Gators tab Emmitt Smith Honorary Captain for UM Game

Submitted by tlo2485 on

The Florida Gators will turn to a person with some history in North Texas as their honorary captain for Saturday’s AdvoCare Classic in AT&T Stadium, the program announced Wednesday.

That will be Emmitt Smith, perhaps the greatest running back in NFL history.

Smith played for Florida in the late 1980s, racking up yardage as essentially the entire Gators offense through years in which the program was committing and then dealing with the effects of NCAA violations. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft, then went on to do a couple of things while wearing the team’s famous star.

 

https://www.alligatorarmy.com/2017/8/30/16227754/emmitt-smith-honorary-…

 

Our honorary captain is Michigan alum Tom Kartsotis, founder of Fossil watches, out of Plano, Texas.

UM Fan from Sydney

August 30th, 2017 at 3:07 PM ^

He's going to be annoyed he had to go there to see his alma mater lose to Michigan (again).

oriental andrew

August 30th, 2017 at 3:34 PM ^

The thing with Smith was that he never really wowed you. His greatness came from his remarkable consistency and longevity, but he was never a guy you really looked back on as one of the legends or mythical figures of the game. 

Not in the way people look at Barry Sanders or Gale Sayers or Walter Payton. Smith was great, no contest, but he wasn't special or remarkable in the way these other greats were. When you saw Payton or Sayers or Sanders run, half the time, you'd just be shaking your head at how what they just did was even physically possible. 

OwenGoBlue

August 30th, 2017 at 3:16 PM ^

Although I miss the innovation from his brief broadcasting career, most notably ignoring proper syntax and making up words. 

Here's hoping he's giving the pre-game speech. 

UofM626

August 30th, 2017 at 3:22 PM ^

Then Emmitt Smith. If Griese doesn't throw that pick and he doesn't get hurt he would of easily been the all time rushing leader. Dickerson, Barry, and a few others were all better then Emmitt.

As Elway is and was better then Aikman.

lbpeley

August 30th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^

Otherwise there's no reason to put that "perhaps the greatest" bullshit in there. Everyone knows who Smith is. And everyone not being a blind-ass Dallas homer knows he's not in the top 5 greatest.

Pkf97

August 30th, 2017 at 4:35 PM ^

My cool story bro: I met Emmitt Smith once and shook his hand.  He had the most ridiculously powerful handshake of anyone I've ever met.  He wasn't trying to be a jerk about it, but it was like gripping a block of stone.

Drbogue

August 30th, 2017 at 7:34 PM ^

The should tab the Alachua County District Attorney as their honorary captain. Maybe get a kickback before the Alabama game...