He is one of the fairy tale stories of the NFL, a kid from Division III Coe College who should serve as an inspiration to underdogs and dreamers everywhere. His name is Fred Jackson, the best running back you never really knew.
Until now.
Here comes Fred Jackson, storming out of the shadows of anonymity, no longer walking through the valley of the shadow of defeat, formerly known as Buffalo.
“I was always confident in my abilities. … I never thought I would be given an opportunity to be the starter,” Jackson told The Post. “I never thought anybody would have that much faith in me. It was such a long road traveled, so to speak.”
The road for Jackson begins in football-mad Arlington, Texas.
“I got started in first grade,” Jackson says. “My mom [Latricia] was one of my first coaches. I have a twin brother [Patrick], he played with me as well.”
Little Fred set his sights even then on the NFL.
“I try to model my game after three running backs,” he said. “I was a big fan of Emmitt Smith growing up. He did everything. Marshall Faulk, when they call passes, being able to stay in and being able to run routes. I’m a big L.T. (LaDainian Tomlinson) fan. I watched him while I was in college. I try to be just like those guys.”
The scouts weren’t exactly knocking down Little Fred’s door coming out of Lamar High School. He was 5-foot-8, 145 pounds.
“It was definitely difficult,” he said. “I was a backup though. I didn’t get much playing time. What I did get, I did take advantage of it.”
How did he and his twin brother wind up at Coe?
“My middle school coach in Texas [Wayne Phillips] was once head coach at Coe College,” Jackson said. “He took us up on a campus visit.”
Little Fred apparently thought he had enrolled at Grow College. Within a year, he was 5-foot-11, 180 pounds.
“My freshman year, I stepped on the scene and made a little noise,” he said.
The noise ended when he tried out for the Bears, Broncos and Packers.
“Each one of them said, ‘We think you can play,’ ” Jackson said. He thought he could play too. But none of them wanted to take a chance on a Division III prospect.
“I was definitely disappointed,” he said.
Jackson refused to give up. His next stop was indoor football with the Sioux City Bandits.
“It was definitely different because it’s a 50-yard field,” Jackson said. “It was one of the things that helped me adjust to the speed of the game in the NFL.”
After two years, it was on to NFL Europe and the Rhein Fire. It was Hall of Fame Bills coach Marv Levy — Coe College Class of 1950 — who allocated Jackson there when he returned as the franchise’s GM.
“I knew him through my middle school coach,” Jackson said, “because they’re such good friends. He had some film and saw what I was doing at Coe. He told me I probably could play in the NFL. When he came to Buffalo as GM, he gave me a workout. He lived up to his word.”
Jackson played the ’06 season there, and received an education in NFL playbooks and schemes.
“Another huge step in my travels from Division III to the NFL,” Jackson said. “You’re playing with guys who played at big schools.”
Finally, the day Fred Jackson stepped foot on an NFL field had arrived in 2007.
“It was the greatest feeling in my life,” Jackson said. “Aside from having kids and getting married, it’s the best feeling in the world. It was a dream come true. It was a dream I had worked all my life to get to.”
He is 30 years old now, a 6-foot-1,
215-pounder with 480 rushing yards, a career-high 5.3 average per carry and 19 receptions, eight for first downs.
Asked to describe his style, Jackson said, “I think it’s a combination of physical and elusive. I feel like I can make people miss when I have to.”
The Giants have noticed.
“He’s a very elusive runner,” safety Antrel Rolle said. “He’s a powerful runner. He doesn’t go down with first contact. He’s a guy who you can tell studies the game. He picks his holes very well. At the end of the day we just have to play assignment football and play fast.”
Jackson credits the Ivy League smarts of Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and a defiant offensive line with a chip on its shoulder.
“We like our ground attack,” Jackson said. “We’re confident that we can move the ball against anybody.”
Freddy or not, here he comes.
steve.serby@nypost.com