30 Best College Running Backs of All-Time
Career Statistics
- Games: 31
- Carries: 700
- Rushing Yards: 3,928
- Rushing Yards Per Game: 126.7
- Rushing Yards Per Season: 1,309.3
- Rushing Touchdowns: 36
- Yards Per Carry: 5.6
- Receptions: 56
- Receiving Yards: 463
- Receiving Touchdowns: 1
- Notable: All-American, 1989
Emmitt Smith was an immediate success at the University of Florida. Smith the starting job at tailback as a true freshman and in his third collegiate game broke the school’s single-game rushing record with 224 yards in an upset victory over Alabama.
Smith ran for 1,341 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman, won honors as SEC and National Freshman of the Year honors and placed him in the top ten of the Heisman Trophy voting. Due to a knee injury, Smith was limited to only nine games as a sophomore in 1988, though he still ran for 988 yards and scored nine touchdowns.
As a junior, Smith exploded for a school-record 1,599 rushing yards and scored 14 touchdowns to earn All-American honors. Through three years, Smith gained 3,928 career rushing yards and 36 TDs, both of which were the best in school history. In all, Smith set 36 career records at Florida before he decided to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.
Of course, Smith went on to have an, even more, successful career in the NFL – perhaps the most successful of all-time. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl Champion, and finished with the NFL career records in rushing yards (18,355), rushing touchdowns (164), and 100-yard rushing games (78) before being selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Next: Ed Marinaro