Emmitt Smith is the Father of the Year for Wanting His Son EJ to Forge His Own Football Path

Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith is known as one of the best running backs to ever grace the sport. The NFL's all-time rushing yards leader was a skillful player with an indomitable will, but he was a similar forced to be reckoned with in college, owning 58 school football records at the end of his time at the University of Florida despite only playing three years.

Fast forward to 2019, where Emmitt's son, EJ, entered the early signing period with a big college decision to make. Eventually, EJ Smith chose to go to Stanford over a slew of potential destinations that included Florida. So, did that land him in hot water with his dad?

Not at all. Not only did Emmitt encourage his son to explore other options, but he fully supported his choice to pick the place that made him happiest, emphasizing Wednesday that EJ's football journey was his, and his alone.

Even though EJ did not choose to attend his famous father's alma mater, Emmitt pledged to continue to mentor him and help him to learn what it takes to become great. Kudos to Emmitt for supporting his son's quest to forge his own name rather than clinging to dad's legacy, putting ego aside in the process.

A lesser man might not have gone about today's proceedings with such grace.

Emmitt Smith has shown that not only is he a winner on the football field -- he's a three-time Super Bowl champion -- but he is also a champion father off the field, showing parents everywhere the right way to raise a kid.