Who Is Emmitt Smith?
Story by Chrissy Mauck, azcardinals.com
Running back Emmitt Smith is one of the most recognized figures in sports history. If you have tuned out of the football world for the last decade, perhaps you have missed his three Super Bowl performances, his career-defining ability to slip away from defenders, his eight Pro Bowl appearances, or the 17,162 yards of football green he has covered on his way to capturing one of the most hallowed records in NFL history as the all-time leading rusher.
After thirteen seasons, Smith now takes on a brand new challenge as he has traded in his Cowboy gear and headed west to Arizona as a free-agent this offseason. As a former foe, Cardinals fans are well aware of what Smith has accomplished in his career. And like most of the country, they've all seen his popular "I Am Emmitt Smith" commercials for Visa, in which a cast of characters claim to be Emmitt as part of Visa's secure password campaign, until finally the real Emmitt is revealed.
But the question remains, who is the real Emmitt Smith?
It depends on who you ask.
To his family, he is the same adventurous kid that liked to stir up trouble back in his neighborhood in Pensacola, Florida. Fortunately, being the fastest kid in the neighborhood enabled him to outrun some of the mischief he and his group of friends were prone to finding themselves in. Smith remembers searching for entertainment one evening, and deciding upon rolling a fat old log into the middle of a street. When cars hit the log Smith and his friends, hidden behind a cluster of bushes, chucked rocks at the passing cars.
"The one car we actually hit happened to be a police car. Did I take off? Oh, did I! Of course I didn't get caught. I was fast even then," boasts Smith with a smile.
Unfortunately, he wasn't always elusive enough to escape the watchful eye of his mother Mary, who wasn't about to take any lip from her sometimes stubborn son.
"This one night he called from a friend's house asking to stay past his curfew to finish watching a movie," recalls Mary. "I told him no and that he needed to come on home right then. Well, he didn't and let's just say there was a surprise waiting for him. You can ask him about that one. But discipline was a staple in our home."
"We were watching a movie, they had cable, we didn't," Smith says defensively. "It was a good movie and so I stayed anyway. I thought she would understand, but she was in one of her moods and I opened up the door and she socked me right in the jaw. Mamma said I was getting too big to hit with the belt or the switch. That was the last time I ever pulled that particular stunt and the last time I got hit by my mom."
Despite his fame, he is like any other person who returns home to visit their family. "When Emmitt is home, he pretty much spends time on the computer or playing dominoes or video games," says Mary. "Of course, he always wants me to cook his favorite meal, fish n'grits with cheese, and just be a little spoiled like most kids."
"I don't think he really has any idea of the degree of his notoriety," she adds. "He is so focused on what he still wants to accomplish in football that he doesn't realize what a great contribution he has already made and how many people he's truly inspired. Maybe when it's all over, he'll sit back and enjoy it all. But right now, he acts just like anybody else."
To his family, he may be just like everyone else, but to the rest of the world, Smith is not just anybody. The only place he has been able to go unrecognized in the last few years has been on a jam-packed street in New York City - and that only lasted a few blocks. Finding anonymity becomes impossible when you have broken one of the most revered records in NFL history. When Smith surpassed the late Walter Payton's record last season, it was telecast all over the world.
"I wanted that record real bad," reveals Smith. "I remember a few years ago Walter telling me that there were only two people in the league that he thought could beat his record and they were Barry Sanders and myself. That was just fuel to the fire."
The road to breaking the record was not paved in gold. Like any superstar, Smith has received his fair-share of criticism and as far back as 1996, there were those critics claiming that Smith was washed up. On the same day Smith signed an eight-year contract to extend his stay with the Cowboys, he injured his ankle and knee in a preseason game against Denver.
"I got back in time to play in the season opener, but injuries kept piling up on each other," Smith says, remembering the adverse season. "I kept hearing 'washed up', 'too old', 'finally taken its toll', and 'running on empty' on the cover of Sports Illustrated and that was the perception out there. But the reality was that I was hurt the entire year. My ankle was swollen and I couldn't really practice, couldn't really run and I had lost 10 degree flexion one way and 9 degrees the other way and the spur basically had got locked in my joint. I played and I even gained a 1,000 yards, but it wasn't my best season and I probably looked horrible out there trying to get it done. So all of the accusations cut at the fiber of who I was. When you hear things that are false about you, it has a tendency to cut you."
Six seasons later, Smith put all of that nonsense to rest when he fired out another 975 yards to shatter Payton's record. Smith has brought the same durability and tremendous work ethic and dedication that saw him through that adverse season in 1996 here to Arizona.
"Any time you play that many years in the NFL, it speaks for itself," states fullback James Hodgins, who will have the privilege of leading the way for Smith this year. "Especially when you are playing running back and getting hit all of the time. He comes in every day and doesn't bat an eye, where sometimes bigger name players might want to take days off and be treated special. He's just like one of the guys and gets at it everyday. He can't help but know what a superstar he is, but that is what makes him special. Just because he knows it, he doesn't put himself on a pedestal. Some people like that could get complacent or take plays off. He doesn't ever do that."
Upon his arrival, most of Smith's new teammates were in awe of the sports icon and didn't know what to expect. It didn't take long for him to break the ice, and already his teammates look at him as an equal and a friend.
"He's a cool cat," observes Marcel Shipp, who lost his starting position when Smith came onboard. "He's not what I expected him to be. I expected him to be this uptight guy. But he comes out here and jokes around and clowns on all of us and he just fits right in with the group. After a while, you forget who he really is."
"I was in awe of him at first, I think everyone was," says second-year running back Damien Anderson. "He's Mr. Football. He epitomizes this league and what all of us attain to be in this profession. A guy like that, you just give him your utmost respect and you take the backseat role. But he doesn't act like that. He broke that door down quick. He jokes and he acts just like he's a rookie. If he does something funny, we'll clown on him. But it is still wild. He goes golfing all the time with guys like Michael Jordan and Ahmad Rashad and to him they are just his boys. But those are like the top-tier athletes, they are legends."
Smith is a legend in his own right, but he treats it with a refreshing amount of humility.
"I think humility comes with understanding that my job requires the help of my teammates to get where I am trying to get and where our offense is trying to get," explains Smith. "I get a lot of credit for my talent, but the people who don't get anywhere near the credit I do, are a big reason why I am successful. I know it is not me and I realize in a team sport, there is no I."
When Smith signed with the Cardinals in March, he stated in a press conference that he was here to be a brother to his teammates.
"I am not caught up in my stardom," echoes Smith in a private interview at training camp. "I am approachable and am as much of a teammate as the next guy. I am a partner. I am a person they can talk to. I don't walk around like a superstar. I will work and they see it."
Some out there may think the Cardinals made a mistake in signing Smith. As was the case back in 1996, Smith is hearing some of the same accusations being made, that he is washed up and that is he running on empty. Those belittling comments just add more fuel to his tank.
"I wanted that record real bad," repeats Smith. "Now, I want another Super Bowl as much as I wanted that record. I have a wife and children now and I want them to be part of what it feels like to be part of a championship team."
Who is the real Emmitt Smith?
A son. A husband. A father. A teammate. A friend. A man who has set his ambitions higher than other's expectations. A man who has worked for everything he's achieved. A man who accomplishes his goals. A man with enough motivation to carry a team to a Super Bowl. A legend.
Story by Chrissy Mauck, azcardinals.com
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Running back Emmitt Smith is one of the most recognized figures in sports history. If you have tuned out of the football world for the last decade, perhaps you have missed his three Super Bowl performances, his career-defining ability to slip away from defenders, his eight Pro Bowl appearances, or the 17,162 yards of football green he has covered on his way to capturing one of the most hallowed records in NFL history as the all-time leading rusher.
After thirteen seasons, Smith now takes on a brand new challenge as he has traded in his Cowboy gear and headed west to Arizona as a free-agent this offseason. As a former foe, Cardinals fans are well aware of what Smith has accomplished in his career. And like most of the country, they've all seen his popular "I Am Emmitt Smith" commercials for Visa, in which a cast of characters claim to be Emmitt as part of Visa's secure password campaign, until finally the real Emmitt is revealed.
But the question remains, who is the real Emmitt Smith?
It depends on who you ask.
To his family, he is the same adventurous kid that liked to stir up trouble back in his neighborhood in Pensacola, Florida. Fortunately, being the fastest kid in the neighborhood enabled him to outrun some of the mischief he and his group of friends were prone to finding themselves in. Smith remembers searching for entertainment one evening, and deciding upon rolling a fat old log into the middle of a street. When cars hit the log Smith and his friends, hidden behind a cluster of bushes, chucked rocks at the passing cars.
"The one car we actually hit happened to be a police car. Did I take off? Oh, did I! Of course I didn't get caught. I was fast even then," boasts Smith with a smile.
Unfortunately, he wasn't always elusive enough to escape the watchful eye of his mother Mary, who wasn't about to take any lip from her sometimes stubborn son.
"This one night he called from a friend's house asking to stay past his curfew to finish watching a movie," recalls Mary. "I told him no and that he needed to come on home right then. Well, he didn't and let's just say there was a surprise waiting for him. You can ask him about that one. But discipline was a staple in our home."
"We were watching a movie, they had cable, we didn't," Smith says defensively. "It was a good movie and so I stayed anyway. I thought she would understand, but she was in one of her moods and I opened up the door and she socked me right in the jaw. Mamma said I was getting too big to hit with the belt or the switch. That was the last time I ever pulled that particular stunt and the last time I got hit by my mom."
Despite his fame, he is like any other person who returns home to visit their family. "When Emmitt is home, he pretty much spends time on the computer or playing dominoes or video games," says Mary. "Of course, he always wants me to cook his favorite meal, fish n'grits with cheese, and just be a little spoiled like most kids."
"I don't think he really has any idea of the degree of his notoriety," she adds. "He is so focused on what he still wants to accomplish in football that he doesn't realize what a great contribution he has already made and how many people he's truly inspired. Maybe when it's all over, he'll sit back and enjoy it all. But right now, he acts just like anybody else."
You must be registered for see images
To his family, he may be just like everyone else, but to the rest of the world, Smith is not just anybody. The only place he has been able to go unrecognized in the last few years has been on a jam-packed street in New York City - and that only lasted a few blocks. Finding anonymity becomes impossible when you have broken one of the most revered records in NFL history. When Smith surpassed the late Walter Payton's record last season, it was telecast all over the world.
"I wanted that record real bad," reveals Smith. "I remember a few years ago Walter telling me that there were only two people in the league that he thought could beat his record and they were Barry Sanders and myself. That was just fuel to the fire."
You must be registered for see images
The road to breaking the record was not paved in gold. Like any superstar, Smith has received his fair-share of criticism and as far back as 1996, there were those critics claiming that Smith was washed up. On the same day Smith signed an eight-year contract to extend his stay with the Cowboys, he injured his ankle and knee in a preseason game against Denver.
"I got back in time to play in the season opener, but injuries kept piling up on each other," Smith says, remembering the adverse season. "I kept hearing 'washed up', 'too old', 'finally taken its toll', and 'running on empty' on the cover of Sports Illustrated and that was the perception out there. But the reality was that I was hurt the entire year. My ankle was swollen and I couldn't really practice, couldn't really run and I had lost 10 degree flexion one way and 9 degrees the other way and the spur basically had got locked in my joint. I played and I even gained a 1,000 yards, but it wasn't my best season and I probably looked horrible out there trying to get it done. So all of the accusations cut at the fiber of who I was. When you hear things that are false about you, it has a tendency to cut you."
Six seasons later, Smith put all of that nonsense to rest when he fired out another 975 yards to shatter Payton's record. Smith has brought the same durability and tremendous work ethic and dedication that saw him through that adverse season in 1996 here to Arizona.
"Any time you play that many years in the NFL, it speaks for itself," states fullback James Hodgins, who will have the privilege of leading the way for Smith this year. "Especially when you are playing running back and getting hit all of the time. He comes in every day and doesn't bat an eye, where sometimes bigger name players might want to take days off and be treated special. He's just like one of the guys and gets at it everyday. He can't help but know what a superstar he is, but that is what makes him special. Just because he knows it, he doesn't put himself on a pedestal. Some people like that could get complacent or take plays off. He doesn't ever do that."
Upon his arrival, most of Smith's new teammates were in awe of the sports icon and didn't know what to expect. It didn't take long for him to break the ice, and already his teammates look at him as an equal and a friend.
"He's a cool cat," observes Marcel Shipp, who lost his starting position when Smith came onboard. "He's not what I expected him to be. I expected him to be this uptight guy. But he comes out here and jokes around and clowns on all of us and he just fits right in with the group. After a while, you forget who he really is."
"I was in awe of him at first, I think everyone was," says second-year running back Damien Anderson. "He's Mr. Football. He epitomizes this league and what all of us attain to be in this profession. A guy like that, you just give him your utmost respect and you take the backseat role. But he doesn't act like that. He broke that door down quick. He jokes and he acts just like he's a rookie. If he does something funny, we'll clown on him. But it is still wild. He goes golfing all the time with guys like Michael Jordan and Ahmad Rashad and to him they are just his boys. But those are like the top-tier athletes, they are legends."
Smith is a legend in his own right, but he treats it with a refreshing amount of humility.
"I think humility comes with understanding that my job requires the help of my teammates to get where I am trying to get and where our offense is trying to get," explains Smith. "I get a lot of credit for my talent, but the people who don't get anywhere near the credit I do, are a big reason why I am successful. I know it is not me and I realize in a team sport, there is no I."
You must be registered for see images
When Smith signed with the Cardinals in March, he stated in a press conference that he was here to be a brother to his teammates.
"I am not caught up in my stardom," echoes Smith in a private interview at training camp. "I am approachable and am as much of a teammate as the next guy. I am a partner. I am a person they can talk to. I don't walk around like a superstar. I will work and they see it."
Some out there may think the Cardinals made a mistake in signing Smith. As was the case back in 1996, Smith is hearing some of the same accusations being made, that he is washed up and that is he running on empty. Those belittling comments just add more fuel to his tank.
"I wanted that record real bad," repeats Smith. "Now, I want another Super Bowl as much as I wanted that record. I have a wife and children now and I want them to be part of what it feels like to be part of a championship team."
Who is the real Emmitt Smith?
A son. A husband. A father. A teammate. A friend. A man who has set his ambitions higher than other's expectations. A man who has worked for everything he's achieved. A man who accomplishes his goals. A man with enough motivation to carry a team to a Super Bowl. A legend.
