GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) – He was runner-up to Ricky Williams for the 1998 Heisman Trophy.

The New England Patriots waived him just before going on their Super Bowl run. Last fall, playing for Toronto in the CFL’s Grey Cup, a grandfather started ahead of him as the Argonauts’ quarterback – and was chosen as the game’s outstanding player.

But Michael Bishop has finally found a place where he’s the star of the show: the Arena Football League.

“I’m having fun with it,” said Bishop, who is a standout for the Grand Rapids Rampage. “I feel like I’m getting better and better week in and week out. As long as I just keep plugging away, I think I can be one of the best in this league.”

The former Kansas State star leads the league in rushing with 245 yards and has thrown for 1,260 yards and 27 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He has been one bright spot in a 1-5 season. The 2001 ArenaBowl champions also struggled last year, losing seven straight games to finish 1-15.

But Bishop, who joined the team last season and started two games, has given Rampage fans something to cheer about. He took over the starting job in the team’s second game this season, a 72-56 loss to Colorado. Bishop threw for four touchdowns, ran for two more and became the first AFL player in the league’s 19-year history to rush for 100 yards in a game. He finished with exactly 100 yards on just six carries.

In the Rampage’s next game, on Feb. 19 vs. the Austin Wranglers, he added 75 more yards rushing and threw for eight touchdowns, although Grand Rapids lost again, 73-61. The Rampage’s first and only victory so far came eight days later, when he threw for five touchdowns and ran for two more in a 66-57 win over the Columbus Destroyers.

Grand Rapids first-year head coach Sparky McEwen said the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Bishop is in the mold of Michael Vick – a fearless runner with a strong arm.

“A lot of quarterbacks, when they decide to run, it’s kind of halfhearted,” McEwen said. “It’s kind of like, Aw, I don’t know if I should run now.’ But when Michael decides to run, Michael runs.”

Bishop is still learning how to read defenses before deciding to take off and run, McEwen said, but the coach believes the more Bishop plays, the more dangerous he will become.

“Now that he’s getting an understanding of the game and how fast it really works, man, he’s going to a different level with this thing,” he said. “The only thing Michael needs right now in the AFL is experience, and it’s on-the-job training.”

Bishop, an all-state high school player in Texas, played only two seasons at Kansas State after a standout juco career at Blinn (Texas) Junior College, which was capped in 1996 by a 12-0 record and a National Junior College Athletic Association championship.

During his brief time with the Wildcats, Bishop finished fourth on the school’s all-time passing list with 4,401 yards and broke Chad Mays school record of 34 touchdowns passes with 36. Combined with his 23 touchdowns rushing, Bishop also set a Kansas State mark with 59 total touchdowns. His 1,314 yards rushing were the most ever by a Kansas State quarterback.

Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder said Bishop’s ability to run like a fullback made him that much more effective as a passer. Opposing defenses often were hesitant to cover receivers too closely out of fear of Bishop’s scrambling ability.

Still, Snyder said Monday, Bishop’s competitive nature was what set him apart.

“I mean, he had a real passion – still does, I’m sure – for the game,” Snyder said. “He was such a spirited young guy that, really, it was catching to players in the program, certainly to our offensive players but virtually to everyone.”

In the 1997 Fiesta Bowl, Bishop outplayed Donovan McNabb in the Wildcats’ 35-18 defeat of Syracuse. Bishop threw for four touchdowns, ran for another score and was his team’s top rusher with 73 yards.

After finishing behind Williams in the Heisman voting, Bishop was drafted by New England in the seventh round as the 227th overall pick. He was allocated to the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe and waived by the Patriots in August 2001.

He spent 2002-2004 with the CFL’s Argonauts, starting nine times last year in place of injured starter Damon Allen, a 41-year-old grandfather who recovered in time to play for the Grey Cup.

Bishop, who is uncertain whether he will return to Toronto later this year, now hopes his AFL experience will help him get back to the NFL.

“Until that day comes, I’m going to stay here and be patient and keep doing what I’m doing here,” Bishop said, “having fun with this game and enjoying my teammates and just sit back and be at peace with myself.”