Steve Delsohn’s The Emmitt Zone” is a fascinating book, published on April 18, 1997.
It gave insight into the life of an NFL player, as well as the life of Emmitt Smith. It was a non-fiction book telling of Emmitt’s life from the time he was big enough to hold a football until the present day. Emmitt Smith hails from the town of Pensacola, Florida, and has two brothers and a sister.
Since his parents did not make much money, Emmitt knew he would have to pay his own way through college. However, his football skills earned him a full-ride scholarship to attend college. No one in Emmitt’s family had ever attended college, so it was a great accomplishment for him and his family when he graduated from FSU. After setting many collegiate football records as a top-notch, blue-chip running back, he was drafted by the skeptical Dallas Cowboys football team.
Jimmy Johnson, the head coach, knew that Emmitt Smith would develop into the type of team leader and player the Cowboys needed, even though owner Jerry Jones was skeptical about the draft choice. Emmitt proved to Coach Johnson that he had made the right pick by setting a record: three straight NFL rushing titles. Not even the great Walter Payton or Jim Brown had ever done this.
This is what labeled Emmitt Smith as one of the best football players ever to step onto a turf or grass field. He was quoted by Jimmy Johnson saying, Emmitt makes everyone around him a better player just by his presence.” All in all, this was a good book. I learned all about the kind of records Emmitt Smith set. I learned that not all people are as fortunate as Emmitt to have a great skill and be able to take it on.
