Cards Land NFL’s All-Time Rushing Leader Emmitt Smith
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 2:36pm
Tempe, Arizona—Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading
rusher who has amassed 4 rushing titles, 3 Super Bowl
rings, 8 Pro Bowl selections, and league (1993) and
Super Bowl (XXVIII) most-valuable-player awards, has
agreed to the terms of a two-year contract with the
Arizona Cardinals after 13 seasons with the Dallas
Cowboys.
Smith, 33, finished the 2002 season with 17,162 career
yards on 4,052 attempts, eclipsing Walter Payton’s 18
year-old NFL rushing mark against Seattle on Oct. 27.
The only player in NFL history to rush for over 17,000
yards (Payton, 16,726), he also is just the third
player to accumulate more than 20,000 career yards from
scrimmage (Payton, Oakland Raider Jerry Rice). Smith
eclipsed the 4.000 career rushing attempt mark last
year to become the only player in NFL history to carry
the ball at least 4,000 times in a career. In addition,
Smith is the league’s all-time career rushing touchdown
leader with 153 and stands second in NFL history in
total touchdowns with 164, trailing the all-time
leader, Rice, by 39.
The first player in NFL history to post five
consecutive seasons with over 1,400 yards rushing,
Smith and Jim Brown are the only players with seven
straight 10-touchdown seasons to begin careers. With
1,021 yards rushing in 2001, Smith became the first
player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in 11
consecutive seasons and the first to post 11 1,000-yard
rushing seasons in a career. With an NFL-record 25
rushing touchdowns in 1995, Smith scored 100 career
touchdowns in just six seasons, the fastest anyone in
league history has reached the mark (he tied Brown’s
NFL record by scoring 100 touchdowns in just 93 career
games). Smith’s 153 career rushing touchdowns in 201
games give him a 0.76 touchdown-per-game average,
second behind Brown’s 0.90 for tops among the all-time
rushing touchdown scorers (Marshall Faulk is next on
the list at 0.64).
Smith’s 25 career scores against his new team, the
Cardinals, is the third best total by a player against
an opponent since 1970, followed by his 24 scores
against Washington and 22 against the N.Y. Giants.
During his career with Dallas, the Cowboys posted a
99–26 mark (91–24 in the regular season) when he
carried the ball 20 or more times and 64-19 (57–19 in
regular season) when he rushed for 100 yards.
The century mark has been an underlying theme in his
rushing success, having rushed for 100 yards in 153 of
301 games dating to high school (45 of 49 at Escambia
High School, 25 of 34 at the University of Florida, and
83 of 281 as a pro). His 45 100-yard games in high
school remain a national record, and in NFL annals,
Smith’s 76 regular-season 100-yard rushing games ties
him with Barry Sanders for second all-time behind
Payton (77). In addition, Smith has rushed for over 100
yards against 22 of the 31 other NFL teams.
Overall, Smith has started 201 of 199 regular season
games, started 17 postseason contests, and has missed
just seven games in 13 seasons. He is one of only seven
NFL players who have amassed over 9,000 career rushing
yards and 400 career receptions and ranks fourth on the
league’s all-time combined yardage list with 20,174
yards.
Smith also has accumulated several NFL postseason
records, including rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive
games with a rushing touchdown (nine), and 100-yard
rushing games (seven). His 1,586 yards rushing ranks
first on the NFL postseason list and he shares the
total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas.
The newest Cardinal will be introduced to Arizona at a
press conference tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the team’s
south Tempe training facility.
–cards–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 26, 2003 2:36pm
Tempe, Arizona—Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading
rusher who has amassed 4 rushing titles, 3 Super Bowl
rings, 8 Pro Bowl selections, and league (1993) and
Super Bowl (XXVIII) most-valuable-player awards, has
agreed to the terms of a two-year contract with the
Arizona Cardinals after 13 seasons with the Dallas
Cowboys.
Smith, 33, finished the 2002 season with 17,162 career
yards on 4,052 attempts, eclipsing Walter Payton’s 18
year-old NFL rushing mark against Seattle on Oct. 27.
The only player in NFL history to rush for over 17,000
yards (Payton, 16,726), he also is just the third
player to accumulate more than 20,000 career yards from
scrimmage (Payton, Oakland Raider Jerry Rice). Smith
eclipsed the 4.000 career rushing attempt mark last
year to become the only player in NFL history to carry
the ball at least 4,000 times in a career. In addition,
Smith is the league’s all-time career rushing touchdown
leader with 153 and stands second in NFL history in
total touchdowns with 164, trailing the all-time
leader, Rice, by 39.
The first player in NFL history to post five
consecutive seasons with over 1,400 yards rushing,
Smith and Jim Brown are the only players with seven
straight 10-touchdown seasons to begin careers. With
1,021 yards rushing in 2001, Smith became the first
player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in 11
consecutive seasons and the first to post 11 1,000-yard
rushing seasons in a career. With an NFL-record 25
rushing touchdowns in 1995, Smith scored 100 career
touchdowns in just six seasons, the fastest anyone in
league history has reached the mark (he tied Brown’s
NFL record by scoring 100 touchdowns in just 93 career
games). Smith’s 153 career rushing touchdowns in 201
games give him a 0.76 touchdown-per-game average,
second behind Brown’s 0.90 for tops among the all-time
rushing touchdown scorers (Marshall Faulk is next on
the list at 0.64).
Smith’s 25 career scores against his new team, the
Cardinals, is the third best total by a player against
an opponent since 1970, followed by his 24 scores
against Washington and 22 against the N.Y. Giants.
During his career with Dallas, the Cowboys posted a
99–26 mark (91–24 in the regular season) when he
carried the ball 20 or more times and 64-19 (57–19 in
regular season) when he rushed for 100 yards.
The century mark has been an underlying theme in his
rushing success, having rushed for 100 yards in 153 of
301 games dating to high school (45 of 49 at Escambia
High School, 25 of 34 at the University of Florida, and
83 of 281 as a pro). His 45 100-yard games in high
school remain a national record, and in NFL annals,
Smith’s 76 regular-season 100-yard rushing games ties
him with Barry Sanders for second all-time behind
Payton (77). In addition, Smith has rushed for over 100
yards against 22 of the 31 other NFL teams.
Overall, Smith has started 201 of 199 regular season
games, started 17 postseason contests, and has missed
just seven games in 13 seasons. He is one of only seven
NFL players who have amassed over 9,000 career rushing
yards and 400 career receptions and ranks fourth on the
league’s all-time combined yardage list with 20,174
yards.
Smith also has accumulated several NFL postseason
records, including rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive
games with a rushing touchdown (nine), and 100-yard
rushing games (seven). His 1,586 yards rushing ranks
first on the NFL postseason list and he shares the
total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas.
The newest Cardinal will be introduced to Arizona at a
press conference tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the team’s
south Tempe training facility.
–cards–
