Emmitt & Moose

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -- John 15:13 NIV

To be honest, I had every intention of writing about Daryl "Moose" Johnston today. Emmitt Smith going into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame was going to by the means by which I reached my goal of talking to you about Moose and about what it means to sacrifice. Make no mistake, I'll get to that part but watching all of Emmitt's speech I can't help but share parts of it with you because it was just that special...and I say that regardless of whether you've ever watched a down of football in your life. I say that because, as much as Moose sacrificed for Emmitt and the Cowboys, do did Emmitt! Please read on about someone I consider a great man and a person from whom we can all learn some things about life. You might even want to go watch it on YouTube or find the transcript at profootballhof.com.

Jerry Jones about Emmitt: "Emmitt Smith evokes in my heart and in my mind God’s will of taking advantage of every gift that you’ve been given. He hasn’t left a yard on the table of his life."

Emmitt:

(Acknowledging Christ first) "Thank you to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ for blessing me to play the sport I so dearly love for almost three decades."

(Good example of mentoring) "Thank you to my high school coach Dwight Thomas for teaching me how to set goals, become a team player, and to shine the spotlight upon others such as my offensive linemen."

(The value of effective leadership) "Thank you to Jimmy Johnson for bringing discipline, focus, commitment and your expectation to our team. You propelled us to do great things in life. You set the bar very high and not only demanded that we leaped over it, but, Jimmy, you showed us how. You knew your players were capable of achieving the standard you set for us. You knew we could claim our greatness. It's what drove us to become the team we became."

(The importance of fellowship) "To Michael and Troy, would you both please stand. It has truly, truly, truly been an honor to go into battle with two of the greatest champions I've ever played with. Without you there is no me. That is why we are called the triplets. You cannot have one without the other. Troy, your leadership, dedication and focus helped me become a better football player because I did not want to let you down. Michael, your work ethic, your passion, your love for this sport helped me learn to train and prepare myself differently."

(Critical disciplines, thanking his support) "While playing for the Dallas Cowboys, balance was the key to our success. We had a winning strategy and a spiritual purpose as a team. We also had a collective goal, mental toughness and trust. When it came down to the third and fourth quarters, my offensive linemen knew what was about to go down. Right now I would like to thank them. If you're in the audience as I call out your name, would you please stand."

(Appreciating the unsung sacrifices) Daryl Johnston, where are you? Will you please stand? You mean the world to me (tearing up) not just because we shared the same backfield, but because you sacrificed so much for me. People don't understand what it took to be a fullback in our system, the sacrifices you made not simply with your body but your whole spirit. You took care of me as though you were taking care of your little brother. Without you, without you, I know today would not have been possible. I love you from the bottom of my heart.

The rest is a playbook for success in life...

"Now let's talk about some specific steps I took that were critical to sustaining my vision. There's a difference between merely having a dream and fulfilling a vision. Most people only dream. I only not had my childhood dream, but I did everything in my power to fulfill it. For example, I wrote down my goals and how I was going to achieve them because Dwight Thomas used to tell us, It's only a dream until you write it down, and then it becomes a goal."

"Another critical principle is consistency. Consistency shows value. Consistency is necessary for trust, durability and longevity. You have to show up every week no matter how difficult the game or life might be."

"Next is balance. As I stated earlier, balance was the key to our success. We had all the balance you could possibly have. I exhibit balance in my personal life when I put my family in its proper place, and that is number one." (after God, of course)

"Some time ago I had an older person come up to me and he said, Do you know who is the greatest runningback out of Pensacola that nobody has ever seen? Well, I played in the National Football League and I had accomplished quite a bit. I thought perhaps he was talking about me. However, he went on to explain, your father was a heck of a runningback. This was a revelation to me. Of course, I knew my father had played ball, but I never knew he was that good. Now fast forward in time to February the 6th, the day before Super Bowl XXXXIV there we were, my father and I sitting together. When he turned to me and said, Son, I am so proud of you, I had dreams of doing what you're doing, but my mom got sick and I never did get a chance to go to college (talk about sacrifice!). He said, You're living my dreams, you're living my dream. And all I could think about was, I'm living your dream, I'm fulfilling my dream, and I'm fulfilling God's purpose for my life."

For Emmitt Smith to give that speech, there had to be sacrifices made. Some I'm sure we small and some very great, but sacrifices and plenty of them. He had to commit himself to his dream and refuse to fail. He had to acknowledge God's plan for his life. His parents had to clear the way for him to pursue his passion. His coaches had to mentor him and teach him what he would need to know to be his best, not only in football, but in life. His pro teammates had to support him as an integral part of the team reaching it's goal. They often supported him by sacrificing some of their own glory. Moose, in particular, made much of Emmitt's success possible as you read in that part of the speech.

To succeed we must personally sacrifice, we must have mentors who will impart their wisdom to us, we must have great leadership, and we must have the support and fellowship of those who share our vision and our dream. You are on a team...probably on many different teams in many different capacities across your life. You are critical to each of those teams' success, so dig in and get to work!