Age: 23
3rd season in pro football & with Cowboys
College: Florida
Height: 5’9” Weight: 203
Prelude:
Taken by the Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft, Smith had an immediate impact for the rebuilding club as he ran for 937 yards as a rookie and was selected for the Pro Bowl as well as Offensive Rookie of the Year (AP). In ’91, he led the league with 365 carries for 1563 yards and earned a second trip to the Pro Bowl.
1992 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 373 [2]
Most attempts, game - 30 (for 163 yds.) vs. Philadelphia 11/1
Yards – 1713 [1]
Most yards, game – 174 yards (on 24 carries) at Atlanta 12/21
Average gain – 4.6 [7]
TDs – 18 [1]
100-yard rushing games - 7
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 59
Most receptions, game – 12 (for 67 yds.) at Phoenix 11/22
Yards – 335
Most yards, game - 67 (on 12 catches) at Phoenix 11/22
Average gain – 5.7
TDs – 1
Scoring
TDs – 19 [1]
Points – 114 [6]
Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 71
Most rushing attempts, game - 25 vs. Philadelphia, NFC Divisional playoff
Rushing yards – 336
Most rushing yards, game - 114 vs. Philadelphia, NFC Divisional playoff; at San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average gain rushing – 4.7
Rushing TDs – 3
100-yard rushing games - 3
Pass receptions – 13
Most pass receptions, game – 7 at San Francisco, NFC Championship
Pass receiving yards - 86
Most pass receiving yards, game - 59 at San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average yards per reception – 6.6
Pass Receiving TDs - 1
Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: NEA
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, NEA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl
Cowboys went 13-3 to top the NFC East while placing second to the 49ers in points (409) and touchdowns (48). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Philadelphia Eagles (34-10), NFC Championship over San Francisco 49ers (30-20), and Super Bowl over Buffalo Bills (52-17).
Aftermath:
Smith led the NFL in rushing for a third straight year in 1993 (1486 yards) as the Cowboys repeated as league champions, and he again received MVP recognition. He led the NFL once more in rushing (1773 yards in 1995) in the process of gaining over a thousand yards in 11 straight seasons. Smith also led the league in touchdowns scored on three occasions, including a then-record 25 in 1995. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro four times and was selected to eight Pro Bowls. Smith became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher while still with Dallas before finishing up with two seasons in Arizona. He ended up with 18,355 yards on the ground (17,162 of them with the Cowboys) and scored a total of 175 TDs. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2010.
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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/15/14]