When Emmitt Smith is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, he will be the last of the Dallas Cowboys “triplets” that helped return the team to glory in the early and mid 1990′s.
Smith will be reunited with Cowboys’ teammates Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, but this time the triplets will be part of the pro football immortals enshrined in Canton.
Smith retired as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards and an NFL record 164 rushing touchdowns. He also had 515 receptions for 3,224 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Smith was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990′s along with Aikman and Irvin. He helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in four years and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII.
He was named the NFL’s MVP in 1993 and was selected to eight Pro Bowls.
At time of his retirement following the 2004 season, Smith held the record for seven offensive categories in NFL history:
Most Career Rushing Attempts – 4,409
Most Career Rushing Yards – 18,355
Most Seasons with 1,000 or More Yards Rushing – 11
Most Consecutive Seasons with 1,000 or More Yards Rushing – 11 (1991-2001)
Most Career Games with 100 or More Yards Rushing – 78
Most Career Rushing Touchdowns – 164
Most Career Combined Attempts – 4,939
Smith may not be the last member of the Cowboys’ dominate teams of the 1990′s to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Defensive end Charles Haley is sure to garner consideration for enshrinement in Canton as the only player in NFL history to have five Super Bowl rings.
