Emmit Smith. Along with Barry Sanders, he was the picture of grace and style under pressure. Whenever he scored a touchdown, he would merely hand off the ball to the ref. No spiking, ball spinning, or dance steps. Pulling out a Sharpie to sign the ball (Like the unlamented TO) was completely foreign to the way he played the game. I remember it so clearly because here was a player that would let his accomplishment speak for themselves. He did not crave the limelight, he merely craved the accomplishment. Here's another leadership maxim for you - The true leader will let his accomplishments speak for themselves - he has no need to call attention to them. The flip side is also true - the more one calls attention to his accomplishments, the smaller they are.