Known for his tremendous abilities as the
NFL’s all-time leading rusher and three-time
Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys,
Emmitt Smith has also found success in both
business and entertainment endeavors.
Recently dubbed the “King of effortless
cool” by Dancing with the Stars
judges, Emmitt made a name for himself
winning the title of ABC’s Dancing with
the Stars Champion. In a whirlwind of
fanfare, Emmitt and his partner Cheryl Burke
appeared all over the media, including the
covers of TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly
and in spreads with ESPN Magazine, US
Weekly, and Jet. The winning pair was also a
guest on Oprah, The Rachel Ray Show, The
Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, and Jimmy
Kimmel Live among others.
No
stranger to the spotlight, Emmitt has been
inducted into several Hall of Fames for his
athletic achievements, including the Texas
Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, both the Dallas
Cowboys and Florida Gators Ring of Honors, and
most recently the College Football Hall of Fame
for his sensational career at Florida, where he
still holds 58 school records. In his 1989
junior season he finished third in the nation in
rushing, was a near unanimous All-America and
placed seventh in the Heisman vote. In only
three seasons he rushed for 3,928 yards and
scored 36 touchdowns.
Proving he was just getting started, in 1990
Emmitt was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the
first round of the NFL Draft. Coach Jimmy
Johnson was looking to rebuild after a 1-15
season and felt that Emmitt could be the
cornerstone of the Cowboy’s offense. Over the
next twelve years Emmitt was able to lead the
Cowboys to three Super Bowl Championships, lead
the NFL in rushing four times, was the league
MVP in 1993, MVP of Super Bowl XXVII and made
eight Pro Bowl appearances. In addition, Emmitt
was the first player in NFL history to rush for
over 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and
on October 27, 2002 he surpassed Walter Payton’s
All-Time Leading Rushing Record of 16,726 yards
and became the NFL’s All-Time Leading Rusher.
After twelve seasons with the Cowboys, Emmitt
finished his career with the Arizona Cardinals
playing the 2003 and 2004 seasons. “I've given
everything I can possible to the game, on and
off the field,” Emmitt proclaimed about his 15
year NFL career.
Long before retirement, Smith prepared himself
for “life after football,” returning to the
University of Florida each NFL off-season to
fulfill a promise to his mother to graduate
college, earning a degree in Public Recreation
in 1996. His ambition and entrepreneurial spirit
has led him to his current position of President
of Smith/Cypress Partners, L.P., a commercial
real estate company based in Dallas. He is also
Chairman of the Board of Prova Group, Inc., an
asset management products and authentication
solutions company based in Irving, TX. Smith is
also a sought after corporate speaker sharing
his powerful insight of motivation, leadership,
teamwork, discipline and winning with audiences.
Following additional wisdom from his mother for
helping others, Emmitt founded Emmitt Smith
Charities to provide educational scholarships to
under-served youth and has been involved with
initiatives and organizations including
All-Stars Helping Kids, Open Doors Foundation,
Make-A-Wish Foundation, Salvation Army, Ronald
McDonald House Charities and United Way. Today
Emmitt lives with his wife Pat in Dallas, Texas
with their four children. The son of Mary
and Emmitt Smith Jr., Emmitt has two sisters,
Marsha and Connie, and three brothers, Erik,
Emil and Emory.
*By Arrangement with Octagon Speakers Group
