Warrick Dunn was usually the smallest player on the field. Everyone wanted him to play defensive back. LSU, Alabama, Illinois and yes, even Florida State, took a look at the 5-foot-9 Dunn and pictured him in the defensive backfield, not the offensive backfield.
 
Dunn idolized Tony Dorsett, as Cowboys games regularly aired on television in his native Louisiana more than Saints games did. He did it all in high school, but running back is where he saw his future, leading to a deal with Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles.
 
"He made a deal with me to play running back," Dunn said. "I told him if it didn't work out, I'd move to defensive back, and he said, 'Deal.'
 
"If it wasn't for Coach Bowden giving me the opportunity to play running back, I don't even think any of this stuff would be possible."
 
It's safe to say that that deal worked out great for everyone. Dunn raced to the Florida State record books as a freshman and never looked back, embarking on a legendary college and pro career while making an even bigger impact off the field. He is now the 11th member of Florida State's program to make the College Football Hall of Fame, joining his coach, Bowden, along with teammates Charlie Ward (2006) and Derrick Brooks (2016).
 
"It really just takes me back to my childhood, because when I think about it, being the smallest kid out there and having to prove those things, it's the things I learned earlier I think that really helped cultivate my game over the years," Dunn said of the honor. "My Pops' name is Maelen Brooks. And he coached me in Little League, and I wanted to play running back. And I played when I was 11. When I was 12, he moved me. He said, 'If you're going to score a touchdown this year, you're going to have to do it catching the ball, you're going to have to learn how to catch.'"
 
The Baton Rouge, La., native played a leading role during one of the most dominant stretches in college football history. Dunn was a freshman All-American in 1993, helping FSU claim its first national championship.
 
The Seminoles never finished lower than No. 4 in the final AP poll during any of Dunn's four seasons in Tallahassee — part of a remarkable stretch of 14 straight top-5 finishes during the Bowden era from 1987-2000.
 
The Seminoles went 43-5-1 during Dunn's career, including a 31-1 mark in ACC play and a 3-1 record in bowl games.
 
In keeping with his competitive spirit, that lone conference loss, in 1995, is what Dunn remembers most when asked to reflect on what he remembers most from his college career.
 
"The sad thing about it is the plays I didn't make I think about all the time in my football career," Dunn said. "Because there's always that would've, should've, could've. I know a game that sticks out as the one I didn't get the touchdown — they said I didn't get it, but I know I scored against Virginia on that Thursday night game. I was in, I dove ball-first. But they didn't have instant replay play then."
 
Dunn is being modest. He exited FSU as the program's all-time leading rusher (3,959), becoming the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three different seasons. Dunn added 132 career catches for 1,314 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.
 
Tampa Bay made Dunn the 12th overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, and he embarked on a 12-year career with the Buccaneers and Falcons that featured three Pro Bowl appearances. (Dunn is still a limited partner with the Falcons.)
 
All of that pales in comparison to Dunn's accomplishments away from the gridiron. His mother, Betty Smothers, was a Baton Rouge police officer who was murdered in 1993 while working as a security guard, and Dunn has used his platforms to give back to others.
 
Warrick Dunn Charities has established a number of programs — from "Homes for the Holidays" to "Count on Your Future" — designed to do everything from helping single mothers to teaching families about economic empowerment.
 
"I think early on I learned a lot from my mom, my grandmother, the way they tried to instill the values and how they raised me," Dunn said. "But when the incident happened with my mom, the city of Baton Rouge taught me what it means to care about your neighbor. From that I've just really taken where I grew up, the values and what I saw with my own eyes and just wanted to go and impact and help people and help kids not go through what I went through as a kid, losing someone that was a big influence."
 
WARRICK DUNN: UP CLOSE
 

• Named a First Team All-American in 1996, finishing fifth in the 1996 Heisman Trophy voting and ninth in 1995.
• Rushed 575 times for 3,959 yards and 37 touchdowns while catching 132 passes for 1,314 yards and 12 touchdowns during his career.
• Became first Florida State player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons while leading the Seminoles to the 1993 national title, an overall 43-5-1 record during his career and never finishing ranked lower than No. 4.
• Played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden.
• Becomes the ninth Florida State player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.