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Keynote Speaker
Emmitt Smith
 Emmitt
Smith, the National Football League's all-time leading rusher and a
three-time Super Bowl champion, joined ESPN in 2007 as an NFL studio
analyst. He appears on both Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night
Countdown, while also providing insight and analysis on ESPN Radio and
ESPN.com.
A first-round
pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Smith was the cornerstone of the Dallas
Cowboys' offense for 12 seasons. The eight-time Pro Bowler was the first
player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive
seasons and on October 27, 2002 he surpassed Walter Payton as the NFL's
all-time leading rusher. Smith finished his 14-year career with 18,355
rushing yards and led the NFL in rushing four times; he was the league MVP
in 1993, MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII and helped guide the Cowboys to three
Super Bowl titles. His 175 total touchdowns ranks second in NFL history.
Smith played
his final two NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (2003 and 2004)
before signing a one-day contract in February 2005 so he could officially
retire as a Cowboy. In September 2005, Smith was added to the Cowboys Ring
of Honor with former teammates Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. He was
enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007 and will be
eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
Smith
previously served as an NFL Network studio analyst in 2005 and also
appeared as a guest college football analyst during Fox's BCS National
Championship pre-game coverage in January 2007. Smith's post-career
television experience also includes winning the third season of ABC's
popular primetime reality show Dancing with the Stars in the fall of 2006.
A native of
Pensacola, FL, Smith fulfilled a promise to his mother and took classes
during his NFL off-seasons in order to earn his bachelor's degree in
public recreation from the University of Florida in 1996. Smith remains
active in various charitable organizations and also serves as president of
Smith/Cypress Partners, a joint-venture partnership based in Dallas.
Emmitt lives
with his wife Pat in Dallas, Texas with their four children.
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