[Underdog]

The Greatest Carry
Emmitt Saves His Best Moment For Last

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CANTON, Ohio - Back on Sept. 9, 1990, I saw the first carry of Emmitt Smith's career, and there were only two that day.

On Jan. 2, 1994, I saw the 32 carries against the New York Giants when, with his shoulder separated just before halftime, he carried the Cowboys to an overtime victory in the final regular-season game so his team could win the NFC East title over those Giants.

On Oct. 27, 2002, I saw the carry making Emmitt Smith the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

And on Dec. 29, 2002, not knowing it at the time, I saw the last of Emmitt Smith's 4,052 carries with the Dallas Cowboys.

I saw every one of his carries for 13 seasons, and as his career began dancing with twilight, and even though he would play two more seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, there were those wanting him gone, saying he was washed up, he was slow. Why, they actually wanted Troy Hambrick to carry the ball more.

My warning then was this: Enjoy what you are seeing, cherish every carry, because quite possibly in your lifetime, you will never, ever see this again - not a running back starting 13 years for one team; not a running back who would wind up with an NFL record 18,355 yards rushing; not a running back who would finish with more than his NFL record 164 rushing touchdowns; not a running back who would rush for 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons (even if the NFL goes to an 18-game season); and quite possibly not a running back who would win the NFL's regular-season MVP, the NFL rushing title, the Super Bowl MVP and the Super Bowl, all in the same season.

Yes, the kid from Pensacola, Fla., the one future teammate Nate Newton, who was growing up in Jacksonville, Fla., said he had heard about. Yep, this kid over in the Florida Panhandle, who was only playing Pop Warner football then.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was right on here Saturday night while presenting that 21-year-old kid he drafted out of the University of Florida back in 1990, saying, "He hasn't left a yard on the table in his life."

Because who knew Emmitt James Smith III would save his greatest carry for last, brilliantly, emotionally and nearly eloquently carrying out his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech before 19,013 people here at Fawcett Stadium, making Cowboys fans, 49ers fans and just football fans alternately laugh with him, cry with him and most of all remember with him.

Remember they had watched the greatest running back in NFL history.

Who knew Emmitt could become an orator, too, especially after he flamed out trying to become a TV analyst. He prepared, just as he did playing those 15 years in the NFL. He researched. And he didn't read either, taking a page from Hall of Fame teammates Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman, having memorized this 22-minute speech by endlessly practicing, just as he had done all those years out at The Ranch.

And believe me, the pressure was on. Not sure how it looked on TV, if you were not here, but the moment he walked to unveil his bust with Jerry Jones, the stadium roared, everyone on their feet, with chants of "Emmitt, Emmitt, Emmitt" reigning down from the heavens. The pressure was on.

But he pulled it off, thanking everyone he needed to thank, from his high school coaches, Dwight Thomas and Jimmy Nichols, guys I remember him crediting when he first arrived at The Ranch. He thanked Norv and Jimmy and Jerry. Made Michael and Troy stand among the 80 other Hall of Famers on stage, saying, "Without you there is no me. That is why we are called the Triplets. You cannot have one without the other."

And there was not a single person here who didn't know what was coming next: "Mooooose, Mooooose, Mooooose they all called, and there was not a shot in hell Emmitt was going to thank his fullback all those years with the Cowboys, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, without breaking down and crying. And that's OK, he should have.

"You mean the world to me," he said, tears streaming down his face, "not because we shared the same backfield, but because you sacrificed so much for me. … You took care of me as if you were taking care of your little brother.

"Without you - without you - I know today would not have been possible. I love you from the bottom of my heart."

Telling you, looking around, Emmitt's weren't the only wet eyes in the stadium.
Emmitt didn't stop there. He would call out nearly every one of his offensive linemen, one by one, asking them, too, to stand if they were here, from Andre Gurode to Kevin Gogan to Mark Stepnoski to Erik Williams and Nate Newton, all the way to Kelvin Garmon and George Hegamin, and finally, most appropriately, mentioning the late Mark Tuinei, whose wife Pono stood for him.

He mentioned family, of course, mom Mary, dad Emmitt James Jr., his brothers, sisters, cousins, wife Pat, all his kids, and even his fifth child that is on the way.

A complete performance.

What else would you expect from the greatest running back in the NFL?

Excuse me, did I say that again? A second time? Lost my mind?

Don't give me that Emmitt was Emmitt because of who he played with, that he had this great offensive line. Seriously? How many of those guys will end up in the Hall of Fame? Larry Allen? And he had won three rushing titles by then. I mean, Emmitt was successful in high school, in college and the NFL. Did he really have the greatest offensive lines in each place?

Please.

Recent lists haven't even ranked Emmitt among the top five running backs in the history of the NFL, even though he gained more yards than every one of them. Some as low as seventh. Based on what? Flash and dash?

Would always listen to the argument that Barry Sanders was the best; it was just that he was stuck in Detroit. Oh really? Well, in 1991 the Lions advanced to the NFC title game after beating the Cowboys in the second round of the playoffs. And what? The Lions were beaten by the Redskins, a team the Cowboys handed their first loss earlier in the season. If Sanders was so good, why didn't he lead his team to the Super Bowl?

I see all these other names, the O.J. Simpsons, Eric Dickersons, Gale Sayers and Jim Browns, and all I hear is if Brown and Sanders hadn't prematurely quit, they would own the NFL's all-time rushing record.

Yeah, well they did. How come? Emmitt played, and by the way, became the NFL's all-time leading rusher while playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback and Hall of Fame receiver. How did that happen?

Now "Sweetness" is a different story. He indeed was one of a kind, and struggled through many lean years in Chicago.

But as Jerry Jones pointed out afterward, no one, not any of these guys who get mentioned in the top 5, rushed for more yards, more touchdowns (164) or won more Super Bowls (3). None rushed for more than Emmitt's 78 career touchdowns, one more than Walter Payton and two more than Sanders. Only Brown led the league more times than Emmitt's four, and look, he wasn't having to share the ball with a Hall of Fame receiver and quarterback. And none of those guys ever rushed for the more than the 25 touchdowns he did in 1995, nor more than his 19 postseason touchdowns or his 1,586 postseason yards.

Plus, when it would come to all postseason touchdowns, only Jerry Rice would record more - but just one more, and I heard former Niners owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. Saturday night call Rice "the greatest football player ever to put on a uniform," and he was a wide receiver.

On and on, and if you need a reminder of just how good he was, most times on his own, go watch that NFL Films highlight video of Emmitt to remind yourself of just how good he really was. Don't fool yourself.

And as hard as this must have been to say, Darrell Green, a Redskin of all things and Hall of Famer to boot, said before Emmitt took the stage, "The greatest running back with the greatest numbers, Emmitt."

That's what Jerry Jones was trying to say afterward when asked the same question, going on about Emmitt's accomplishments - personal and team - his character and even how he rose to the occasion Saturday night.

So, is that a yes, Jerry?

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

And now he has a bronze bust to prove it.