American Football: Smith rushes into history

The story goes that when Emmitt Smith arrived at his first Dallas Cowboys training camp in the summer of 1990, he scrawled a set of goals on to a piece of paper. High on the list was his desire to become the NFL's all-time leading rushing leader. On Sunday, after a 13-year career which has brought three Super Bowls and four rushing titles, the Dallas Cowboys running back was finally able to tick off the last box on his wish list.

In the fourth quarter of a tight game against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith took the ball, stumbled, steadied himself with one hand on the ground, then continued on for the 11 yards which earned him immortality. The 16,726 rushing yards achieved by the legendary Walter Payton, of the Chicago Bears, had been consigned to history. The game was held up for a full five minutes as a capacity crowd at Texas Stadiumacclaimed one of American football's defining moments.

Fittingly, Smith capped the drive with his 150th career rushing touchdown, and ended the game with a season-high 109 yards to take his all-time total to 16,743. Payton died in November 1999 of liver cancer at just 45 and members of his family were in attendance in Dallas to see his record broken.

A close bond had grown between the two prior to Payton's death, and in a post-game ceremony, the new record-holder was quick to acknowledge the accomplishments of his predecessor. "Today is a special day for me, my family and the Payton family," he said. "Without Payton doing what he did, he wouldn't have given a young man like myself a dream, something to shoot after, and a person to try to emulate in every way possible."

The big difference between the two was that Payton laboured in vain on a succession of dreadful Chicago Bears teams, before finally being part of a Super Bowl winning group in 1986, the twilight of his career.

Smith, in contrast, was surrounded by talent such as the quarterback Troy Aikman, the receiver Michael Irvin, and a powerful, dominant offensive line. The Cowboys were the team of the 1990s, with Smith at the heart. Today, he alone remains from the glory years, seemingly driven in his quest for the record, and to fulfil the prediction made by his mentor shortly before he died. Their career paths are remarkably similar. Payton retired after his 13th season; Smith is in his 13th campaign. Payton set the record in his 190th game, while Sunday's contest was Smith's 193rd.

The question now is how long will he continue. Smith is no longer the self-styled "hammer and hard hat" of the mid-1990s and the Cowboys have fallen far from grace. It sums up their current state that on Sunday they were beaten by the feeble Seahawks. Nevertheless, his hunger continues to drive him. Smith has never even hinted at retirement, and breaking the record has not changed that. This Cowboy looks set to keep on running.