March 17, 2013

MVP Profile: Emmitt Smith, 1993

Running Back, Dallas Cowboys



Age: 24
4th season in pro football & with Cowboys
College: Florida
Height: 5’9”   Weight: 209

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 and in ’92 he received MVP and first-team All-NFL recognition as well as he again topped the league with 1713 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

1993 Season Summary
Appeared in 14 of 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing
Attempts – 283 [6]
Most attempts, game - 32 (for 168 yds.) at NY Giants 1/2
Yards – 1486 [1]
Most yards, game – 237 yards (on 30 carries) at Philadelphia 10/31
Average gain – 5.3 [1]
TDs – 9 [3, tied with Ron Moore & Edgar Bennett]
200-yard rushing games – 1
100-yard rushing games – 7

Pass Receiving
Receptions – 57      
Most receptions, game – 10 (for 61 yds.) at NY Giants 1/2
Yards – 414
Most yards, game - 102 (on 4 catches) vs. Phoenix 11/14
Average gain – 7.3
TDs – 1
100-yard receiving games – 1

Scoring
TDs – 10 [6, tied with Calvin Williams & Edgar Bennett]
Points – 60

Postseason: 3 G
Rushing attempts – 66
Most rushing attempts, game - 30 vs. Buffalo, Super Bowl
Rushing yards – 280
Most rushing yards, game - 132 vs. Buffalo, Super Bowl
Average gain rushing – 4.2
Rushing TDs – 3
100-yard rushing games - 1

Pass receptions – 13
Most pass receptions, game – 7 vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship
Pass receiving yards - 138
Most pass receiving yards, game - 85 vs. San Francisco, NFC Championship
Average yards per reception – 10.6
Pass Receiving TDs - 1

Awards & Honors:
NFL MVP: AP, PFWA, NEA, Bert Bell Award, Sporting News
1st team All-NFL: AP, PFWA, Sporting News
1st team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly
Pro Bowl

Cowboys went 12-4 to finish first in the NFC East with the best record in the conference while ranking second in the NFL in rushing (2161 yards) and points scored (376). Won NFC Divisional playoff over Green Bay Packers (27-17), NFC Championship over San Francisco 49ers (38-21), and Super Bowl over Buffalo Bills (30-13).

Aftermath:
Smith led the NFL once more in rushing (1773 yards in 1995) in the process of gaining over a thousand yards in 11 straight seasons. He 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 2/4/14]