When Emmitt Smith was drafted out of Florida by Jimmy Johnson in 1990, he showed up to meet his Dallas Cowboys teammates in a yellow T-shirt and multicolored overalls that left Michael Irvin shaking his head.
"I remember him first walking in with the and I thought, 'Where'd we get this guy?' " Irvin recalled. "I was like, 'Man, this is a small guy.' But when he took that football field, it was like he turned into Superman."
The Hall of Fame running back has watched from afar as Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow's play has divided onlookers into two camps: Love him or hate him.
It's clear where Smith stands.
"I like his spirit," he told "The Dan Patrick Show" on Wednesday. "I like the way he approaches the game. He's a competitor. He's not a quitter. He's a winner. He wants to get better."
Smith told Patrick he would have loved to play with Tebow, saying: "He's a great person."
Emmitt sees something to like in the young Tebow. Perhaps a little bit of that same on-field magic that silenced the running back's own doubters once he ditched the Hammer pants for shoulder pads.