This week marks the 20th anniversary of Dallas Cowboys great Emmitt Smith breaking Chicago Bears legend Walter Payton's all-time rushing record of 16,726 yards. Of course, Smith wasn't quite finished yet; he played for 2½ more seasons, winding up with 18,355 rushing yards.
This is a milestone that is unlikely to ever be broken. For one thing, it's Emmitt Smith we're talking about. The man rushed for 1,000-yard seasons like clockwork basically forever. But the NFL also has changed quite a bit since then. Offenses don't focus on running backs like they used to, and playing as long as Smith did as a ball carrier is seemingly impossible.