Hershel Dennis Hershel Dennis Jr . ( born July 12 , 1984 ) is a running back who is currently a free agent . Dennis played college football as a student athlete at the University of Southern California . During his six - year career , the Trojans went 70 – 8 making Dennis the first player to play on six Pacific - 10 Championship squads and the player with the most wins in college football history . His nickname since childhood is " Patch . " High school career . Dennis prepped at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and was a part of the " Long Beach Poly Five " , five highly recruited players including Manuel Wright and current NFL players Marcedes Lewis , Darnell Bing and Winston Justice . As of May 2007 , Dennis still held the career rushing and touchdown marks at Long Beach Poly , as well as the single season rushing record . Dennis made his final decision between USC and the University of Oregon ; his father wanted him to go to Oregon , but he chose USC out of respect for his mother , Rose Teofilo , who wanted him closer to home . College career . As a freshman in the 2002 season , Dennis was a reserve behind a stable of experienced seniors including running backs Justin Fargas and Sultan McCullough as well as fullback / tailbacks Malaefou MacKenzie and Sunny Byrd ; however , he did see play time in all 13 games , highlighted by a 38 - yard touchdown run against rival UCLA . In 2003 , he was the starting tailback in all 13 games over current NFL players Reggie Bush and LenDale White . However , Dennis lost the starting spot for the 2004 season , having been suspended from the first two games due to a resulting criminal investigation ( that later cleared him of any wrongdoing ) and violating team rules . This allowed the tandem of White and Bush to emerge and relegate Dennis to the role of reserve for most of the season . Dennis did appear in a total of 9 games in the 2004 season , but was beset by a serious , season - ending torn knee ligament in practices before the 2005 Orange Bowl . During this period , Dennis considered transferring to another program , but his mother pressured him to stay and graduate as he is the only one of Teofilo ’ s children to have attended a university . The same torn knee ligament kept Dennis from participating in the entire 2005 season , having already used his redshirt year he lost a year of eligibility . Going into the 2006 season , Dennis was the leading career rusher among current student athletes . Unfortunately , in spring practice Dennis was again beset by season - ending knee injury , causing him to entirely miss a second year in a row . While this would have eliminated his final year of eligibility , Dennis and USC applied to the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility , given the extreme circumstances . Dennis returned to full - contact practice in the 2007 spring practice In May 2007 , Dennis graduated with his Bachelor ' s degree in sociology . The NCAA granted his application for a sixth year of eligibility in June 2007 . During his final game , the 2008 Rose Bowl game against Illinois , Dennis rushed for a touchdown , his first of the season and first since 2004 , that led teammates to rush the goal from the sidelines in celebration ( and an excessive celebration penalty ) . At the end of his six - year USC career , Dennis became the first player to play on six Pac - 10 Championship squads . In addition to conference accolades , Dennis also made central contributions to teams that finished in the BCS top 5 during 6 consecutive seasons ( 2002 – 07 ) . With 70 wins ( and only 8 losses ) in that span , Hershel Dennis is the " winningest player " in College Football history . Professional career . Dennis is active for the 2012 season as a running back in the Indoor Football League ( IFL ) , for the Sioux Falls Storm in South Dakota . Dennis is wearing 25 . Personal . His father , Hershel Dennis , Sr . , played running back for North Carolina A & T ; his mother , who he calls " Mama Rose " , would regularly attend her son ' s practices and is featured in a tattoo on his arm . Dennis has his initials tattooed on the back of his arms above the elbow ( left : " H " , right : " D " ) . Dennis became the first person in his family to receive a college degree . He has a son , Zion Keaka Hershel Dennis . In addition to three high school championship rings , Dennis ended his college career with thirteen championship rings : six Pac - 10 champion rings , two Orange Bowl champion rings , two Rose Bowl Champion rings , and two national championship rings .