Coral Gables, Fla. ? Jarrett Payton remembers sitting at the head of the table and making eye contact with Emmitt Smith.

Payton would have been happy with a wave, a smile or even a nod. He got much more attention. Smith left his wife and kids, pulled up a chair and spent the evening talking with the son of Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton.

Jarrett and Smith hardly knew each other when the NFL veteran was given the Spirit of Sweetness Award in July. But they since have become close friends a bond Walter Payton envisioned before his death in 1999.

And Jarrett Payton couldn’t think of a more perfect person to break his father’s 15-year-old NFL rushing record of 16,726 yards.

Smith needs 93 yards to pass that mark. It could happen Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

“A couple of years ago I didn’t want anybody to do it,” said Jarrett Payton, a junior tailback for No. 1 Miami. “But if anybody is going to do it, I would like it to be Emmitt, because he’s a great guy.”

When the record is broken, he plans to be one of the first to call and congratulate the 33-year-old Smith.

“People close to me don’t want to see him break it,” Payton said. “They get all upset. They think I’m going to get upset. But that’s just not how I am.”

Not with a friend.

Payton and Smith call each other a few times a month, sharing stories about football and life. Payton called Smith before Miami played Florida in September and assured the NFL star that the Hurricanes were going to dismantle his alma mater.

After the game, he called again to point out to Smith that Miami did.

Smith tried to call Payton several times in recent weeks, but got a message saying his mailbox was full. Smith then complained to Payton’s mother, Connie, who quickly tracked down Payton. And not long after, he called Smith back.

They even have nicknames for each other: Payton calls Smith “22,” his NFL jersey number. Smith calls Payton by his initials.

“I told him whenever he needs anything to give me a call,” Smith said. “He calls me, and I check on him.”

Their relationship isn’t by chance. Walter Payton planned it just before he died, handpicking Smith to watch over his son.

“We were talking one day and he said, ‘E, I want you to do me a favor,”‘ Smith said. “I said, ‘What is it? Anything you want.’ He said, ‘I just want you to talk to my son Jarrett. I want you to talk to him and be there for him as much as you possibly can.’ I said, ‘Wow. OK. I’ll do that. No problem.’

“That’s a relationship that he wanted me to actually spend some time with, and I’ve done that.”

They talked several times, but the bond really started to strengthen this summer in Chicago after the Payton family gave Smith the second annual Spirit of Sweetness Award. It began at the dinner table with just a glance.

“He said, ‘I’m going to be someone you can talk to. If you ever need somebody, I’m going to be here,”‘ Payton said. “That’s when he just resembled my dad in a way. It kind of scared me, the way he talked to me, the way he was, and the way he joked around. He’s just been a help for me. There’s other things that drive him besides football, and that’s what I like.”

And that’s why Payton has no problem with Smith breaking the record a feeling he believes his father would share.