The National Football League has had a history filled with great running backs: Barry Sanders, O.J. Simpson, Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson. Of course, you can never overlook Emmitt Smith and Walter "Sweetness" Payton. Through the course of both of their careers they have shown many similarities and differences.
             There are many similarities between Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. Both Smith and Payton set school and NCAA records. Payton broke into the starting lineup during his freshman year and he finished his Jackson Sate career with a whopping 464 points: an NCAA Division II scoring record that would not be broken until 1998. Smith set records during his college career as well. In his first start as a freshman, he responded by rushing for a school-record 224 yards on 39 carries and two touchdowns. In his seventh game, he passed the 1,000-yard mark faster than any other runner in college football history. Payton and Smith also set records at the NFL level. Walter Payton held the NFL's all-time rushing record for almost two decades. Not until 2002, when Emmitt Smith rushed passed him, was Payton knocked down from the top spot in the record book. Payton also rushed for 275 yards in one game – an NFL record that would last for 23 years. Emmitt Smith, as mentioned earlier now has the NFL career rushing record with 17,021 yards as of November 29, 2002. Owner Jerry Jones signed Smith to a four-year, $13.6 million contract, which, at the time, made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. In 1995, Smith broke the NFL record for touchdowns with 25 (all running) and regained the rushing title for that year with a franchise record 1,773 yards. Emmitt and Walter were great players who shared many likenesses.
             Despite being so much alike, Smith and Payton were different in just as many ways as they were alike. Even though they both went to respectable colleges, Smi
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