Last August, Emmitt Smith became the final of “The Triplets” to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Last weekend, he watched his former teammate of five seasons, Deion Sanders, follow in his footsteps as the latest member of the Cowboys’ early- to mid-nineties dynasty to gain entrance to the Hall.
We spoke with Smith this weekend, and when asked about his memories of “Primetime,” he made clear that he was more than a little excited for Sanders, with whom, Smith said, he has grown closer over the past five to 10 years.
“You know what, Prime was awesome,” Smith said. “Awesome, awesome teammate. I enjoyed being around him, he made things fun. He was a smart, smart football player, he studied the game and he was a student of the game. He didn’t rely on his talent itself to get him to this place, and that in itself made him that much of a better football player than others. Playing with Deion was an extremely great honor.”
That Smith had gotten used to facing Sanders in college--Sanders played for Florida State and Smith for the University of Florida--and then afterward, Sanders for the Falcons and 49ers, and Smith for the Cowboys, the Dallas running back was only so happy to welcome Prime into the fold early in the 1995 season.
“I played against him in college, and got sick and tired of losing to him, so just to be from Florida, understand his background and understand the road and journey he has taken to get to this place, and to see him go on in, I am extremely elated and excited for him, and I love him like a brother. I’m extremely excited for him.”
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