The peaks and valleys of Dante Booker's life would make for quite a movie.

There's been so much drama, hardship and personal triumph that his story almost reads like a script. The latest chapter, though, is a happy one as the Akron native fulfilled a dream Sunday by signing a free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts.

If you haven't heard of Booker, you're not alone. He went to Ellet High School, but never played a single down in varsity football or, for that matter, even graduated from the school.

He suffered a debilitating and heart-wrenching knee injury, attended four colleges while raising a son, 7-year-old Dante Jr. Yet he's overcome it all and this weekend he'll be one of oldest NFL rookies attending a minicamp at age 25.

``This has been a huge sense of relief for me, everything I've been working for came down to this,'' Booker said Tuesday as he prepared to leave to Indianapolis. ``I've had to earn everything and prove myself to everyone, so I am ready for this challenge.''

Booker is 6-foot-3, 278 pounds with excellent speed and strength. He showed those qualities the last two years while playing on Auburn's defensive line. His 4.6-second, 40-yard dash in front of scouts last month showed his potential.

All of it is hard to believe considering where Booker's been. A basketball standout at Ellet -- he was first-team All-City three times -- Booker dreamed of playing college basketball. Being just 6-3, however, the reality of his situation hit hard, especially considering he didn't have good grades.

Several years ago he decided to give football a try. It wasn't easy. He first had to earn his GED and then went to three junior colleges trying to get noticed. While he was at Garden City (Kan.) Junior College, he suffered a knee injury that required major reconstructive surgery.

``I thought it was over when I hurt my knee; only my faith kept me going,'' Booker said. ``I had to go through the surgery all alone.''

In what amounted to a last-ditch effort, Booker transferred to Montgomery College in Rockville, Md., a school without football scholarships. He worked as a cook at Denny's to make ends meet and barely had time for sleep. But he played well, registering 12 sacks during the season, and caught the eye of scouts from Auburn.

Booker played in 25 games over the last two years at the Alabama school, making 21 tackles with 2.5 sacks. With the help of longtime minister John Saucier and his Team Jam athletic ministry program based in Akron, Booker promoted himself to NFL scouts for the last several months.

``I can't put into words what John has meant to me,'' Booker said. ``I've known him since the eighth grade; he's played a huge role in all of this.''

Saucier posted video of Booker's workouts on his Web site, www.teamjam.org, and promoted Booker's plight. He held workouts with Antonio Gates (Kent State) and Rob Adamson (Mount Union) at Kent State last month.

``He's going to surprise a lot of people,'' Saucier said. ``He's got amazing strength and speed for a man his size; he's going to make it.''

Former Zip signs

Former Akron punter Mike Hayes signed a free-agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday. The 6-foot-3 Hayes played for the Zips from 1995 to 1998, earning four letters.