5. January 2, 1994: Emmitt’s most painful day, his finest hour
Barrels of ink have been spilled, miles of videotape devoted to what Emmitt Smith did in the 1993 season finale against the New York Giants. All of it is deserved. But none of it comes close to adequately capturing what happened on the Giants Stadium turf that day.
In the second quarter of the game to determine the NFC East champion and top seed in the postseason, Smith blew through a hole in the line for a 46-yard pickup. But when New York safety Greg Jackson caught him from behind and rode him to the ground, Emmitt instantly felt the worst pain of his life explode through his right shoulder.
“All I knew was that my shoulder was jacked up,” Smith later recalled. “I could barely move my arm. I had no range of motion.”
Smith had already provided Dallas with 151 total yards of offense at that point, contributing mightily to a 10-0 lead with just minutes to go before the half. When trainers diagnosed his injury as a shoulder separation, the choice became Smith’s: rest up for the playoffs, or play through.
Smith had the staff insert a spare pad under his jersey and tie it to his shoulder with string as he took the field for the second half, despite the excruciating pain. Fullback Daryl Johnston implored Smith to sit out. It was a short conversation, and the only such one any of his teammates attempted.
The gameplan didn’t change a bit, with Smith repeatedly slamming into the line, and the Giants defense repeatedly slamming Smith to the rock-hard playing surface. As the game wore on, even the New York defenders were reportedly asking Smith in the pile, “Are you all right?”
Smith had asked his linemen to pick him up off the turf after each tackle, to minimize his need to put pressure on the joint. The arm just hung there, obviously unusable to anyone who was watching as Smith walked back to the huddle. Between the whistles, though, Emmitt was in top form.
To add insult to literal injury, the game needed an overtime period to be decided. Smith stayed in until the end, when an Eddie Murray field goal gave Dallas the victory. On the final ten-play drive to set up the winning kick, the battered Smith ran the ball nine times.
Emmitt ended the day with 229 all-purpose yards and had 42 total touches (still a club record) on the team’s 70 offensive plays. And he did much of it with one arm. His 168 ground yards gave Smith his third straight rushing title and helped him win league MVP honors for the 1994 season. The contest is still referred to most commonly as simply, “The Emmitt Smith Game.”
Afterward, John Madden made his way from the TV booth to the Cowboys’ locker room to personally congratulate Smith on his courageous performance. It was the only time he ever did so.
“My entire career, I’ve never come down to the locker room,” the Hall of Fame broadcaster told Smith. “I came down today to shake your hand. I’ve never seen a better performance than that.”
Almost no one has.