Home > News > Emmitt Smith retires

By MICKEY SPAGNOLA
DallasCowboys.com Columnist
Feb. 3, 2004, 7:16 p.m. (CST)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Remember the number: 18,355, the most career rushing yards in the history of the National Football League.

That's it, it will not budge ever again, and in all likelihood, will stand for at least a generation to come.

For Emmitt Smith, once the precocious 20-year-old kid from Pensacola, Fla., who in 1990 humbly began his NFL career with a one-yard run, called it quits here, and maybe fittingly, on this national Super Bowl stage late Thursday afternoon as a 35-year-old man 4,408 carries and 18,354 yards later.

What a 15-year ride it was, Smith spending the first 13 with the Dallas Cowboys, and then fading into the sunset these past two with the Arizona Cardinals, but ironically as productive his 15th year (937 yards) as he was his first year (937). And along the historic way, he collected three Super Bowl rings, three NFL rushing titles, nine Pro Bowl selections, a Super Bowl MVP and an NFL MVP.

More than that, a boat-load of memories, most tattooing a Cowboys star to his heart forever more. Yes, don't worry, Smith took the stage here in front of at least 300 people with two Cowboys helmets flanking him and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones by his side.

"It's only fitting for me to leave the game of football and move on with my life, and retire as a Dallas Cowboy," Smith boldly began. "It's been a tremendous ride, and one that I'm very proud of."

Retiring as a Dallas Cowboy will come at a later date. Technically, Smith does not become a free agent until March 2, and it won't be at least until then that the Cowboys can sign him to the perfunctory one-day contract and then file his retirement papers. But no one will ever mistake, or forget, who Emmitt Smith played for during his career.

Even the Arizona Cardinals graciously stepped aside, allowing Smith to post those Cowboys helmets and sit with Jones, while his coach this past year Denny Green stood to the side in the packed meeting room at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center. He humbly paid tribute to the Bidwills and his Cardinals teammates for the opportunity to stretch those 17,162 yards he gained with the Cowboys to the concluding 18,355.

And how even more fitting was this that his retirement announcement took place in his home state, having grown up and learned to play football in the Florida Gulf Coast town of Pensacola, about 300 miles to the west of here down I-10. And that his mom was here, along with the Jones family, several of his former teammates, including Daryl Johnston, Bill Bates, Darren Woodson and James Washington, with the working Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman, along with former coach Jimmy Johnson not far away at Super Bowl XXXIX.

"I see this as one of the greatest success stories of a man not only evolving as a player but as a person," Jones said before turning to Smith to say, "your place with the Dallas Cowboys and what you were about has always been secure. You were always a Dallas Cowboy.

"I am here to lay claim to you forever more for the Dallas Cowboys."

The decision was not difficult, Smith said. Once the Arizona Cardinals said they would not re-sign him after his two-year contract expires come March 2, he decided that was that. Smith said he did get a few calls from other teams the last few days and stories of his impending retirement leaked out, but that he could not see moving his ever-growing family another time for him to play one more season.

"That in itself made my decision a whole lot easier," Smith said of the Cardinals passing. "I thought this would be the right time for me to call it a day."

Smith also denied reports he is involved in an ownership group attempting to buy the Minnesota Vikings. He was adamant in his denial, saying, "That was definitely false information."

But he did say he would like to stay involved in the game in someway, maybe in the business side of it or possibly in the broadcasting side, just as his former teammates are dabbling in here at the Super Bowl.

Smith took a page out of the retirement speeches of Irvin and Aikman and Johnston and Woodson. He tried his best not to make the occasion about himself, but about the hundreds of people who helped him reach the pinnacle of his profession.

Smith began by saying he has a long list of people to thank, and apologized ahead of time, saying he might be up there quite awhile. And he was. Smith thanked everyone. And that does mean everyone.

Why he started with the Cardinals, thanking the Bidwills and Green, and then went all the way back to Pensacola, starting with his first Pee Wee coach Steve Vick, proceeding to his high school coach Dwight Thomas, his University of Florida coach Galen Hall, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones for "taking a chance with a young man from Pensacola, Fla., that was just 5-9½ and ran a 4.5 40."

Smith's thank you's turned into a historical rolodex of the Dallas Cowboys glory days in the 90's, bringing back to life running backs coach Joe Brodsky, the crusty old coach who rode Emmitt, no matter how well he was doing. He spun through the likes of seemingly every offensive lineman who blocked for him, every fullback who lined up in front of him, every tight end who blocked for him and every quarterback who ever handed him the ball.

He thanked Cowboys' trainers, doctors, equipment men and even player development director Steve Carichoff and his first equipment guy, Buck Buchanan. If he left anyone out, it would have been hard to notice.

And as usual with these NFL players saying such public goodbyes, no tears were spared. In the midst of rifling through his long list of thank yous, Smith broke down first after thanking Troy Aikman - "I love you to death - and he could only get out "Jason Garrett" next before he broke down momentarily, the finality of it all finally hitting.

Then, after reeling off all the quarterbacks, going back to Steve Beuerlein, and not forgetting the likes of Rodney Peete nor Randall Cunningham, it was time to thank the man who probably sacrificed his neck blocking for him, Daryl Johnston.

Couldn't do it. Could barely get through John-ston, and the tears began to flow, the only sounds among the standing room only crowd were the whirring shutters of cameras trying to document every emotion.

And leave it to James Washington, the former Cowboys safety, standing off to the left to break the mounting tension, saying out loud, "That's all right, dog," cracking up the room, and Emmitt, too.

"I thought I could make it," Smith said, his wife Pat trying to comfort him by holding his hand. "Daryl, I love you to death . . . don't know why every time I think of your name I end up breaking down."

Then for comedic relief, as he was thanking all the other fullbacks and running backs he played with, Smith said, "Even Troy Hambrick," the former Cowboys young running back who tried elbowing Smith out the door before he thought it was time.

But no way Smith was going to leave the Cowboys before breaking Walter Payton's all-time rushing record of 16,726 yards. And he did so Oct. 27, 2002, against Seattle, finishing out the season and then mutually deciding with Jones it was time for him to move on as the Cowboys began rebuilding with Bill Parcells as the new head coach.

Smith would add 1,193 yards to his total in his two years with Arizona, but, frankly, a rather impressive 937 this past year playing in 15 games. So he ends with 18,355 yards, and right now, only two active players are even within earshot of his record. Curtis Martin, after 10 seasons, stands at 13,366 yards and Jerome Better, after 12 seasons, is at 13,294 yards. Bettis is contemplating retirement, and Martin trails by nearly 5,000 yards, and would need to triplicate this year's 1,697-yard performance in his waning years to pass Smith.

Smith would tell you, those final yards are the longest.

"The memories that I have, the relationships that I'm taking away from the game are something dear and something I will take with me for the rest of my life," Smith said. "I'm moving on to another chapter in my life, and that's a chapter I'm looking forward to."

For Emmitt Smith has gained his final yard.