.  We needed a win badly, and fortunately, we got it."

Smith followed that game by averaging 93.3 yards in three playoff games, culminating with his MVP-winning effort against Buffalo in the Super Bowl.

Smith’s durability is evident in his consistent ability to take the ball, never playing in fewer than 14 games in a season since he burst on the NFL scene as a rookie in 1990, and produce at a high level:

 

ALL-TIME AVERAGE RUSHING YARDS PER GAME
(minimum 100 games)

Player	Games	Yards	Average
Jim Brown	118	12,312	104.3
Barry Sanders	153	15,269	99.8
Eric Dickerson	146	13,259	90.8
Walter Payton	190	16,726	88.0
Emmitt Smith	187	16,313	87.2

"Talent, durability and heart are three qualities that apply to Emmitt Smith," says Cowboys owner JERRY JONES.  "Obviously, Emmitt possesses all of those and more."

Any discussion of the all-time rushing record ultimately leads to a debate about the best running back of all-time.  Some might say Emmitt, while others choose Payton, JIM BROWN or BARRY SANDERS.  But for the man who is on the cusp of breaking the all-time rushing record, it’s a no-brainer.

"Walter Payton is the best running back of all time," says Smith.  "He could do everything.  That’s why, for me, this record is a such a tremendous opportunity to do something no man has ever done."

Sanders has more trouble picking a top back, finding it difficult to distinguish between all the greats.

"Running the ball is a good parallel with art," says Sanders.  "You put your whole self into it and if you’re really good at it, people are moved by it.  They admire it and they’re awed by it.  Who’s the best is tough to say.  It’s like art.  It’s all a preference.  It’s what looks good to you."

Former Houston Oilers coach and another Texas football legend, BUM PHILLIPS, has seen enough football to make his decision on the greatest rusher of all-time.  While noting that he "loved ‘Sweetness’ (Payton’s nickname)," Phillips says, "I love Emmitt Smith.  He’s a good player, a good person, a good role model.  And I guarantee you, he can block.  Emmitt’s the best overall player at that position ever."

One thing that all of history’s top backs have in common is scoring touchdowns – the ultimate goal for any offense each time it takes the field.  Smith has scored 148 rushing touchdowns in his career, the most all-time.  With two more, Smith becomes the first player in NFL history to run for 150 touchdowns.

Giants general manager ERNIE ACCORSI has seen Smith rush for 1,858 yards and 18 touchdowns against his club, and there is no one he fears more than Emmitt when he approaches the end zone.

"The game is won on short-yardage plays, especially at the goal line," says Accorsi.  "I’m not so sure in the last 25 years that, as an opponent, Emmitt Smith wouldn’t be the last guy I’d want to see on fourth-and-one at the goal line."

Smith also has been one of the most consistent touchdown scorers in NFL history.  Trailing only JERRY RICE in all-time TDs, he has had the most seasons ever with at least 10 rushing touchdowns:

ALL-TIME RECORD, MOST SEASONS
WITH AT LEAST 10 RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS

Player	Seasons with 10 Rushing TDs
Emmitt Smith	8
Marcus Allen	6
Barry Sanders	6
Earl Campbell	5
Eric Dickerson	5
Franco Harris	5
Jim Brown	5
Walter Payton	5

The Cowboys’ opponent on Sunday, the Eagles, have been Smith’s favorite foe.  His 2,384 yards rushing all-time against Philadelphia is his most against any team.  Smith has also topped the 100-yard rushing mark 12 times against the Eagles, his most against any club.

Smith’s most prolific day as a professional player came against Philadelphia, when he carried 30 times for 237 yards, leading the Cowboys to a 23-10 victory at Veterans Stadium on October 31, 1993.  And though it was the only 200-yard rushing performance of his career, Smith is approaching another similar milestone this season, most 100-yard rushing games all-time:

ALL-TIME RECORD, MOST 100-YARD RUSHING GAMES

Player	Most 100-Yard Rushing Games
Walter Payton	77
Barry Sanders	76
Emmitt Smith	74
Eric Dickerson	64
Jim Brown	58

Smith’s 100-yard rushing efforts began long before he became a storied name in Cowboys history.  At Escambia High School, where Smith was a consensus All-America running back and prep Player of the Year as a senior, he rushed for 100 yards 45 times.  His first such game was a 115-yard effort against Pensacola Catholic in 1983, with an all-time career best of 301 yards against Milton HS in 1985.

Smith’s dominance continued in college, where he was a standout performer for the Florida Gators.  While in Gainesville,

Smith had 25 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 316 yards against New Mexico in 1989.  He is enjoying a kind of college reunion right now, as the man who recruited him at Florida and served for a time as his head coach there, GALEN HALL, is in his first season as Dallas’ running backs coach.

"When Emmitt decided to attend Florida, that was a very, very big moment in his life and my life, that the top prospect in the United States was coming to the university," Hall remembers.  "I’m sure Emmitt is older and more mature now, but he was a very mature youngster coming out of high school.  He was a pleasure to coach and always had his head on straight."

Though some may wonder how much coaching a player on the cusp of perhaps the NFL’s most hallowed record needs, Smith still seeks and benefits from the input of his coaches.  And for Hall, he now has a front-row seat as the young man he recruited 15 years ago shoots for NFL immortality.

"Running ability?" says Hall.  "Emmitt obviously doesn’t need any help with that.  But I think everyone needs reminders about details because details are what make the difference."

Mastering those details have helped Smith reach his current level, and during his tenure in Dallas, Smith’s Cowboys teams have done a lot of winning with him in the backfield, including three Super Bowl championships.

A look at the correlation between Smith and the Cowboys’ success:

Since his arrival in 1990, Dallas is 112-82 for a .577 winning percentage.

Dallas is 89-22 when he carries 20 times or more.

Dallas is 63-18 overall (including postseason) when he rushes for 100 yards.

But even with the record seemingly just weeks away, Smith’s overwhelming priority remains helping the Cowboys return to championship form.  In the offseason, he wrote a heartfelt letter to teammates that discussed the team’s shared goal of returning to greatness.

"When Emmitt says things, people around here really pay attention," says Cowboys defensive tackle BRANDON NOBLE.  "Anything he says means a lot because of what he has already accomplished in the game."

Adds Smith, "I would take another Super Bowl ring over the record.   If you don’t know that, you don’t know me.  I can live with being the No. 2 guy with four rings."

Smith’s impact on football has been equaled by his impact in the community, where he continues to dedicate himself to the welfare of children.  This past July, he was presented with the Children’s Medical Center/Athlete Role Model Award from the Dallas All-Sports Association.  Smith co-founded the Open Doors Foundation, a not-for-profit organization to empower underserved youth to succeed.

Smith visited the White House and President GEORGE W. BUSH in June to be appointed to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.  Congresswoman EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON also honored Smith for his leadership and public service, naming him in September as the recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus Chair’s Award, announced during the 2002 CBC Foundation Annual Legislative Conference Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

But perhaps Smith was most moved earlier this summer when he accepted the "Spirit of Sweetness" Award from the Walter Payton Cancer Fund.  Smith has developed a friendship with Payton’s son JARRETT, who is a running back at the University of Miami.

"When you get an award from a person or family that represents truly what the game means, a person that is dedicated to excellence, a person that means a lot to me," Smith says, "it is truly special."

The Payton family is expected to be in attendance when Smith breaks the NFL’s all-time rushing record.

Following is a chronology of the NFL career rushing record and the six players (all members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame) who have held the record since 1932, when the NFL began maintaining rushing statistics for individual players:

PLAYER	TEAM(S)	RUSHING YARDS		YEARS RECORD HELD
Cliff Battles	Boston/Washington Braves/Redskins	3,511		1932-40
Clarke Hinkle	Green Bay Packers	3,860		1941-48
Steve Van Buren	Philadelphia Eagles	5,860		1949-57
Joe Perry	San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Colts	8,280		1958-62
Jim Brown	Cleveland Browns	12,312		1963-83
Walter Payton	Chicago Bears	16,726		1984-present

CLIFF BATTLES            1932-37 Boston/Washington Braves/Redskins
Battles was the NFL’s all-time leading rusher after every season from 1932 through 1940.  Finished his career with 3,511 yards.

CLARKE HINKLE            1932-41 Green Bay Packers
Hinkle broke Battles’ record in 1941 and held the mark after every season from 1941 through 1948.  Finished his career with 3,860 yards.

STEVE VAN BUREN       1944-51 Philadelphia Eagles
Van Buren broke Hinkle’s record in 1949 and was the career leader after every season from 1949 through 1957.  Finished his career with 5,860 yards.

JOE PERRY                  1950-63 San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Colts
Perry broke Van Buren’s record in 1958 and held the record after every season from 1958 through 1962.  Finished his career with 8,280 yards.

JIM BROWN                 1957-65 Cleveland Browns
Brown broke Perry’s record in 1963 and held the record after every season from 1963 though 1983.  Finished his career with 12,312 yards.

WALTER PAYTON            1975-87 Chicago Bears
Payton broke Brown’s record in 1984 and has held the record after every season since then.  Finished his career with 16,726 yards.