Emmitt Smith scores with Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors®

Emmitt Smith, former Dallas Cowboy running back and Pro Football Hall of Famer, inspired a packed house at the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors® Annual Signature Event in Bethlehem last night.

“I always believed in my heart that my destiny was in football,” Smith said. His destiny, however, didn’t follow the path exactly the way he expected. “I wanted to be a quarterback because they’re the ones who touch the ball the most, make the most money, and the ladies like them the best,” he said. But his first coach saw potential in him to be a running back.

“People often told me that I wasn’t big enough or fast enough to play football but I ended up being good enough to become the all-time leading rusher,” he added. “Never let other people define who you are.”

He shared that when he left the Dallas Cowboys to play for the Arizona Cardinals, he realized his destiny and calling to play football was intertwined with the Cowboys. “It broke my heart to be dressing for a game in the visitor’s locker room,” he said. “My love for the sport had left me.”

After 15 years in the National Football League, Smith transitioned to a successful career in commercial real estate. He became interested in real estate after investing in property with Roger Staubach, a former NFL quarterback. “I looked at how much I was investing and how much they were making doing all the work and I thought, ‘I can do that,’” he said.

As a real estate developer, he enjoys considering big pad sites, looking at how it will work, the demographics of the area, and finding the formula to develop a retail shopping center that will meet the needs of consumers. “Real estate is one of the most fascinating games,” Smith said.

“My ultimate mission is to transform neighborhoods around the Dallas area,” he said. A Certified Commercial Investment Member, his businesses include: ESmith Legacy, a real estate development and asset management firm; EJ Smith Construction, a Dallas-based commercial and civil construction manager and general contractor; E Smith Realty Partners, a national commercial real estate services company; E Smith Capital Partners, commercial real estate equity and debt financing; and Prova Group, a mobile authentication company.

He said the keys to success in football are the same in his real estate career: consistency, commitment, dedication, focus and determination. “The challenges you face will make you realize how badly you want something,” he said.

Smith is also known for winning season three of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” with his dance partner Cheryl Burke. “My career in sports helped because we were interjecting techniques and skills,” he said. “Learning your craft becomes part of who we are.”

Following Smith’s presentation, GLVR auctioned a football autographed by Smith for $2,600 to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem.

.@EmmittSmith22 signed @dallascowboys ball was auction off for $2,600 benefitting the @BGCA_Clubs! #EmmittAndGLVR pic.twitter.com/ajrXAs4JBw

— PA Realtors® (@PARealtors) June 16, 2016