Emmitt Smith flew to Dallas immediately. Later that evening, he was introduced to the press and had a chance to meet coach Jimmy Johnson and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
It was Johnson who had decided to trade up to get Emmitt. While many teams worried about his speed, Coach Johnson did not. Before joining the Cowboys, he had served as head coach at the University of Miami. Miami and Florida played a similar schedule, so as he watched films of his opponents, Johnson had seen plenty of Emmitt Smith. As he later told a reporter, “There were all these people saying, ‘He’s too slow,’ or ‘He’s too small,’ Every time I saw a film of him, he was running for a touchdown.”
Owner Jerry Jones concurred. On draft day, he told a radio commentator that even though Emmitt Smith had lasted until the seventeenth pick, as far as the Cowboys were concerned, “he was the fourth-best player in the draft.”
Although being drafted by the Cowboys fulfilled one of Emmitt Smith’s childhood dreams, it was far from an ideal situation. Under Coach Johnson, the Cowboys were rebuilding. The previous season, they had won only once in sixteen games. The local press was critical of almost everything the Cowboys did. The selection of Emmitt Smith was no exception.
Many members of the local media still thought he was too slow, and they believed the Cowboys should have selected a defensive player. Others felt that all Emmitt Smith could do was run and that the Cowboys should have picked a running back who had also proved himself as a receiver. Others focused on the fight at the frat party and wondered whether he would be able to stay out of trouble.
Then he and the Cowboys couldn’t reach an agreement on a contract. The criticism of Emmitt Smith escalated.
His agent used Jones’s statement about Emmitt Smith’s being the fourth-best player in the draft to argue that he should be paid as such. The Cowboys disagreed.
As summer started to turn to fall, training camp began and Emmitt Smith was nowhere to be seen. Although he had moved into a small apartment in Dallas, he finally returned to Gainesville and enrolled in school for his senior year, just as he had promised his mother. He wanted the Cowboys to know that if he didn’t get the contract he felt he deserved, he’d go back to school.
The two sides finally reached an agreement on September 4, only five days before the Cowboys opened the regular season. Emmitt Smith signed a three-year contract worth a total of 3 million dollars.
He was pleased with the money, but he was more pleased that the negotiations were over. He wanted to play football.
When he finally joined the team, Emmitt was way behind. He did his best to catch up. In practice that week, he worked hard, asked questions, and stayed quiet. He didn’t want any of the veteran players to think he had a bad attitude.
Yet, despite his late start, playing for the Cowboys did present some opportunities. Coach Johnson believed in Emmitt Smith. Since the Cowboys were a young team, he was certain to receive a chance to succeed. Moreover, the team already had a nucleus of good, young players—quarterback Troy Aikman, receiver Michael Irvin, guard Nate Newton, and linebacker Ken Norton. They only needed to gain experience and self-confidence.
Sitting in his apartment the night before the season opener, Emmitt recalled the words of Coach Thomas: “It’s a dream until you write it down. Then it’s a goal.” Before almost every game in high school and college, Emmitt Smith had paused for a moment to write down what he hoped to accomplish.
He did so again. On a piece of paper, he carefully wrote down, “Rookie of the Year,” “Team’s Leading Rusher,” and “One Thousand Yards.” As he finished, a teammate, rookie safety James Washington, dropped by for a visit.
Washington saw the scrap of paper on the counter. “What’s this?” He giggled as he read out the list.
Emmitt didn’t laugh. He took the list from Washington’s hands and said solemnly, “This is what I want to accomplish this season.”
But the next day, his goals remained dreams. In the first game of the season, against San Diego, he sat on the bench for much of the game. The Dallas coaching staff didn’t think he was prepared to play much.
He finally got into the game late in the fourth quarter. In the huddle, Troy Aikman called out the play, a run.
Aikman barked out the signals, took the snap, then spun around and pushed the ball into Emmitt’s stomach. Emmitt Smith looked at the line and tried to find a hole.
There wasn’t one. With the defense closing in, he simply put his head down and pushed forward as far as he could. The San Diego defense swarmed over him, and he disappeared under a pile of jerseys. He gained less than a yard.
One more carry yielded a similar result before the game ended. Dallas won, 17–14. Yet his brief appearance taught Emmitt Smith that pro football was much different from college ball. He couldn’t believe how much faster and bigger the players were.
A week later, Emmitt Smith was named to the starting lineup. With 3 million dollars invested in him, the Cowboys wanted to get their money’s worth.
Emmitt Smith made little difference in the game as the Cowboys lost to the New York Giants, 28–7. He carried the ball only six times for 11 yards and caught two short passes. The game became memorable only because of an altercation with star Giant linebacker Lawrence Taylor.
On one of his six carries, Smith ran around the end and was tackled by Taylor. As he made contact, the veteran decided to give the rookie an unforgettable welcome to the NFL. He swung out his huge fist and caught Emmitt’s chin just beneath the faceguard.
He saw stars but stayed in the game. If he allowed Taylor to know that he was hurt, he would lose the respect of the opposition. If that happened, he would get hit with cheap shots at every opportunity.
The Cowboys were struggling. They were falling behind early, which forced them to go to their passing game. There simply wasn’t time to work Emmitt Smith into the offense.
Not until the fifth game of the season did he get a real chance to shine. Against the 3–1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboy coaches told him that they planned to run the ball.
The Dallas defense kept the game close, and the coaching staff kept their promise. Emmitt Smith rushed for 121 yards, his first game as a pro for more than 100 yards. The Cowboys practiced ball control and won, 14–10.
Emmitt Smith gives the extra push and gains 16 yards on one play.
Emmitt Smith, Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXVIII, helped the Dallas Cowboys to a victory over the Buffalo Bills in 1955.
A leg injury sidelines Emmitt Smith in January 1995.
Emmitt Smith cradles his third rushing trophy.
On his way to a touchdown, Emmitt Smith leaves a flock of Philadelphia Eagles behind.
Emmitt Smith goes up and over for another Dallas gain.
On his way to breaking the NFL single-season touchdown record, Emmitt Smith wrestles free of a tackle.
With a mighty charge, Emmitt Smith crosses the goal line to give Dallas six more points.
Emmitt Smith starts off Super Bowl XXX with a 23-yard run against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With a smile a mile wide, Emmitt Smith reminds the crowd that the Cowboys have three Super Bowl victories.
| Year/Team | Attempts | Yards | Average | Touchdowns |
| 1987–88 Florida | 229 | 1,341 | 5.9 | 13 |
| 1988–89 Florida | 189 | 988 | 5.3 | 9 |
| 1989–90 Florida | 284 | 1,599 | 5.6 | 14 |
| COLLEGE TOTALS | 700 | 3,928 | 5.6 | 36 |
| 1990–91 Cowboys | 241 | 937 | 3.9 | 11 |
| 1991–92 Cowboys | 365 | 1,563 | 4.3 | 12 |
| 1992–93 Cowboys | 373 | 1,713 | 4.6 | 18 |
| 1993–94 Cowboys | 283 | 1,486 | 5.3 | 9 |
| 1994–95 Cowboys | 368 | 1,484 | 4.0 | 21 |
| 1995–96 Cowboys | 377 | 1,773 | 4.7 | 25 |
| 1996–97 Cowboys | 327 | 1,204 | 3.7 | 12 |
| PRO TOTALS 7 years |
2,334 | 10,160 | 4.4 | 108 |
| 1986: | Named High School Player of the Year by USA Today and Parade magazine |
| 1987: | Named All-SEC and All-American at Florida |
| 1988: | Named All-SEC and All-American at Florida |
| 1989: | Named All-SEC and All-American at Florida |
| 1990–91: | NFL Rookie of the Year Selected to play in the Pro Bowl |
| 1991–92: | NFL rushing champion Selected to play in the Pro Bowl |
| 1992–93: | NFL rushing champion Selected to play in the Pro Bowl Member of Super Bowl XXVII championship team |
| 1993–94: | NFL rushing champion Named NFL Most Valuable Player Member of Super Bowl XXVIII championship team Named Super Bowl XXVIII MVP |
| 1995–96: | NFL rushing champion Member of Super Bowl XXX championship team |
Holds NFL records for:
• Most rushing touchdowns in single season (25)
• Most rushing touchdowns in the Super Bowl, career (5)
Emmitt hoped his performance would guarantee him a featured role in the Cowboys’ offense, but it didn’t happen. It was the same old story as the Cowboys dropped four of their next five games. They fell behind early, and Emmitt Smith hardly touched the ball.
He was growing impatient. Some members of the press were still questioning his talent, and the Cowboys’ passing attack was struggling. Emmitt knew that the only way he could prove himself and help Aikman succeed was for the Cowboys to let him run the ball enough to take pressure off the passing game. It was time, he decided, to start complaining.
Before the next game, he approached running back coach Joe Brodsky and told him straight-out, “We need to gain a hundred yards on the ground.” In the Cowboys’ next game, against the Los Angeles Rams, Emmitt Smith got his chance.
He carried the ball 21 times. Although he gained only 54 yards, he also caught four passes for 117 yards. The performance forced the Rams to pay attention to him and allowed Troy Aikman to have his best game as a pro. Dallas won, 24–21.
For the rest of the season, Emmitt Smith was a big part of the Cowboys’ offense. Against Washington one week later, he gained a season-high 132 yards.
The game was broadcast nationally. One play had everyone talking about Emmitt Smith the next day.
Late in the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys clinging to a slim three-point lead and the ball on the Washington 48-yard line, Emmitt Smith took a hand-off from Troy Aikman. The play was supposed to run off right guard.
Emmitt saw the hole open and charged toward it, but he also saw the Redskins’ secondary overreact to the play. As soon as he burst through the hole, he cut back sharply to his left. The Washington defense scrambled to change direction.
He headed down the left sideline, leaving most of the defenders behind. Only one man was in position to catch him. Veteran Washington cornerback Darrell Green hadn’t overreacted. He had the angle and was charging fast.
Emmitt Smith had two choices. He could try to put a move on Green and avoid the tackle. But then the other pursuers might catch up and tackle him from behind. Or he could try to stiff-arm Green. If it worked, he might score. If it didn’t, he’d likely be stopped in his tracks.
He decided on the stiff-arm. As Green approached, Smith tucked the ball firmly under his left arm and put his right arm out for balance. When Green put his head down and charged to make the tackle, Emmitt placed his right hand on the cornerback’s helmet and pushed off.
It worked! The stiff-arm pushed Green to the ground, and Emmitt Smith pivoted past him without breaking stride. He rolled into the end zone to give the Cowboys an insurance touchdown. They won, 27–17.
The play impressed pro football fans all over the country. The way he cleverly picked his way through the line reminded some of Chicago Bears great Walter Payton, while others compared his acceleration to Emmitt’s old hero, Tony Dorsett. But the stiff-arm had reminded everyone of Earl Campbell, a star running back for the Houston Oilers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. No running back since Campbell had used the crowd-pleasing stiff-arm as effectively as Emmitt Smith.
Keyed by their rookie running back, the Cowboys surged in the second half of the season, winning four games in a row to take their record to 7–7. With two games remaining, they had an outside chance to make the playoffs.
Then disaster struck. Troy Aikman separated his shoulder. Now the Cowboys had no passing game at all. Opposing defenses simply focused on Emmitt Smith. They shut him down, and the Cowboys lost twice to finish the season with a record of 7–9. There would be no playoff games for Dallas in 1990.
Still, Emmitt Smith had accomplished many of his goals. Although he finished just shy of 1,000 yards, with 937, he had led the team in rushing and was named Rookie of the Year by several different organizations. He was even selected to play in the Pro Bowl, the only Dallas player to make the team.
He had survived his first season in the NFL. But there were more goals waiting for him up ahead.