AUBURN, Ala. – A 6-2, 220-pound high school running back in Louisiana in 1998, Reggie Torbor was tough to tackle.
"If I couldn't run around them, I just ran over them," he said.
Joe Pannunzio, at the time an assistant coach at Ole Miss, tried to recruit Torbor to the Rebels before leaving for Auburn after the '98 season when the Tigers hired Tommy Tuberville as head coach.
"We had a good relationship," Torbor said. "I said, 'I like you, but I'm never coming to Ole Miss.' It couldn't have been a few weeks later, he shows up and he had on an Auburn shirt, and he was like, 'How about Auburn?' I said, 'Now we can talk.' The rest is history."
Torbor's dream of being the next Bo Jackson ended quickly with a position switch to defensive line shortly after his arrival at Auburn.
The change worked out well for both parties. After redshirting in 1999, Torbor lettered from 2000-03, recording 18.5 sacks, ranking seventh all-time at Auburn.
As a senior in 2003, Torbor tallied 9.5 sacks, tied for 10th in program season history. In Auburn's 28-21 win vs. Tennessee that year, Torbor was credited with four quarterback hurries, a game he remembers fondly for its decibel level.
"People ask me what's the loudest I've heard Jordan-Hare," he said. "Against Tennessee my senior year, I have never heard that place so loud. It was the most fun that we've ever had. You literally couldn't hear the person next to you. The fans were fired up that game."
Many of Torbor's teammates would go on to join him in professional football.
"We grew up together," he said. "Most of us stayed together for five years. You get there as an 18-year-old kid and we left when we were 23. Lots of maturation, lots of trials, lots of tribulation.
"I think that's why we were able to be so successful because we went through so much in college, by the time we got to the NFL, we were a lot more mature than other rookies.
"We weren't five-star highly rated guys. We were three, four-star guys. We prided ourselves on being blue-collar guys and we just worked. We put our nose down, no one expected anything of us, and we just beat people."
Torbor's arrival at Auburn coincided with that of Rev. Chette Williams, Auburn's team chaplain, a bond that remains strong two decades later.
"He means so much to me," Torbor said. "I was a man who didn't have much faith when I got to Auburn. I was starting to come to points where I couldn't will my way through them. That created the perfect combination for us to have a great foundation."
After Auburn, Torbor won a Super Bowl XLII ring with the New York Giants in his fourth season, somewhat surprising considering the organization showed little public interest before drafting Torbor in the fourth round in 2004.
"Had never talked to them one time," Torbor remembered. "No meetings, no visits, nothing. It all worked out. It was a blessing."
Torbor credits hall of famer Michael Strahan with mentoring him when Reggie was a rookie.
Team Torbor (l/r): RJ, Cameron, Reggie & Michelle
"He said, 'You're not in college anymore,'" Torbor recalled. "'This is a business. One day soon, they'll show every person in here the door. When that day comes, you better make sure you're ready.'
"I was always able to understand to take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime. That was my mindset my entire time playing ball. I always wanted to learn more, know more, be responsible, and never give anyone a reason to question my commitment and desire."
After eight seasons in the NFL, shoulder injuries hastened Torbor's retirement, beginning his post-football career as a personal development manager for Brasfield & Gorrie construction in Birmingham.
"I get to invest and build our culture," he said, "so we can go out and do a better job for our communities and our clients that we serve. The same things that made me successful playing ball are the same things that are needed to be successful in life."
Reggie met his wife, Michelle, during his junior year at Auburn. They recently celebrated their 15th anniversary while raising sons, Reggie Jr. (RJ), age 14, and 13-year-old Cameron.
Last season, Torbor returned to his alma mater, the guest speaker at a Football Friday luncheon at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
"When you're playing at Auburn, you don't always see the ramifications, the people and the passion. You're just playing ball," he said. "To go through the program, play ball, have a career, start a family, then come back and see that, it's just amazing."
Twenty years after the converted running back first made a name for himself on the defensive line, Reggie Torbor says Auburn's family feel still sets the program and university apart.
"There are lots of places with football programs and nice stadiums. You can go get a good education at a lot of places, let's not fool ourselves," he said. "But the thing that separates us is the people. That's the thing I think is special about Auburn."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer