Football Legend Emmitt Smith to be Celebrity Endorser for World-Renowned Arthur Murray Dance Studios

Football Legend Emmitt Smith to be Celebrity Endorser for World-Renowned Arthur Murray Dance Studios

Smith and his Real Life Dance Partner, Pat, Take the Lead on Showing Couples the Benefits of Dancing

CORAL GABLES, Fla., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur Murray International has announced that football legend Emmitt Smith will become a Celebrity Endorser for the iconic ballroom dance schools. Smith, the NFL's All-Time leading rusher and three-time Super Bowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys, crossed over into the world-wide mainstream as a skillful ballroom dancer when he and dance partner Cheryl Burke won ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Fall 2006 competition.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070718/CLW076 )

"When Emmitt and Cheryl won the Dancing with the Stars title, people were amazed that a pro football legend could learn to dance, no matter how unlikely it seemed that he could be light on his feet," said Thomas D. Murdock, Vice President Marketing and Promotions for Arthur Murray International. "That's why we thought Emmitt would be the perfect spokesperson for Arthur Murray Dance Studios. The entire world loved watching Emmitt challenge every stereotype of men and ballroom dancing. When he's on the dance floor, Emmitt moves with style and grace, proving that any man can learn to dance."

As a Celebrity Endorser, Emmitt and his wife, Pat, will be featured in TV commercials, print media and radio spots sharing the benefits of learning to dance. Pat Smith is an actress and the former Miss Virginia.

Emmitt's dedication to achieving results is legendary, both in his professional football career and in his personal life. For twelve years Emmitt helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl Championships, lead the NFL in rushing four times, was the league MVP in 1993, MVP of Super Bowl XXVIII and made eight Pro Bowl appearances. In addition, Emmitt was the first player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and on October 27, 2002 he surpassed Walter Payton's all-time Leading Rushing Record of 16,726 yards to become the NFL's All-Time Leading Rusher. He will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on July 21 and is eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010. Today Emmitt is a television analyst with ESPN and serves as President of SmithCypress Partners, a commercial real estate business. He resides in Dallas with his wife Pat and their four children.

Arthur Murray Dance Studios can be found throughout America and Canada and in Australia, Brazil, Italy, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, South Africa, Japan, and Puerto Rico. For more information about ballroom dance, visit http://www.arthurmurray.com/.

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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070718/CLW076
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN14
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Source: Arthur Murray International

CONTACT: Shari Goldstein for Arthur Murray International,
+1-631-595-7150, shari@goldsteinpr.com; or Thomas D. Murdock of Arthur Murray
International, +1-305-445-9645, tommurdock@arthurmurray.com

Web site: http://www.arthurmurray.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: Additional photos of Emmitt Smith may be found here http://idisk.mac.com/advertisingmiami-Public

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Profile: International Entertainment