INDIANAPOLIS -- The No. 23 is tattooed right in the middle of running back Josh Robinson's chest.

Many think of Michael Jordan when they see that number. But that number carries way more meaning to Robinson than it being the one Jordan wore during most of his Hall of Fame career.

It goes much deeper.

May 23, 2004: Robinson's grandmother died.

May 23, 2005: His grandfather died.

Feb. 23, 2011: His mother was sentenced to 18 years in jail.

Sixth-round pick Josh Robinson overcame an upbringing full of adversity to make it into the NFL. Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire

But here Robinson stands inside the Indianapolis Colts' locker room, just three spots over from Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton, fulfilling his dream of reaching the NFL after being selected in the sixth round earlier this month.

“That’s pretty special with Josh when you look at his background,” Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. “He had an extremely hard upbringing. I think he’s going to continue to have success. He’s overcome a lot to get where he is.”

The more you listen to Robinson tell his story, the more you wonder how he avoided the temptation of going down the wrong path and ending up in jail or, even worse, dead.

Robinson bounced around from house to house, at "least 20 of them," after his grandmother, Gwendolyn Robinson Brown, who raised him from birth, died from a heart attack at the age of 51.

“I got tired of it,” Robinson said. “Other people’s rules and not everybody is raised the same.”

Robinson, thinking about his future, quickly became an adult during his junior year in high school. While most 16-year-olds are just excited to have their driver’s license, Robinson packed up the little bit of belongings he owned and left the town of Bogalusa, Louisiana, and drove 50 miles to Franklinton, Louisiana, because he knew that was his best chance to get recognized for his football playing ability.

Robinson's home for six months was the Nissan Maxima he had purchased with the money he saved from working. His bed was the backseat of the Maxima, where he would sleep in the parking lot of the school’s football stadium.

"When I did have to stay in my car, I just found the field as my comfort zone," Robinson said. "I've been (playing) ever since I was 4 years old. That's all I know. So I relieve stress like that and try to get better than what I was yesterday ... You keep a strong faith, and that’s what my grandma always taught. Keep a strong faith and you’ll never be let down. Just gotta have faith.”

Robinson ate breakfast and lunch at school while also grabbing some extra food from the cafeteria so he had something to eat at dinner if he wasn't at a friend’s house that night. He didn’t tell anybody about his living situation because he had too much pride to speak up. And through it all, Robinson walked the halls of the school, sat in class and played football with a smile on his face.

“We were shocked,” said Shane Smith, Robinson’s high school coach at Franklinton High School. “We had no idea. We always told Josh or any of these kids if they ever needed anything or needed help with anything, we would be there for them. I hate to know he went through that and we knew nothing about it. Josh’s strength during that time carried over to him at Mississippi State, and it’ll be same now that he’s in the NFL.”

Robinson became a starter at Mississippi State in 2014 after being a backup his first two years at the school. He was a bowling ball, steamrolling through defenders to rush for 1,203 yards and 11 touchdowns last season in the Southeastern Conference, one of the premier conferences in the nation.

Colts coach Chuck Pagano went as far as to say that Robinson could be an every-down back in the NFL.

“I mean, he’s been a target guy ever since he walked in our door at our top 30,” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said. “The running style, he fits what we do. When you run that low to the ground and have that center of gravity, he’s a bowling ball, and that’s what they call him. To put up the yards he did in the SEC with a 6.3-yard average, that speaks for itself in that conference.”

The Colts weren’t only impressed with Robinson’s playing ability, they also came away from their interview with him earlier in the offseason feeling good about the overall type of person he is.

Robinson doesn't use excuses. He simply finds a way to get the job done on and off the football field.

Robinson will compete with Vick Ballard and Daniel Herron to be the primary backup running back behind starter Frank Gore next season.

"That’s grit,” Pagano said about Robinson. “That’s not somebody saying OK, because of this, this and this, this is why I’m where I’m at. This kid said 'I’m going to overcome circumstances. I’m going to overcome adversity no matter what. I’m going to prove everybody wrong.' There were probably a bunch of people when he was growing up and in his life that said, 'You're not going to do this and you’re not going to do that. You're too short, you don’t have this. You don’t have that.'

"Look at where he's at today because he’s already had some coaches or whoever, some support along the way to keep him going. He’s got the intestinal fortitude. He had the will to survive and overcome and not fall into that trap and play the complain game."

Remember the No. 23 that Robinson has tattooed on his chest?

He plans to put the NFL logo around it because it resembles the first medallion he earned while playing baseball at the age of 4.

His coach at the time?

His grandmother.

"God takes you through things to make you the person who you are," Robinson said. "If I didn't go through them I wouldn't be me. I probably wouldn’t be in this position. At the end of the day I’m here."