http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=1141
Cards Land NFL's All-Time Rushing Leader Emmitt Smith
The Arizona Cardinals announced today in a press conference at the site of the NFL owner meetings that the team has agreed to terms of a two-year contract with Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher who has amassed 4 rushing titles, 3 Super Bowl rings, 8 Pro Bowl selections, and league (1993) and Super Bowl (XXVIII) most-valuable-player awards.
“I am very happy to announce that the Arizona Cardinals have reached contract terms for a two-year period with Emmitt Smith, the leading ground gainer in NFL history,” offered President William Bidwill.
Smith, 33, finished the 2002 season with 17,162 career yards on 4,052 attempts, eclipsing Walter Payton’s 18 year-old NFL rushing mark against Seattle on Oct. 27. The only player in NFL history to rush for over 17,000 yards (Payton, 16,726), he also is just the third player to accumulate more than 20,000 career yards from scrimmage (Payton, Oakland Raider Jerry Rice). Smith eclipsed the 4.000 career rushing attempt mark last year to become the only player in NFL history to carry the ball at least 4,000 times in a career. In addition, Smith is the league’s all-time career rushing touchdown leader with 153 and stands second in NFL history in total touchdowns with 164, trailing the all-time leader, Rice, by 39.
“It goes without saying that when you add a player of this statute to your football team, it elevates a lot of things,” shared Head Coach Dave McGinnis. “I was fortunate early in my NFL career to be on a football team that had three Hall of Famers, one of them the man who Emmitt eclipsed for the rushing title which is a very hallowed title in our league, and I just know what players of this statute bring to your team. Emmitt Smith is the type of football player and type of individual that embodies the fiber and fabric of the National Football League.”
McGinnis did not hesitate to name Smith as the starting running back and also indicated that the legendary running back will continue to wear the number 22 jersey.
“Marcel Shipp is a running back that did very well for us when he was called upon last year,” said McGinnis as to Smith taking over as starter. “This to me, in no way inhibits Marcel Shipp. I watched many young running backs learn from Walter Payton. Marcel Shipp is still a very big part of our football team and will be. He was a team player when he showed up and he’ll be a team player when he meets Emmitt and he will be a better player being on the same football team and learning from the leading ground-gainer in the history of the National Football League.”
The first player in NFL history to post five consecutive seasons with over 1,400 yards rushing, Smith and Jim Brown are the only players with seven straight 10-touchdown seasons to begin careers. With 1,021 yards rushing in 2001, Smith became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and the first to post 11 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a career. With an NFL-record 25 rushing touchdowns in 1995, Smith scored 100 career touchdowns in just six seasons, the fastest anyone in league history has reached the mark (he tied Brown’s NFL record by scoring 100 touchdowns in just 93 career games). Smith’s 153 career rushing touchdowns in 201 games give him a 0.76 touchdown-per-game average, second behind Brown’s 0.90 for tops among the all-time rushing touchdown scorers (Marshall Faulk is next on the list at 0.64).
Smith’s 25 career scores against his new team, the Cardinals, is the third best total by a player against an opponent since 1970, followed by his 24 scores against Washington and 22 against the N.Y. Giants. During his career with Dallas, the Cowboys posted a 99–26 mark (91–24 in the regular season) when he carried the ball 20 or more times and 64-19 (57–19 in regular season) when he rushed for 100 yards.
The century mark has been an underlying theme in his rushing success, having rushed for 100 yards in 153 of 301 games dating to high school (45 of 49 at Escambia High School, 25 of 34 at the University of Florida, and 83 of 281 as a pro). His 45 100-yard games in high school remain a national record, and in NFL annals, Smith’s 76 regular-season 100-yard rushing games ties him with Barry Sanders for second all-time behind Payton (77). In addition, Smith has rushed for over 100 yards against 22 of the 31 other NFL teams.
Overall, Smith has started 201 of 199 regular season games, started 17 postseason contests, and has missed just seven games in 13 seasons. He is one of only seven NFL players who have amassed over 9,000 career rushing yards and 400 career receptions and ranks fourth on the league’s all-time combined yardage list with 20,174 yards.
Smith also has accumulated several NFL postseason records, including rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (nine), and 100-yard rushing games (seven). His 1,586 yards rushing ranks first on the NFL postseason list and he shares the total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas.
“I think it doesn’t really matter what we think,” responded McGinnis to what he thinks Smith has left in the tank. “I know what Emmitt has conveyed to me. He knows what he has left and he believes he can be a contributor to what is going on here and we had extensive talks while he was here. Emmitt Smith is going to be a very valuable member of this organization.”
The newest Cardinal will be introduced to Arizona at a press conference tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the team’s south Tempe training facility.
Cards Land NFL's All-Time Rushing Leader Emmitt Smith
The Arizona Cardinals announced today in a press conference at the site of the NFL owner meetings that the team has agreed to terms of a two-year contract with Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher who has amassed 4 rushing titles, 3 Super Bowl rings, 8 Pro Bowl selections, and league (1993) and Super Bowl (XXVIII) most-valuable-player awards.
“I am very happy to announce that the Arizona Cardinals have reached contract terms for a two-year period with Emmitt Smith, the leading ground gainer in NFL history,” offered President William Bidwill.
Smith, 33, finished the 2002 season with 17,162 career yards on 4,052 attempts, eclipsing Walter Payton’s 18 year-old NFL rushing mark against Seattle on Oct. 27. The only player in NFL history to rush for over 17,000 yards (Payton, 16,726), he also is just the third player to accumulate more than 20,000 career yards from scrimmage (Payton, Oakland Raider Jerry Rice). Smith eclipsed the 4.000 career rushing attempt mark last year to become the only player in NFL history to carry the ball at least 4,000 times in a career. In addition, Smith is the league’s all-time career rushing touchdown leader with 153 and stands second in NFL history in total touchdowns with 164, trailing the all-time leader, Rice, by 39.
“It goes without saying that when you add a player of this statute to your football team, it elevates a lot of things,” shared Head Coach Dave McGinnis. “I was fortunate early in my NFL career to be on a football team that had three Hall of Famers, one of them the man who Emmitt eclipsed for the rushing title which is a very hallowed title in our league, and I just know what players of this statute bring to your team. Emmitt Smith is the type of football player and type of individual that embodies the fiber and fabric of the National Football League.”
McGinnis did not hesitate to name Smith as the starting running back and also indicated that the legendary running back will continue to wear the number 22 jersey.
“Marcel Shipp is a running back that did very well for us when he was called upon last year,” said McGinnis as to Smith taking over as starter. “This to me, in no way inhibits Marcel Shipp. I watched many young running backs learn from Walter Payton. Marcel Shipp is still a very big part of our football team and will be. He was a team player when he showed up and he’ll be a team player when he meets Emmitt and he will be a better player being on the same football team and learning from the leading ground-gainer in the history of the National Football League.”
The first player in NFL history to post five consecutive seasons with over 1,400 yards rushing, Smith and Jim Brown are the only players with seven straight 10-touchdown seasons to begin careers. With 1,021 yards rushing in 2001, Smith became the first player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and the first to post 11 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a career. With an NFL-record 25 rushing touchdowns in 1995, Smith scored 100 career touchdowns in just six seasons, the fastest anyone in league history has reached the mark (he tied Brown’s NFL record by scoring 100 touchdowns in just 93 career games). Smith’s 153 career rushing touchdowns in 201 games give him a 0.76 touchdown-per-game average, second behind Brown’s 0.90 for tops among the all-time rushing touchdown scorers (Marshall Faulk is next on the list at 0.64).
Smith’s 25 career scores against his new team, the Cardinals, is the third best total by a player against an opponent since 1970, followed by his 24 scores against Washington and 22 against the N.Y. Giants. During his career with Dallas, the Cowboys posted a 99–26 mark (91–24 in the regular season) when he carried the ball 20 or more times and 64-19 (57–19 in regular season) when he rushed for 100 yards.
The century mark has been an underlying theme in his rushing success, having rushed for 100 yards in 153 of 301 games dating to high school (45 of 49 at Escambia High School, 25 of 34 at the University of Florida, and 83 of 281 as a pro). His 45 100-yard games in high school remain a national record, and in NFL annals, Smith’s 76 regular-season 100-yard rushing games ties him with Barry Sanders for second all-time behind Payton (77). In addition, Smith has rushed for over 100 yards against 22 of the 31 other NFL teams.
Overall, Smith has started 201 of 199 regular season games, started 17 postseason contests, and has missed just seven games in 13 seasons. He is one of only seven NFL players who have amassed over 9,000 career rushing yards and 400 career receptions and ranks fourth on the league’s all-time combined yardage list with 20,174 yards.
Smith also has accumulated several NFL postseason records, including rushing touchdowns (19), consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (nine), and 100-yard rushing games (seven). His 1,586 yards rushing ranks first on the NFL postseason list and he shares the total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas.
“I think it doesn’t really matter what we think,” responded McGinnis to what he thinks Smith has left in the tank. “I know what Emmitt has conveyed to me. He knows what he has left and he believes he can be a contributor to what is going on here and we had extensive talks while he was here. Emmitt Smith is going to be a very valuable member of this organization.”
The newest Cardinal will be introduced to Arizona at a press conference tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the team’s south Tempe training facility.
