With his quick wit and timely one-liners, Texas A&M running back Dante Hall has long been known as a bit of a comedian. But, despite what his high school coaches may have thought at the time, Hall wasn't looking for laughs one late-August afternoon eight years ago.

Then a freshman at Aldine Nimitz High School, Hall was looking for a new pair of cleats. And he was dead serious about his request.

"It was equipment day, and we were handing out new shoes to our varsity players," Nimitz head coach Burnis Simon recalled. "Then along comes Dante, a freshman who probably stood about 4-foot-5, maybe 4-foot-6 at the time. He comes up and says, 'Hey, those are the shoes I want.'

"We explained to this little guy that these shoes were for the varsity players, not freshmen. Then Dante said, 'Well, I'm good enough to play on the varsity right now.' All the coaches just burst into laughter. But then, when he went out and returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in his first game, all of us coaches kind of looked around at each other like, ‘Hmmm, maybe this kid could play on the varsity right now.' He pretty much amazed us all right away."

Little has changed since that time. Hall is still small, he's still scoring touchdowns in bunches, and he's still amazing coaches, opponents, teammates and fans. In fact, "amazing" may be the only word that does justice to his running style, especially in the open field.

With a spin and a swivel, a burst and blast, or a juke and a jive, Hall can turn nothing into something and can make something extraordinary out of the most ordinary plays. He's left the best defenders grasping at air and caused countless defensive coordinators to pull out their hair.

"The things Dante does on the field sometimes defy logic and probably physics, too," A&M senior tight end Dan Campbell said. "It looks like he'll be down, and then he'll zig, zag and zoom out of the pile. I don't know how many times I've seen him make a run that is just nothing short of incredible. And I don't know where we'd be without him."

That's something most Texas A&M fans would rather not ponder. At 5-foot-8 -- and that may be stretching it -- Hall is one of the smallest players on the A&M roster. But perhaps no player has had a bigger impact on the Aggies' recent success than the diminutive, dynamic and often dazzling junior.

In 1997, for example, Hall missed the majority of two regular-season games with an injured knee. Not coincidentally, those were the only two regular-season games the Aggies lost.

In games when Hall had at least eight carries last year, the Aggies went 10-0. In those games when Hall had less than eight carries, however, A&M was 0-4.

This year, the A&M offense got off to a less-than-spectacular start, ranking 100th or lower in total productivity through the first four games of the season. In those games, Hall, who was slowed somewhat by nagging back and calf injuries, averaged just 12.5 carries and 62.5 yards per game.

Then in the fifth game of the season, the Aggies' season seemed to be crumbling, as Kansas took a 21-17 lead late in the fourth quarter. In desperate need of some kind of spark, A&M naturally turned to Hall, who almost single-handily willed the Aggies to a 24-21 victory that rescued the season and began A&M's dramatic turnaround.

Against the Jayhawks, Hall carried 35 times for 178 yards, despite seeing a 65-yard touchdown run called back because of a penalty. Hall also capped the game-winning drive with 3-yard touchdown run -- his third score of the day -- with less than four minutes left in the contest.

Since that game, the Aggies have soared in the polls, and the offense has roared back to respectability. And not surprisingly, Hall has been the catalyst of it all. In leading the Aggies to consecutive wins over Kansas, Nebraska and Baylor, Hall carried 84 times for 428 yards and five touchdowns.

Quite simply, the little man is A&M's main man. And as Hall goes, so go the Aggies.

"He just makes things happen," A&M quarterback Randy McCown said of Hall. "He's such an energizing force, especially when he makes one of those big runs. He is, without a doubt, our spark plug."

STRAIGHT TALK

Immediately following Texas A&M's lethargic performance in a 28-9 victory over North Texas on Sept. 26, a disgusted Dante Hall stepped into the postgame interview room at Kyle Field and declared the Aggies' offensive performance "pathetic."

While Hall can beat a defense in numerous ways, he will never, ever beat around the bush. Most often, he is a playful, grinning wise-cracker, whose refreshing sense of humor has made him a media favorite and a possible Seinfeld replacement.

But there are times -- especially after a loss or a poor performance — when the fun-loving Hall becomes daunting Dante, a stone-faced straight-shooter who isn't afraid to say what's on his mind. He didn't ask to become one of the team's vocal leaders. In fact, he says he'd prefer to let his actions speak for themselves.   Sometimes, though, tough talk is what a team needs. And Hall is willing to supply it.

"Hey, I was boiling inside after the North Texas game," Hall said. "The way we played, that was totally ridiculous. Something needed to be said, because some of our guys weren't putting forth the effort that we needed to be successful. I like to laugh and joke and have a good time and all that stuff, but I came here to win football games. And if I need to say something to somebody, I'll say it."

Hall picked up that personality trait from his mother, Carolyn, who refers to herself as painfully honest and brutally blunt. "People don't have to guess where I'm coming from," Carolyn Hall said. "And I taught Dante to be the same way, to speak his mind. People might not always like what you have to say, but they'll respect you for being honest. That's the way I raised Dante, and I'm very proud of the way he's turned out."

Hall is equally as proud of his mother, who has had the biggest influence on his life. Like her son, Carolyn Hall is quick-witted and possesses a genuinely engaging personality. She laughs easily, counts her blessings constantly, thanks God consistently and appears to be enjoying life like never before.

Carolyn, who works as a passport supervisor in the Houston area, is engaged to be married and spends much of her spare time attending football games. On Thursday nights, she is in the stands to watch her youngest son, De'Undre, a sophomore cornerback at Aldine Nimitz. And on Saturdays, Carolyn never misses an A&M game.

"I go to all of them," she says proudly. "Every home game, every road game, even the (Kickoff Classic) in New York. I had a ball on that trip, even though I probably only got two-and-a-half hours sleep every night. I did Atlantic City, Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and just about every place in between. I feel very fortunate that I have this opportunity (to travel) now, and I'm really enjoying it because I'm spending time with my son."

Carolyn Hall wasn't always afforded such luxuries. She and Hall's father divorced when Dante was young, and she raised him, his older sister and his younger brother in the projects of Lufkin. And even when she had the opportunity to get out of the projects, it came with a price. She moved to the Houston area in 1986 -- when Dante was a fourth-grader -- but had to leave her children with relatives in Lufkin for a short time before she could afford to bring them with her.

Through it all, though, Carolyn and Dante developed an even tighter bond. In fact, he says the main reason he signed with the Aggies was because of his mother.

He wanted to go to a school that was close enough to Houston that his mother could see him play every game. She, of course, wanted him to go to a school that was straight-forward and honest with him. Texas A&M met both criteria.

"To be real honest, one of the main reasons I came here was because of my mother," said Hall, who had first made an oral commitment to Missouri. "I was young and naive, and I had these schools telling me that I was the only guy they were looking at, and that I would be the only go-to guy at running back.

"But A&M was real straight with me. They didn't make a bunch of bogus promises they couldn't keep. They just said that if I came here, I would get a fair shot. That's what I wanted, and that appealed to me and my mother."

SUDDEN IMPACT

Dante Hall arrived in College Station prior to the 1996 season without much fanfare. After all, the Aggies already appeared to have a full house in the backfield, with four promising sophomores -- tailbacks Sirr Parker and Eric Bernard and fullbacks D'Andre Hardeman and Marc Broyles -- returning. How would any true freshman possibly fit into that rotation?

Besides, on the surface, Hall's high school numbers -- 900 yards rushing as a senior -- seemed rather unspectacular. In comparison, Bernard rushed for 2,167 yards as a high school senior, and Hardeman entered A&M after picking up 1,729 yards during his final prep season.

But sometimes numbers fail to tell the whole story. And that was certainly the case with Hall. His senior-season rushing totals take on a whole new meaning when it's explained that Hall played in only seven games because of a broken foot.

"He played in the first three games of his senior season and then broke a small bone in his foot," Burnis Simon said. "But the most amazing thing about that is when he came back, he carried the ball six times for 131 yards against Eisenhower. I'm telling you, the guy was amazing. There are so many stories I could tell."

Like, for example, Hall's first varsity start. Although only a sophomore, Hall played like a seasoned veteran, rushing for 280 yards against Humble. It wasn't until he got back on the bus after the game that he showed any sign of his age.

"He comes up to me after this incredible performance in his first varsity start and asks me what time we're going to get back to the fieldhouse," Simon said. "I said, 'Why, are you taking medicine or something?' He told me, without hesitating, that he just wanted to know because he wanted to go play video games."

Hall had a super sophomore season followed by sensational junior year. Major colleges across the country began sending him letters as a junior, but many of those same schools backed away when he was injured as a senior.

Not Texas A&M, though. The Aggies liked Hall's toughness and loved his moves. So, Hall became A&M's only running back signee in the 1996 recruiting class. Of course, with A&M's stable of talented running backs already in fold, most people figured it would be a while before Dante Hall would make his presence known.

Hall, however, thought differently.

"I knew about all the great running backs at A&M before I came here," Hall said. "And I knew there was an outside chance that I could be redshirted, but I also believed I could help this team right away, and that was a my goal."

Mission accomplished. Not only did Hall play, but he also played so well in 1996 that he was selected as Big 12 Freshman of the Year. And as return specialist, Hall made The Sporting News' Freshman All-American team and was a first-team All-Big 12 pick.

Hall returned 43 punts for 573 yards to lead the nation in both categories. He rushed for 642 yards on just 92 carries, breaking the school record by averaging 7.0 yards per rush. (He broke that record last year by averaging 7.3 per carry.) And he led the team in all-purpose yards, averaging 10.2 yards every time he touched the football.

Perhaps most importantly, though, Hall gave the Aggie fans reason to believe that brighter times were not far away. In the midst of a dismal 6-6 season, A&M desperately needed a positive focal point for its future. And on offense, Dante Hall certainly fit the bill.

STAR QUALITY

Around the nation, Texas A&M is widely viewed as a team without much star power. To the crowds at Kyle Field, however, two players cast a radiant maroon glow that is powerful enough to light Bonfire on a rainy night.

On defense, there's all-everything senior linebacker Dat Nguyen, a Butkus and Lombardi Awards semifinalist who will soon become the leading tackler in Texas A&M history. And on offense, there's do-it-all Hall, one of the most electrifying, elusive and exciting running backs ever to play for the Aggies.

Even those dates, spouses and children who come to Kyle Field knowing little about football tend to leave with a lasting impression of Dat and Dante. They are, after all, virtually impossible to miss. Both players routinely make spectacular plays that turn heads and turn games around. Both are people-oriented fan favorites. And both players tend to amaze each other.

Hall calls Nguyen one of the best collegiate linebackers he's ever seen. Nguyen says of Hall: "I wouldn't have nearly as many tackles as I do if I had to always try to tackle him. He's really amazing sometimes." Indeed he is, and what's truly amazing is how little the rest of the country knows of Dante Hall. While Nguyen has received a considerable amount of national exposure in recent years, Hall remains as one of the most underrated running backs in the country.

Some college football insiders have pointed out that Hall's numbers -- 2,298 career rushing yards through this year's Baylor game -- aren't sensational. But here again, that number alone doesn't paint an accurate picture.

During his first two seasons -- and during the first half of this season — Hall spilt time with two and sometimes three other tailbacks. And through the Baylor game, Hall has averaged 6.4 yards per carry throughout his career. That tops the collegiate career average of Tony Dorsett, Charles White, Herschel Walker, Archie Griffin and Darren Lewis, to name a few.

And perhaps even more impressive than the amount of total yards is the excitement Hall creates in virtually every run. He has legs similar to Earl Campbell, moves much like Barry Sanders, the power of Emmitt Smith and the explosiveness of Walter Payton. And yet, Hall's style is all his own.

"I can't really explain it," Hall said of his running style. "It's not something I practice or think about. Sometimes, I'll even look at myself make a move on film and think, 'How did I do that?' My only explanation is that it's purely God-given. I give Him all the credit, because it's a gift.

"I'm just trying to use what He gave me to the best of my abilities and help this team win football games."

Hall, of course, already has played a key role in helping the Aggies win nearly two dozen games since he first arrived at A&M in 1996. But one win, in particular, caused Hall to re-evaluate some of his goals for this year and beyond.

Hall entered this season wanting to win an outright Big 12 title before he left Texas A&M. But after the Aggies beat defending co-national champion Nebraska -- a game in which Hall rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown -- Hall made a modification to his goals list.

"I still want to win a Big 12 championship," he said, "but I also want to win a national title. I want that big ring."

If that happens, Hall will almost certainly receive the national media attention that has thus far eluded him. After all, based on Texas A&M's recent history, if that happens, it will largely be because of Dante Hall.

"I wouldn't bet against anything he puts his mind to," Simon said. "He wants to play in the pros, and I have absolutely no doubt that he will. And if he's talking about a national title, I wouldn't laugh it off. I learned a lesson about laughing at him way back when he was wanting those new shoes."