Florida vs. Michigan: Gators tab Emmitt Smith as honorary captain

The Florida Gators will turn to a person with some history in North Texas as their honorary captain for Saturday’s AdvoCare Classic in AT&T Stadium, the program announced Wednesday.

That will be Emmitt Smith, perhaps the greatest running back in NFL history.

Smith played for Florida in the late 1980s, racking up yardage as essentially the entire Gators offense through years in which the program was committing and then dealing with the effects of NCAA violations. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft, then went on to do a couple of things while wearing the team’s famous star.

I think? I dunno, it’s been a while since Smith won three Super Bowls, broke the NFL record for career rushing yards, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. People might have forgotten.

I kind of doubt the tens of thousands in attendance on Saturday will be among those people, however.

Opposing Smith for the coin flip: Michigan alum Tom Kartsotis, who founded the watch brand Fossil, and owns a brand development firm headquartered in Plano.

Advantage: Gators.