Emmitt Smith Biography

Emmitt James Smith was born to Mary Smith and Emmitt James Smith, II in Pensacola, Florida.

From a very young age, he dreamt of playing with the Dallas Cowboys. However, he had to face a number of difficulties before he could realize that dream. Growing up, his family faced a lot of financial difficulties and young Smith did a number of odd jobs so that he could support his family.

When he was at school, he was noted for his athletic skills and he went on to play football for the University of Florida. He was quickly recognized as one of the most ‘dynamic’ performers of the university team.

He created a number of football records while in school such as 100 yards in his first game itself—many of his school records which remain unbroken today.

In 1990, he left the University of Florida in his junior year and decided to play for his dream team - the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys - when he was chosen in the NFL draft.

He achieved his first Super Bowl victory with the Dallas Cowboys in 1992. The following year, he once again led his team to victory at the Super Bowl.

In his first five seasons as a professional football player, he managed to make a place for himself with the Dallas Cowboys and had the most number of games in a season with 25 rushing touchdowns, which he set in 1995. It was his most fruitful year where he recorded 1773 rushing yards and 62 receptions.

He helped his team achieve their third Super Bowl victory in 1995. He was tasting success one season after another and was selected to participate in eight Pro Bowls.

He was so prolific and dependable that on October 27, 2002, he thrashed Walter Payton’s unprecedented record for career rushing yards. He finished his NFL career with an amazing 18,355 yards rushing, 164 touchdowns, and 4409 carries, all NFL records.

He was to be fired by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2002 season, but he chose to be released from the team anyway, with the Cowboys paying him $4.9 million. Thereafter, he joined the Arizona Cardinals.

Just before the start of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, he announced his retirement from the NFL. The same year, he signed on as a studio analyst on the NFL show, ‘NFL Total Access’.

In 2005, he also became a real estate developer. He got together with Roger Staubach, another football player, to create Smith/Cypress Partners LP. He is also the co-founder of ESmith Legacy, a company that focuses on commercial real estate development and investment management.

Soon after his retirement, he became a television personality and started appearing on a number of popular shows. In 2006, he served as one of the judges at the Miss Universe pageant. He was also a part of the hit dance reality show, ‘Dancing with the Stars’, which he won along with his partner, Cheryl Burke.

In 2007, he joined ESPN as a studio expert for the NFL pre-game reporting alongside Mike Ditka, Chris Mortensen, and Tom Jackson. However, he was replaced in the next season. The same year, he had a cameo in the hit American television series, ‘How I Met Your Mother’.

He was seen at the Super Bowl XLIV in 2010, where he was asked to flip the coin at the start of the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts.

In 2011, he defeated David Williams in the National Heads-Up Poker Championship but lost in the second round to Andrew Robl. After this, he was once again seen in the fifteenth season of ‘Dancing with the Stars, All-Stars’, once again with Cheryl Burke, but he was voted off.

In 2016, he became co-owner of the men’s lifestyle club ‘The Gents Place.’ He was next seen in an episode of the game show ‘Deal or No Deal.’ In 2021, he created a NASCAR Xfinity Series team alongside NASCAR driver Jesse Iwuji.

In 1989, he was given the award of ‘SEC Most Valuable Player’.

He was an Eight-time Pro Bowler from 1990 to 1999.

He won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 1990.

Smith won four NFL rushing titles in 1991, 1993, and 1995.

He won three Super Bowl titles in 1992, 1993, and 1995.

He won the Bert Bell Award in 1993.

He is included in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor.

Smith is inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

While he was playing professional football, he returned to the University of Florida to complete his bachelor’s degree in public recreation, in 1996.

He has a daughter from his ex-girlfriend, Hope Wilson.

He married supermodel and Miss Virginia USA, Patricia Southall on April 22, 2000. The couple has a son, Emmitt IV, and a daughter, Skylar. He has a stepdaughter from his wife’s previous marriage to Martin Lawrence.