When Pinocchio told a lie, his nose grew. When Rob Johnson told a lie, he was on his way to a Northwestern football record.

But the catalyst for the Wildcats' Run to the Roses may never have made the trip to Evanston in the first place had it not been from strong urging from his parents and persistence from former head coach Francis Peay.

"One night (in 1990) I got a phone call from Northwestern recruiting coordinator Rob Chiavetta and he told me they wanted me to come up for a visit and watch a game from the sideline,'' says Johnson, who was a standout linebacker at St. Francis de Sales High School on Chicago's south side.

"My theory is they had a scout out to watch our game with De La Salle. They were interested in (linebacker) Luther Morris (who also signed) and I had the best game of my life. I knocked out their quarterback and had something like 15 tackles.''

However, Johnson did not accept Chiavetta's invitation.

"I lived in the heart of Notre Dame territory and had no idea where Northwestern was and whether it meant I would have to drive one hour or five hours to get there,'' he says. "The program was so bad in those days it only warranted a small column on page 6 of the Chicago Tribune.''

Little did Johnson know, but Peay would be the keynote speaker at the All-Chicago Catholic League banquet later that year. Right after the banquet, Peay pulled Johnson aside and offered him a scholarship on the spot.

"I told him I would think about it because I wanted to take my visits,'' he says. "My parents found out what I had done and didn't talk to me the whole ride home. I walked into the house and went up to my room. Ten minutes later, my father called me into their room and I was standing at the foot of his bed when he told me I would accept the scholarship the next day or I would find another place to live. I wasn't exactly given a choice, so the next day, with my father and brother-in-law sitting at the table, I called Francis Peay to commit.''

The next phone call was to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He had a visit scheduled for the following weekend.

"I think the last thing my parents wanted was for their 17-year-old son to be headed out to Las Vegas on his own,'' he said with a laugh.

Although recruited as a linebacker, Johnson clocked a 5.3 40 on his first day of workouts. The next day he was moved to nose guard and would redshirt the 1991 season.

That redshirt turned out to be a blessing. Peay and his staff threw several members of his recruiting class into the fire that season, including roommate Bill Koziel, who was in for all of 12 snaps. At the end of the season, Peay was fired.

"That place was a mess,'' Johnson says.

Enter new head coach Gary Barnett.

"There was a night and day difference to the way we approached things,'' Johnson says. "That first spring was a shock to the system. Some guys embraced the new regime; some did not. But the foundation of a new work ethic was being set.

"Expectations were being placed on players that never had been placed before. The quality of the coaches he brought in was evident. We were being coached to be better rather than to be complacent with what we were doing.''

Before spring practice began, Barnett called Johnson into his office to tell him he was being moved to the offensive line because of the team's lack of depth. He would be a backup guard.

But early in spring drills, Koziel, who was the starting center, suffered a high ankle sprain. That's when Johnson told the coaching staff his little fib -- he had experience playing center.

"From then on I was playing every rep, either at center or at guard,'' he says. "Playing center actually came naturally to me. Koziel became my backup and the following year he moved to nose guard. In his senior year, he was one of our captains.

"I felt bad for Bill because we were roommates and college buddies. It could have been an awkward situation, but everything that happened on the field stayed on the field. He taught me more about what it means to be a leader than anyone. He could have been very bitter about the situation because Peay played him 12 snaps as a true freshman, so he lost his ability to redshirt.''

There weren't many wins during those first three years under Barnett, but there was evidence the program was turning the corner. There were three Big Ten wins in '92, the first time the Cats had won that many conference games since 1973. A 2-1 start to the '93 season led to a handful of votes in the polls, but injuries depleted that team. And then there was the 3-3-1start in '94 before the collapse and eventual gambling scandal.

"The players Barnett and his staff were bringing in were really talented; they were the building blocks,'' Johnson says. "We had been taking baby steps, but nobody outside the program had noticed. I think one of the best things to happen in '94 was (freshman) Darnell Autry rushing for 171 yards in that last game (Penn State) against the No. 2 defense in the country.''

But Autry, a native of Tempe, Ariz., wasn't sure if he was coming back. According to Johnson, the freshman was struggling with homesickness, his first winter in Chicago and a challenging culture.

"Darnell was understandably shaken,'' Johnson says. "I remember going to Ryan Padgett's home in Bellevue, Wash. over the break and calling Darnell. We were all taking turns calling Darnell. I told him he was a helluva player, how much he was loved and how much we wanted him back. I just wanted him to make the right decision. It was just a matter of talking to him man-to-man.''

Autry's return was critical to Northwestern's success in 1995, as was a players' only meeting conducted at the end of the previous season.

"The seniors all sat on the stage, stood up and said they were holding them accountable,'' Johnson says. "The juniors and sophomore each took turns standing up and said the same thing. It was to all start with winter workouts.

"Being a leader with a roomful of leaders was crucial. We responded with so many personal records in the weight room. Suddenly we were getting tremendous support from the university, but it all started with that team meeting.''

According to Johnson, that summer's camp in Kenosha was "the most competitive camp I've ever been to.'' And the first bit of evidence showed up in the season-opening victory at Notre Dame.

"Once Danny Sutter recovered a fumble early in the game and our rushing game got going, there was no stopping us,'' he says.

The letdown against Miami (Ohio) the following week proved to be a valuable lesson.

"We led 28-0 and let our guard down a little,'' Johnson says. "We thought we had done enough and took the foot off the gas. It was a big lesson. We realized we weren't good enough to relax at any point. That lesson propelled us for the rest of the season.''

Two games from the '95 season really stand out in Johnson's mind -- the 19-13 victory at Michigan and the 21-10 dismantling of Penn State.

"If we had played Michigan 100 times, they probably would have beat us 99, but not this time,'' he says. "There was such a feeling of confidence on the team after that win. I'll never forget that bus ride home from Ann Arbor because we realized the opportunity in front of us.

"Penn State was everything you dream about in college football as a young kid -- a sellout crowd practically all in purple, under the lights, Keith Jackson in the booth making the call and Joe Paterno, the winningest coach in college football. It was such a physical game and we beat them in a great atmosphere.''

With a share of the Big Ten title clinched at Purdue, Padgett, who had become the Johnson's surrogate son, and Johnson spent Thanksgiving at the Johnson's lake home in Michigan City, Ind. That's where they watched Michigan upend Ohio State, giving the outright title to the Wildcats.

"We were focused on every play and when Michigan got that interception at the end of the game, there were two 300-pounders jumping up and down on the floor so hard that you thought it was going to cave in,'' he says. "There were so many tears and hugs. I wanted to drive back to Northwestern, but my father took my keys away.''

Johnson would make his record-breaking 45th start at center in the Rose Bowl, but he considers the game his one disappointment of that season.

"Gary Barnett told me before the game, 'We're going to find out what kind of leader you are,''' he says. "I did not lead us across the finish line. Getting to the Rose Bowl is one thing, but not getting over the finish line was my only disappointment.

"Going to the Rose Bowl was a new experience for everyone -- the administration, coaching staff and players. Everything was new and we were dealing with it for the first time.''

A first-team All-Big Ten selection in '95, Johnson is quick to praise the players he practiced against in preparing him to make 45 career starts. His list includes Matt Rice, Ray Robey, Larry Curry, Joe Reif and his roommate Koziel.

"What I really take a lot of pride in is the fact (quarterback) Steve Schnur only got his uniform dirty eight times that year,'' he says. "Everyone knew his role on that team. The receivers were even great blockers. Everyone just did his job.

"When you live within the team concept and everyone is playing for each other, you really have something. We just didn't want to let each other down. If I missed a block, I didn't want to go back to the huddle and face my teammates.''

In addition to Johnson, the workhorses on that Rose Bowl offensive line included Padgett and Justin Chabot at guard, and tackles Paul Janus and Brian Kardos. Behind them, the Wildcats averaged 315 yards total offense and Autry, who finished fourth in the Heisman voting, rushed for 1,785 yards and 17 touchdowns.

"Darnell having that big season wouldn't have been possible had it not been for that offensive line,'' he says. "Chabot is the best player I ever played with and I think each member of the line received All-Big Ten recognition in some capacity before their careers were over.''

Johnson, who received his degree in organizational studies, is a general manager at Illco Supply, a wholesale distributor of heating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, hydronics, pipe, valves and fittings. He and his wife Nika, who he married in 2003, live in Glen Ellyn and have three children -- Gwenyth (10), Brady (6) and Rex (2).

He remains involved with Northwestern through the mentoring program and has occasional phone calls with head coach Pat Fitzgerald, his former teammate.

"I wish they had that program around when I was a player,'' he says.

Johnson says he doesn't miss playing the game, but what he does miss is the locker room. "Being there with my best friends day in and day out, and the camaraderie we shared in trying to achieve one goal,'' he says.

"I'm walking around with a limp and headaches to show for those 45 games. I was in the right place at the right time. With the talent level coming into Northwestern, that wouldn't happen now. I was just more lucky than good.''