Here is the time line of one of the greatest runningbacks in NFL history:

• 1969 - Smith was born in Pensacola, Florida, the son of Mary J. Smith and Emmitt James Smith, Jr.
• 1986 - Smith was named the USA Today and Parade magazine high school player of the year.
• 1987 - In his first collegiate start, Smith promptly broke Florida's 57-year-old all-time single game rushing record held by Red Bethea, carrying 39 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns as the Gators upset the Crimson Tide. Smith went on to break the 1,000-yard barrier in the seventh game of his freshman season, the fastest any running back had ever broken that barrier to begin his college career. He finished the 1987 season with 1,341 yards and was named Southeastern Conference and National Freshman of the Year. He also finished ninth in that year's Heisman voting.
• 1989 - At the conclusion of his junior season in 1989, Smith was named a first-team SEC selection for the third year and SEC Player of the Year, was a unanimous first-team All-American, and finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
• 1990 - The Cowboys traded up with the Pittsburgh Steelers moving from the 21st to the 17th position, in exchange for a third round draft choice (#81-Craig Veasey), to select Smith in the first round.
• 1991 - He registered 1,563 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He also clinched the first of four rushing titles, after tallying 160 yards against the Atlanta Falcons in the season finale.
• 1992 - He set the Cowboys' single-season franchise record and won the rushing title with 1,713 yards. He also became the first player to win the league's rushing title and the Super Bowl in the same season.
• 1994 - Smith led the league with 21 rushing touchdowns, a new career-high despite battling a hamstring pull late in the season. However, the Cowboys lost the NFC Championship Game to the 49ers.
• 1995 - Smith became the first player in league history to rush for 1,400 rushing yards or more in five consecutive seasons and set the NFL record with 25 rushing touchdowns.
• 1996 - Smith scored his 100th career rushing touchdown and surpassed 10,000 career rushing yards, becoming just the twelfth player in league history and the youngest one to reach this milestone.
• 1998 - He became the Cowboys' all-time leading rusher (passing Dorsett) and the NFL's all-time rushing touchdown leader (surpassing Marcus Allen).
• 1999 - He became the NFL's all-time leader in career postseason rushing yards (1,586) and postseason rushing touchdowns (19).
• 2001 - With 1,021 rushing yards in 2001, Smith became the first player in NFL history with 11 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons and the first to post eleven 1,000-yard rushing seasons in a career.
• 2002 - He reached the goal he set as a rookie, finishing the season with 17,162 career yards and breaking the NFL rushing record previously held by Walter Payton against the Seattle Seahawks.
• 2005 - Smith was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor with his long-time teammates Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin.
• 2007 - Smith joined ESPN as a studio analyst for their NFL pre-game coverage alongside Chris Berman, Mike Ditka, Tom Jackson, and Chris Mortensen
• 2010 - In his first year of eligibility, Smith was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Emmitt Smith III NFL Records:

• Smith currently holds the NFL record in career rushing yards with 18,355, breaking the previous record held by Walter Payton, on October 27, 2002.[34] He leads all running backs with 164 career rushing touchdowns, and his 175 total touchdowns ranks him second only to Jerry Rice's 208. The total of his rushing yards, receiving yards (3,224) and fumble return yards (-15) gives him a total of 21,564 yards from the line of scrimmage, making him one of only four players in NFL history to eclipse the 21,000 combined-yards mark. (The others are Jerry Rice, Brian Mitchell and Walter Payton)
• He is the NFL's all-time leader in rushing attempts with 4,409, the only player to post three seasons with 19 or more touchdowns, and the record-holder for most games in a season with a touchdown and most games in a season with a rushing touchdown (15), set in 1995.

Smith also accumulated several NFL postseason records including:

• The most rushing touchdowns (19)
• The most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (9)
• The most 100-yard rushing games (7)
• His 1,586 yards rushing is also top on the NFL postseason chart
• He shares the total playoff touchdown mark of 21 with Thurman Thomas

“For me, winning isn't something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. Winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream.” -- Emmitt Smith