cover image The Emmitt Zone

The Emmitt Zone

Emmitt Smith. Crown Publishing Group (NY), $22 (275pp) ISBN 978-0-517-59985-3

Smith, the Dallas Cowboy running back who has won the NFL rushing title for the past three years and was named most valuable player in both the league and the Super Bowl, is a spectacular player. In this chatty if lackluster autobiography, written with Steve Delsohn (Out of Bounds), we learn the superstar grew up in a supportive lower-middle-class family but made a bad choice in attending the University of Florida, whose football program was in chaos for the three years he played there. When he left he was chosen by the Cowboys. There followed wrangling over his subsequent contracts with owner Jerry Jones, who is depicted as tight-fisted. Under coach Jimmy Johnson, Smith had a major role in lifting a 1-15 team to two Super Bowl wins. Photos. Author tour. (Sept.)