Pensacola native Emmitt Smith's father passes after lifetime serving family, community

NFL Hall of Famer and Pensacola native Emmitt Smith III announced Tuesday night on Twitter that his father, Emmitt James Smith II, had passed away.

In the Twitter post, the younger Smith wrote, "The man who inspired me to play the game of football has transitioned to be the lord. I will miss your timely advice but will hold on to the things you and my first love taught me, my brothers and sisters. (Love) U Pop."

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The elder Emmitt Smith was a long-time Escambia County Area Transit bus driver who dedicated his life to public service.

Escambia County Commission Chairman Lumon May noted Smith's passing Thursday and said he had been in contact with his family.

"Our prayers are with them," May said.

"Emmitt and Willie Carter and so many of our drivers who've been there 40 years, they don't drive because they have to, they drive because they want to. Because they see it as their service and their ministry," May said.

Commissioner Steven Barry said Smith spent his career in public service even when he didn't have to.

"Emmitt certainly had the opportunity to not work for some number of years, for probably post-1990ish, but he chose to," Barry said. "… That's a special type of person that continues in public service when they don't financially have to. It's like hitting the lottery and continuing at your work for years and years afterward. There's not a lot of people that are going to do that. So, I think that's both a testament to his character and his humble nature."

At the time of his father's retirement in 2015, Emmitt Smith III wrote, "Congratulations to a man who has worked his hardest in all things and set an amazing example for each of us!"

In his youth, the elder Smith had been a talented running back in his own right, and but he gave up sports to care for his family.

Emmitt Smith III credited his father as the one who inspired him to play football.

In his 2010 Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, Smith dedicated his successes to his father and family.

"The day before Super Bowl XLIV, there we were, my father and I, sitting together when he turned to me and said, 'Son, I am so proud of you. I had dreams of doing what you're doing, but my mom got sick and I never did get a chance to go to college.' He said, 'You're living my dreams, you're living my dream.' And all I could think about was, I'm living your dream, I'm fulfilling my dream and I'm fulfilling God's purpose for my life.

"Now when I go into the hall today, I'm not going in alone. You see, I'm carrying my grandfather, I'm carrying my father and I'm carrying my son along with me, because I bear all of their names."

The younger Smith boasted one of professional football's all-time-greatest careers, retiring as a three-time Super Bowl champ, a six-time All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowler. He led the league in rushing four different seasons, led in rushing touchdowns three times, was Offensive Rookie of the Year, was a Super Bowl MVP.

Pensacola News Journal reporter Jim Little and USA TODAY NETWORK reporter Ted Brock contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Emmitt Smith, Pensacola native, Dallas Cowboy loses father