Senior running back Tyrell Hayden reached an important milestone this season — not in yards gained but shoes compiled.

Now more than 50 pairs deep, Hayden’s shoe collection has become part of a lifestyle adopted from the running back’s mother. Thankful for the hobby, Hayden said he always tries to give back.

“I’ve always loved shoes, but I get it from my mom,” he said. “She loves shoes. If there’s a present I give, it’s always a gift card to a shoe store.”

Hayden said he tries to never throw away any shoes from his collection, comprised mostly of size 10 Nike Air Max 95s. The footwear he doesn’t want usually ends up on the feet of his younger brother.

Junior linebacker Chris Bullard said Hayden could stand to give away a few more pairs.

“He has the worst shoe collection,” Bullard said. “He has pink shoes, green shoes, lime green, ugly — I’m talking about they are ugly. Tyrell is an ugly dude, so to him they’re pretty. We try to tell him, but he just doesn’t listen.”

Hayden’s love of shoes has spilled into every facet of his life. On the football field, the running back said he’s always pushing for a new pair of cleats. Off it, he said there’s nothing better than the first walk in a fresh pair of Nikes.

But Hayden hasn’t found many people who understand his devotion, and his friends joke that the compassion for footwear sometimes goes too far.

“I came in the house one day, and he was literally cleaning the bottom of his shoe with a toothbrush,” senior running back Marell Booker said. “That makes absolutely no sense to me.”

Booker added that he still doesn’t understand why his roommate of more than two years feels the need to store his shoes in plastic bags rather than boxes in an attempt to keep the footwear “fresh.” Hayden could only shrug.

Bullard, who said he personally owns two pairs of shoes, said Hayden’s taste in shoes often carries over to the rest of his wardrobe.

“He tried to put on some pink Nike-type shoes with a lime green shirt and some blue jeans, and I said, ‘Man, you’ve gotta slow down with that,’” Bullard said.

But slowing down is the last thing on Hayden’s mind.

The running back has played in every game but one since arriving at Western in 2006.

Hayden rushed for a season-high 84 yards in Saturday’s 69-48 loss to North Texas, including a 50-yard touchdown in the first quarter that gave the Toppers their first lead of the game.

The performance placed Hayden, who has contributed 161 yards on 32 carries this season, only two yards away from 2,000 in his career.

And traveling for better shoes and better prices has never been out of the question for Hayden, even as a busy student-athlete.

“I like to go to secret spots,” Hayden said. “I travel to get shoes — to outlets in Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Indiana — just trying to see if I can catch anything good.”