Emmitt Smith

Emmitt James Smith III was born the eldest of four sons to Mary Smith and Emmitt James Smith Jr., a bus driver who had played semiprofessional football. His siblings include his brother Emory Smith and his sister Marsha Hill. Growing up in Pensacola, Florida, he began playing organized football at age eight at a local Salvation Army center.

Smith married Patricia Southall on April 22, 2000. The couple had children together, including sons Emmitt James Smith IV and Elijah Alexander James Smith, and daughters Skyler Elizabeth Paige Smith and Rheagen Smith, in addition to Southall's daughter Jasmin Lawrence from a previous marriage. Smith and Southall announced their separation in 2020.

Smith attended Escambia High School in Pensacola, where he led the football team to two Florida state championships after the program had experienced only one winning season in the previous eighteen years. Over his high school career, he amassed 8,804 rushing yards and rushed for at least 100 yards in 45 of his 49 starts. His performance earned him national Player of the Year honors from Parade magazine in 1986.

Recruited by major collegiate programs across the country, Smith chose to play for the University of Florida under the Gators football program. In his freshman season against the University of Alabama, he set a school single-game rushing record with 224 yards. He eclipsed his own record as a junior by rushing for 316 yards against the University of New Mexico. In three seasons from 1987 to 1989, Smith established 58 school records, totaled 3,928 rushing yards, and earned unanimous first-team All-American honors before entering the professional draft. He later returned to Gainesville to finish his coursework, completing a bachelor's degree in public recreation in 1996 to fulfill a promise to his mother.

The Dallas Cowboys selected Smith with the seventeenth overall pick in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft. Despite concerns from some scouts about his size and straight-line speed, he quickly established himself as an elite back, earning the 1990 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Alongside quarterback Troy Aikman and wide receiver Michael Irvin, Smith formed the offensive core known as "The Triplets," leading Dallas to victory in Super Bowl XXVII against the Buffalo Bills.

After holding out during the first two games of the 1993 regular season due to a contract dispute, Smith returned to claim the NFL rushing title, the regular-season Most Valuable Player award, and Super Bowl XXVIII MVP honors following another championship win over Buffalo. On October 27, 2002, in a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith surpassed Walter Payton to become the NFL's all-time career rushing leader, while also completing a streak of eleven consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Following the 2002 season, Smith parted ways with the Dallas Cowboys after thirteen seasons and signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He played two seasons in Arizona from 2003 through 2004, serving as a veteran presence in the backfield before retiring from active competition.

In 2005, Smith signed a ceremonial one-day contract with Dallas to retire officially as a Cowboy. Over his 226-game NFL career, he accumulated 18,355 rushing yards, 164 rushing touchdowns, and 515 receptions for 3,224 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. He was selected to eight Pro Bowls, earned four first-team All-Pro honors, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 in his first year of eligibility, and was named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team in 2019.

Following his athletic career, Smith transitioned into broadcasting as an NFL studio analyst on television and radio. In 2006, he expanded his entertainment presence by competing in the third season of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," winning the competition alongside professional dance partner Cheryl Burke. His television appearances also include guest roles on programs such as "How I Met Your Mother" and "CSI: Cyber," a role in the family sports film "Little Giants," and a featured episode tracing his lineage on NBC's genealogy series "Who Do You Think You Are?". Smith has published books detailing his career and philosophy, including "The Emmitt Zone" and "Game On: Find Your Purpose-Pursue Your Dream."

Smith also developed an extensive business and philanthropic portfolio. Alongside his former wife, he established Pat and Emmitt Smith Charities to fund educational programs and opportunities for underserved youth. In 2016, he became a co-owner of the lifestyle club brand The Gents Place, and in 2022, he partnered with driver Jesse Iwuji to form Jesse Iwuji Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He has also served as a national spokesperson for public health initiatives, including the Ready to Rescue opioid education campaign.