It would be awfully easy to say that Shelly Hammonds invalidates the negative stereotypes of college athletes.

Cocky, self-glorifying, steroid-pumping, class-failing dumb jocks. Sadly, these generalizations do apply to some in the ranks of college football. The same can't be said of Hammonds.

The Lions' senior cornerback and return man does more than just shatter the negative perceptions, however. He reinforces the positives. With his play and with his demeanor, Hammonds is a welcome reminder of what a student-athlete can be.

So what sets Hammonds apart? Ask his teammates. Or his coaches. Or his friends. There, you'll see what makes Hammonds unique. It's the simple fact that no one has a bad thing to say about him.

With that in mind, here are the Top Ten Things You Should Know About Shelly Hammonds:

Shelly Hammonds just wants to help his team. It's been that way for as long as anyone can remember.

"He is the epitome of a team man," said Mac Wier, Hammonds' football coach at Barnwell High School in Barnwell, S.C. "The group we had won back-to-back state championships. He was the leader of that group."

While in high school, Hammonds had ample opportunity to lead his team. Named the South Carolina AA Player of the Year following his senior campaign, Hammonds was Mr. Everything for Barnwell, playing on both sides of the ball.

"He never came off the field -- literally," Wier said.

Upon his arrival at Penn State, however, Hammonds became only one of the dozens of talented athletes donning the blue and white. So ended his career as Mr. Everything.

After seeing limited action early in his redshirt freshman season, Hammonds was moved to tailback to pick up the slack left by injuries in the backfield. Being on offense was no problem for Hammonds. Not actually playing was.

"I came here to play football, and I felt like I could play a lot of positions," Hammonds said. "I just wanted to do something to help."

No, it's got nothing to do with football. And he's no Deion or Bo. But a darn good centerfielder, who's had tryouts with both the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, Hammonds is still dedicated to the national pastime.

"Baseball's still my number one love, as far as just having fun," Hammonds said. "I even had a chance to play with the pros, but I figured I had a chance to get an education and come to college playing football, and I took that route."

The transition.

It hasn't been easy. Hammonds' specialty was running with the ball, making the other guys miss, Defensively, his skill and athleticism got him by.

That was then.

He'll be the first to tell you how much work he had to do. He's done his share of chasing receivers, and he knows what it's like to get burned.

"Last year I was kind of undisciplined," Hammonds admitted. "I think one of the biggest things last year was getting caught out of postion. I still know I have some improving to do. But I think I've come a long way."

"He wasn't before, but he's a great cover man now," backfield mate Lee Rubin said. The senior safety has watched his close friend blossom into a solid defender, and he knows how much he's had to work. "It's something he had to learn," Rubin added.

He still gets his chances.

Every once in a while, on a kick-off return, after an interception, Hammonds finds the ball in his hands. And the instincts come back.

He's got the ball. The painted turf of the end zone is in view. Hammonds is a runner once again.

"Anytime I get the ball in my hands, something takes over," Hammonds said. "I guess that offensive side will always be there."

If anyone ever forgets about that offensive side, they need only to remember three years ago. Hammonds, the redshirt freshman, the cornerback-turned-running back, got the call against Boston College when Leroy Thompson and Gary Brown went down with injuries.

His first half numbers: Five carries, 17 yards.

His second half numbers: 19 carries, 191 yards, two touchdowns. Wow.

"The B.C. game -- it was a shock to me just like it was to everyone else," Hammonds said. "I never expected to do that."

Mac Wier probably wasn't all that surprised.

"Even in middle school, the coaches would tell me, 'This is what's coming up, this is your next tailback,' " Wier remembered. "What he's got is the most uncanny ability as a tailback, cutting back and finding the seam. It's not just the speed -- there are guys out there who are faster than Shelly -- it's more than that."

Hammonds has heard the murmurs -- that if he'd stayed on offense, he be a Heisman Trophy candidate today. The next great Penn State tailback.

"I know I can still do it, and I know that's something I can't play down," Hammonds admitted. "I know there's the possibility that I could have been a very good tailback."

But for now, he is satisfied with those rare moments when he can unleash his offensive explosion -- like during kick-off returns. Hammonds leads the conference and is second in the nation in kick-off returns, averaging 35.6 yards per return.

Not bad for a defensive back.

One of Hammonds' darkest moments as a Nittany Lion came after last year's Miami and Boston College games. The contests that everyone point to as the turning point of the '92 campaign.

"The Miami game last year was probably one of the biggest games of my career," Hammonds said. "It sort of changed my whole outlook on football -- showing what it takes to be a leader, and showing what it takes to be a complete team."

Looking back now, Hammonds can use that period as a learning experience. At the time, however, it was no joy ride for him or the team.

After the incredible disappointment of Miami, and the ensuing loss to B.C., it became obvious that trouble was brewing in the the Lions' camp. Hammonds took it upon himself to address the problems he saw.

"I think we had a little problem where people got their feelings hurt," Hammonds said immediately after the 35-32 loss to Boston College. "People have got to learn to deal with certain things that are said."

Hammonds's comments were representative of much of the team, but he shouldered the brunt of the response. It's a lesson neither he nor the team have forgotten.

"Last year brought us together," Hammonds said. "We're just trying to put this whole thing behind us, and prove to people that this is not the same team it was last year."

He owes it all to his mother.

It was obvious long ago that Hammonds would be a great athlete, and that his ability would one day lead to a college scholarship. The perfect ingredients to cause a young man to forsake the books in high school.

Shelly's mother wouldn't let that happen.

"My mom always pushed me to do well," Hammonds said. "She always pushed the books. If I came home with a 'C', I'd tell her 'But mom, it was one of the highest grades.' She'd say, 'I don't care if it was one of the highest grades. If you want to go to college, you've got to do better.' "

"I appreciate everything she's done," Hammonds said. "She's pushed me a long way."

Joe Paterno and his recruiters knew what they were doing when they courted Shelly Hammonds.

Even if they knew nothing else about the young man, his stats would have been enough. Three thousand career rushing yards and 47 touchdowns as a scholastic star, plus 20 interceptions on the other side of the ball.

The ability has carried over, and so have the stats. Assuming he's never recruited to rejoin the offense, Hammonds' career rushing stats will leave him with a gaudy 6.2 yards per carry average. Defensively, he's nabbed three interceptions and logged 52 tackles in his year-and-a-half as a cornerback.

Offense. Defense. It doesn't seem to matter. Hammonds has proven himself in every aspect of the game.

In early 1991, two significant events occured in Hammonds' life. While he was preparing to don the pads for spring practice, his brother, Michael, was preparing to don the camoflage uniform of a U.S. soldier in the Persian Gulf War.

"During that time, it was my redshirt freshman year, and I had that 200-yard game," Hammonds recalled. "But he was over there in the war, and that just made it seem so little. Because this is nothing but a game, and he was over there playing the game of life, the real game."

That time provided a wake-up call for Hammonds. Having the man whom he calls both a father figure and a best friend on the firing line gave Hammonds a chilling reminder of the fragility of life, a reminder that put college football and everything else into perspective.

"I guess when you think about stuff like that, you have to get down on your knees and thank God," Hammonds said humbly. "I'm just happy that he's back."

As much as he dotes on baseball, Hammonds can't get enough of college football.

"I can tell you, I would sit down on Saturday and watch college football from whatever time the first SEC game came on until 10, 11 o'clock at night," Hammonds reminisced. "I remember sitting at home, 10 or 11 years old, and saying, 'Hey, I'm going to be there one day.' And I never thought the dream would come true, but it did."

And the number one thing you should know about Shelly Hammonds (insert drum roll here).

Wier will have the final say on this one. The coach who has seen Hammonds progress from a high school phenom to a solid major college football player, and possibly an NFL pick this spring, has also seen the part of Hammonds that has not changed. The person.

"The last time I saw him was Christmas, and I can tell you, he's no different now from the day he left," Wier said, not unlike a proud father. "When you look back and remember a kid, you remember how good they were, and you remember winning. But when I think of Shelly, the first thing that comes to mind is the kind of person he is.

"He's as good as it gets."