Player Profile: Emmitt Smith (1993)
From the Cowboys*96 Media Guide
(July, 1996)
1993: The list of honors and awards for Smith from
1993 goes on and on following one of the most outstanding performances
by a running back in league history. Recipient of the NFL MVP
Award from: Associated Press, The Sporting News, Pro Football
Writers of America, Miller Lite, the ESPN "ESPY" Awards,
Pro Football Weekly and Pro Football Digest. United Press International,
Pro Football Weekly and College & Pro Football Newsweekly
named him NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Smith also received the Bert Bell Award from the Maxwell Club
as the Player of the Year; consensus All-Pro honors; NFL Alumni
Running Back of the Year recognition and the Super Bowl XXVIII
MVP award. Smith became only the fourth player to win three straight
league rushing titles and the first since Earl Campbell turned
the trick from 1978-80 (Jim Brown 1957-61 and 1963-65 and Steve
Van Buren 1947-49 were the others). Smith also led the NFL in
total yards from scrimmage with 1,900 (1,486 rushing/414 receiving),
outdistancing runner-up Thurman Thomas of Buffalo (1,702) by
almost 200 yards, and with a 5.3 yard-per-cary average the highest
average by a Dallas running back since Duane Thomas posted a
5.3 average in 1970. Second on the team with 57 receptions, Smith
finished fourth in the NFC in catches amont running backs.
He missed the first two regular season games and three starts
because of contract negotions, signing his contract on Sept.
16 and seeing limitied action at Phoenix (9/19). Smith returned
to the starting line-up against Green Bay (10/3) and, in his
50th career game, became only the fifth Dallas running back to
reach the 1,000 career carry mark-the fastest to that point of
any running back in team history. The following week, Smith recorded
his first 100-yard rushing day of the season with 104 yards on
25 carries at Indianapolis (10/10).
It was a sign of things to follow as he established a new club-record
with 237 yards rughing (on 30 carries) at Philadelphia (10/31)
to nab NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors and post the highest
rushing total in the NFL in 1993. That day in Philadelphia, he
eclipsed Dorsett's club mark of 206 yards set against the Eagles
(12/4/77) and tied Jim Brown for the sixth best single-game rushing
performance in NFL history. It was also the highest single-game
rushing total in the NFL since Walter Payton ran for 275 yards
against Minnesota on Nov. 20, 1977. His 62-yard touchdown run
to finish the game was the Cowboys' longest run of the season.
The next week when Aikman went down with a pulled hamstring against
the Giants (11/7), the Cowboys offense turned to Smith to carry
the load.
He responded with 182 yards of total offense vs. Phoenix (11/14)
(24 carries, 80 yards, 1 touchdown and four receptions for 102
yards), including a career-long 86-yard catch from Bernie Kosar.
It was his second career 100-yard receiving day. Things didn't
go as well the following week when he suffered a bruised right
quadrecep at Atlanta (11/21) in the second quarter and missed
the remainder of game. He finished with a career-low one carry
for one yard. Despite the injury, he ran for 51 yards on 16 carries
and added 46 yards on nine receptions for days later against
Miami (11/25) in the annual Thanksgiving Day game. In that game,
he moved past the 5,000 yard barrier in his 57th career game-the
fastest ever by a Dallas back. Smith went on to garner the NFC
Offensive Player of the Month award for December, the third consecutive
December he had won the award.
During Dallas' final five game march to the playoffs, Smith amassed
115 carries for 688 yards (6.0 average) and two touchdowns to
go along with 24 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. He
started the streak by recording the second highest rushing total
ever by a Cowboy at Texas Stadium with 172 yards on 24 carries
vs. Philadelphia (12/6). For the season Smith logged 409 yards
rushing in two games vs. Philadelphia to join O.J. Simpson (469
yards rushing vs. New England in 1973) as the only players to
record over 400 yards rushing against one opponent in the same
season. Including that game against Philadelphia, Smith would
record three of the top eight rushing days of his career in the
final five weeks.
The second of those came against the Redskins (12/26) when he
ran for 153 yards, and the third came in one of the most memorable
games in Cowboys history when Smith carried Dallas to the NFC
East title in a 16-13 overtime win at the N.Y. Giants (1/2/94).
Despite separating his right shoulder late in the second quarter-an
injury that required surgery March 1, 1994-Smith ran for 168
yards and caught 10 passes for another 61 yards to establish
a club record for rushing-receiving attempts in a game at 42.
Smith gained 78 yards on 17 carries/catches after the injury,
including 41 yards on nine runs/receptions in Dallas' 12-play,
52-yard drive to the game winning field goal in overtime. In
the two playoff games leading up to Super Bowl XXVIII, Smith
struggled with his injury, but still managed 148 yards against
Green Bay (1/16/94) and San Francisco (1/23/94). It was in Super
Bowl XXVIII against Buffalo (1/30940 where Smith capped his storybook
season, capturing MVP honors for leading Dallas to its second
consecutive NFL title.
For the second consecutive year, he topped the 100-yard rushing
mark in the Super Bow, gaining 132 yards - 91 yards and two touchdowns
in the second half as Dallas scored 24 unanswered points. It
was the 100th 100-yard rushing day of Smith's football career
(high school, college, pro). Following the season, Smith was
selected to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl.
Emmitt's Seasons: 1995 ... 1994 ... 1992
... 1991 ... 1990
Emmitt in College & Game Starts
Emmitt's Personal Data
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