Emory Gerald Smith (born May 21, 1974) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

fullback. He was a member of the

Scottish Claymores The Scottish Claymores were an American football team based in Scotland. The franchise played in the World League of American Football (later renamed NFL Europe) between 1995 and 2004, initially playing all home games at Murrayfield Stadium, E ...

NFL Europe NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally f ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Clemson University.

Early years

Smith attended Escambia High School. In football, he was a two-way player at

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

. As a senior, he tallied 1,001 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He was ranked as the seventh-best fullback in the country by recruiting analysts.

College career

Smith accepted a football scholarship from Clemson University. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

freshman, he collected 89 carries for 387 yards (4.3-yard avg.), 2 rushing touchdowns and 4 receptions for 74 yards. He was named the offensive MVP of the 1993 Peach Bowl, after registering 8 carries for 45 yards (5.6-yard avg.), one rushing touchdown and a 57 yard reception. As a sophomore, he had 44 carries for 145 yards (3.3-yard avg.), 3 rushing touchdowns and 3 receptions for 18 yards. As a junior, he was named the starter at fullback, posting 145 carries for 712 yards (4.9-yard avg.), 14 rushing touchdowns (tied for second in school history), 6 receptions for 31 yards, one receiving touchdown and 15 total touchdowns (tied for second in school history). His best game came in the 38–17 win against the University of South Carolina, when he had 12 carries for 101 yards (8.42-yard avg.), scored 2 touchdowns, and had one run of 54 yards in which he dragged one member of the Gamecock secondary 6 yards on his back. As a senior, he was limited by injuries, collecting 80 carries for 324 yards (4.1-yard avg.), 6 rushing touchdowns and 2 receptions for 25 yards. He finished his college career with 358 carries for 1,568 yards (4.4-yard avg.), 25 rushing touchdowns, 15 receptions for 148 yards and one receiving touchdown.

Professional career

Green Bay Packers

Smith was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

after the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

on April 25. He was waived on August 19, 1997.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 22, 1997, he was signed to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

, reuniting with his brother

Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Among other accolades, he is the lea ...

Green Bay Packers (second stint)

On December 30, 1997, he was signed to the

for the playoffs, when he became a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

, seven days after the end of the season. On January 28, 1998, he was re-signed by the Packers. On August 30, 1998, he was waived with an injury settlement, after suffering a serious hamstring injury in the last preseason game against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

Scottish Claymores

In 1999, he signed with the

. He posted 5 carries for 25 yards and 3 receptions for 20 yards.

Personal life

Smith brother is Hall of Fame running back

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Emory 1974 births Living people Players of American football from Pensacola, Florida Players of American football from Florida Clemson Tigers football players Scottish Claymores players Dallas Cowboys players Green Bay Packers players