NFL 2002 Week 8 Emmitt Smith 93 Yards From History

It is something EMMITT SMITH has been thinking about for years, and now it is almost upon him.

With 93 yards rushing against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday at Texas Stadium, Smith will eclipse one of his idols, Pro Football Hall of Fame running back WALTER PAYTON, and become the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

"The moment I break the record will mean a great deal to me," says Smith, in his 13th season from Florida. "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."

Emmitt Smith's Career Statistics: Game by Game

ALL-TIME NFL RUSHING LEADERS

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."

That trait has not gone unnoticed, as Tampa Bay defensive tackle WARREN SAPP pointed out on this week's NFL national conference call.

"I think Emmitt is a workhorse. That's all you can say about him, a workhorse," Sapp said. "He's a consummate pro and does exactly what he is supposed to. He's deserving of that rushing title. He put in the work and he really deserves it."

And do you think the record will ever be broken again, Warren?

"If it is, it won't be in our lifetime."

Perhaps the quintessential example of Smith's work ethic and determination came in the final regular-season contest of 1993, 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)

"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 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 149 rushing touchdowns in his career, the most all-time. With one more, Smith becomes the first player in NFL history to run for 150 touchdowns.

ALL-TIME LEADERS IN RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS

& BREAKDOWN OF SMITH'S 149 RUSHING TDs

 

Giants general manager ERNIE ACCORSI has seen Smith rush for 1,928 yards and 19 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

Through the years, the Philadelphia Eagles have been Smith's favorite foe. His 2,436 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

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. "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 114-85 for a .573 winning percentage.

·         Dallas is 89-23 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 possibly just days 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."

 

 

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NFL 2002 Week 8 Emmitt Smith 93 Yards From History