Former Dallas Cowboys running back, three-time Super Bowl Champion and 1993 NFL MVP Emmitt Smith, left, addresses the audience during the Little Rock Touchdown Club luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Former Dallas Cowboys star Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards and touchdowns, was the featured guest of the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday morning at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock.
Dallas drafted Smith with the 17th overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft after spending three seasons at the University of Florida. He played for the Cowboys from 1990-2002, then spent his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals from 2003-04.
Smith, the 1990 Offensive Rookie of the Year and 1993 league MVP, won three Super Bowl championships with the Cowboys (1992-93, '95). He earned four first-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl nods. He rushed for NFL career records of 18,355 yards and 164 touchdowns, and he holds the career playoff records in those statistics with 1,586 and 19, respectively.
Smith spoke on a wide array of topics Monday, including his professional career and his connections to the state of Arkansas. Smith talked about making a trip to see former University of Arkansas and NFL running back Peyton Hillis in the hospital after he nearly drowned in a rip current on Jan. 4, 2023, in Pensacola, Fla.
"We got a chance to talk and (I) got a chance to put my eyes on him," Smith said. "To see him and to know that he made it through, because (former NFL and Arkansas quarterback) Ryan Mallett didn't make it through. We talk about athletes and so forth, but losing someone that's either shared a position or that you have a relationship with, it's a totally different thing."
Mallett drowned on June 27, 2023, in Destin, Fla.
Hillis made a memorable appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club in the fall of 2023, where he emotionally recounted his near drowning.
Hillis' 9-year-old son and 8-year-old niece got caught in a rip current during a family vacation, requiring him to pull them to safety in an effort that put him in the intensive care unit at a Pensacola hospital. Everyone involved survived the experience.
Smith, a native of Pensacola, happened to be in his hometown at the time of the incident and decided to locate Hillis and pay him a visit in the hospital as he recovered.
With club founder David Bazzel leading the conversation, it eventually shifted to more lighthearted topics, such as Smith's time on "Dancing with the Stars" -- he won Season 3 of the CBS show in 2006 -- and his years with the Cowboys during one of the golden eras of the franchise.
"You've got to be able to humble yourself so you can learn," Smith said of his "Dancing with the Stars" appearance. "I went back to amateur status. I was an amateur in this space. I took a football mentality back into the ballroom."
At one point, Smith appeared to take a subtle shot at team owner Jerry Jones, the co-captain of Arkansas' championship football team in 1964, for waiting until 2023 to induct former coach Jimmy Johnson into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor. Johnson, a teammate of Jones' on Arkansas' title team, led the team to back-to-back Super Bowl titles after the 1992 and '93 season.
"This is how simple that is, have you won a Super Bowl since?" said Smith, referring to Jones. The remark drew laughter from the audience, then Smith added, "We knew that we would not have been in that position without (Johnson) leading the way."
Johnson, who spoke to the club last season, sent a video message for Smith's appearance.
"I've never coached a player who took more pride in his performance," Johnson said of Smith.
Smith later thanked Jones for helping propel his professional career, as well as making him a multimillionaire. He also credited Jones for his business acumen and his vision for the Cowboys after purchasing the franchise in 1989.
"(Jones) did things that transformed the whole entire league," Smith said.
Jones is scheduled to speak to the Little Rock Touchdown Club alongside former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Oct. 12 at North Little Rock's Simmons Bank Arena.
Smith spoke for nearly an hour Monday. In his final remarks, he made a point to highlight his family, particularly his five children. Smith also told the audience that he has recently become a first-time grandfather.
"People oftentimes ask me, what is my greatest accomplishment?" Smith said. "I say I haven't achieved it yet. Because when you have kids, the greatest accomplishment is the things that they're doing. It's not about the things that I've done. ... Family is the foundation of everybody."
Michael Harley covers various athletics at Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He also covers the AA Arkansas Travelers minor league baseball team and area high school athletics around the region. Michael makes a weekly appearances on 95.3-FM The Ticket in Jonesboro during the football season, as well as guest appearances on FOX 16 sports in Little Rock.
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