Emmitt Smith Says Best Dad Thing Ever After Son Chooses Stanford

Emmitt Smith, the ex-Dallas Cowboy who’s the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, played college football at the University of Florida. But his son E.J. Smith wasn’t about to fill his dad’s cleats there.

The young Smith, a standout running back at Jesuit Dallas high school, chose Stanford University over his pop’s alma mater on national signing day Wednesday.

The elder Smith reacted the way you hoped a father would.

“At the end of the day, my son has his own journey,” the Hall of Famer said in the Twitter clip above. “And it is his journey, not my journey.”

“For him to do the things that is best for him, is what we teach all of our children,” Smith added. “To find what is best for you, and go make it happen for yourself. And I’m proud of him for standing up and being the man that he is, the man that he will continue to become.”