Of the 25 first-year freshmen who were on hand for the opening day of the University of Minnesota Duluth's 2003 preseason football camp, only five are still part of the Bulldog program. One of those survivors, so to speak, is senior running back Joe Russell, who has been a fixture in the UMD backfield the past four seasons and now finds himself entering the stretch run of his college playing days.

HIS FAVORITES:

Opponent: North Dakota

Opponent Stadium: Al F. Caniglia Field (Nebraska-Omaha)

Road Trip: St. Cloud, Minn.

Professional Athlete: LaDainian Tomlinson

Professional Team: Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints

Pastime: Playing Madden football video games

College Course: Human Diversity

Prized Possession: My car

Movie: Lean on Me

Book: Wise Words and Quotes (by Vernon McLellan)

Television Show: Comic View

Singer/Group: Nas/Sam Cooke

Food: Chicken

Restaurant: Olive Garden

Vacation Spot: Rome, Italy

Web Site: www.nfl.com

PERSONALLY SPEAKING

Why I Chose UMD: The location and the view!

First Played Competitive Football: In fifth grade

Football Strength/Weakness: My hustle/My size

Game Day Ritual: I pray

Most Memorable Football Moment: Scoring a 63-yard touchdown on my first varsity play in high school

Pet Peeve: Laziness

My First Job: At the Galleria 6 movie theatre

Person I'd Most Like to Meet: Hugh Hefner

What Most People Don't Know About Me: I have a crush on Beyonce Knowles

Biggest Fear: Being alone

If I Could Change One Thing About Myself: I would stay the same

My Advice To An Aspiring Athlete: Give 110 percent, 100 percent of the time

Something I Never Leave Home Without: My cell phone

Sport I'd Like to Try Someday: Baseball

Influences On My Athletic Career: My family and my doubters

Post-UMD Plans: Play in the NFL or work at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.