Jerome Bettis

Jerome Bettis at NFL.com Jerome Abram Bettis, nicknamed "The Bus" (born February 16, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan), is a former American football running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs of his era and is fifth on the National Football League's all-time rushing list. As a child Bettis greatly suffered from asthma, and still does to some extent. He is an avid bowler and has credited 300 games.

High school years

At Mackenzie High School in Detroit, Bettis was a standout running back and linebacker. As a senior, he was rated the top player in the state by the Detroit Free Press, and was the Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year award winner.

College career

At the University of Notre Dame, Bettis finished his career with 337 rushing attempts for 1912 yards (5.7 yards per rushing attempt avg.), and made 32 receptions for 429 yards (13.4 yards per reception). In his last game as a senior, a 28-3 win by Notre Dame over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, he rushed 20 times for 75 yards.

National Football League career

Bettis was picked in the first round (10th overall) of the 1993 draft by the Los Angeles Rams. A star even in his rookie year, he rushed for 1429 yards in 1993, and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year. He rushed for over 1,000 in his second season with the Rams but his carries declined as he fell out of favor with the team.

Jerome Bettis (right) with U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona during an American Lung Association event in May 2005.

After Rams head coach Chuck Knox retired and was replaced by Rich Brooks, Bettis no longer fit into the team's plans. He was traded to the Steelers in 1996 along with a third round draft pick in exchange for a second round pick in 1996 and a fourth round draft pick in 1997.

His career took an upturn when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had been an integral part of the Steelers offense since that time, and until 2001 was a dependable 1,000-yard rusher. Although age had slightly reduced his role, he remained important to the Steelers and was the NFL's 5th leading all-time rusher. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2005. In 2002 Bettis was the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

After the Steelers' defeat in the 2004 AFC Championship Game on January 23, 2005, Bettis announced that he was considering retirement, but would not make a final decision for several months to prevent the sting of the defeat from clouding his judgement. Later, Bettis agreed to stay with the Steelers for another season. He has stated he would love to play in the Super Bowl in 2006 since it will be played in his hometown of Detroit. His wish came true as the Steelers played in, and won, Super Bowl XL (40) against the Seattle Seahawks on February 5th, 2006.

Most people think Bettis acquired the nickname The Bus from legendary Steelers radio color commentator Myron Cope; but Myron only popularized the nickname after hearing a brother of a fellow Notre Dame alumni call Jerome "Bussy" in Green Bay. It was during the Green Bay broadcast that Cope starting using the nick name "The Bus." Jerome credits someone at the Notre Dame school newspaper with first using the now famous nick name.

Off the field, Bettis hosts a Pittsburgh-based television sports and entertainment program called The Jerome Bettis Show. He began a charity called the Bus Stops Here Foundation to aid underprivileged children in 1997. He plans on doing some development on the Detroit River and has also indicated that he may open a chicken farm in the Metro-Detroit area.

The road to Super Bowl XL

Shortly after the Steelers lost the 2005 AFC Championship game to the eventual Super Bowl XXXIX champion New England Patriots, Ben Roethlisberger came to Bettis. He promised to Bettis that if he came back for one last season, he would get him to the Super Bowl. Apparently, it was this promise that got Jerome Bettis to play one last season.

In week 17 of the 2005 NFL season, Bettis rushed for 41 yards and three touchdowns against the Detroit Lions. The Steelers won 35-21 and thanks to Bettis' three touchdowns, they clinched a playoff berth. This game would be the last home game (not including the neutral-site Super Bowl) for Jerome Bettis.

Bettis contributed 52 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' wildcard playoff victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on January 8. After their wildcard win, Ben Roethlisberger revealed to the team that he promised to Bettis that he would get him to the Super Bowl, in order to get him to come back for the 2005 season.

On January 15, 2006, Bettis was the center of one of football's most memorable endings in a divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. While the Steelers offensive attack was mostly pass driven during the game, Bettis ran well, taking in 46 yards on 17 rushes, including one touchdown. When the Steelers took possession of the ball on the Indianapolis 2 yard line with 1:20 remaining in the game, leading 21-18, the outcome seemed almost certain. The first play from scrimmage went to the surehanded Bettis, who had not fumbled once the entire year. As Bettis ran towards the end zone, Colts linebacker Gary Brackett popped the ball out of Jerome's hands, where it was picked up by cornerback Nick Harper, who was stopped from returning the fumble all the way for a touchdown by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Ultimately, however, Bettis's mistake did not result in a Steelers loss, as Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard game-tying field goal, ending the game with a 21-18 Steelers victory.

The next week, the Steelers were set to face off against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game. Bettis, who had never been to a Super Bowl in his storied career, delivered a rousing speech to his teammates the day before the game, asking them to "Just get me to Detroit," his hometown, where Super Bowl XL was to be played. Bettis's wish was granted, as he and the Steelers advanced to Super Bowl XL with a 34-17 win over the Broncos, led by Ben Roethlisberger's arm and Bettis's 39 yards on 15 carries, including a touchdown. After the game was over, Bettis found his parents in the crowd and mouthed the words "We're going home" to them.

In front of a crowd that was estimated by NFL analysts in attendance to be "80% - 90% Steeler fans" (as evident by the influx of "Terrible Towels" seen waving in the crowd), Pittsburgh would go on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, 21-10. Bettis rushed for 43 yards on 14 carries; an average of 3.1 yards per carry.

Asked about the possibility of retirement, Bettis announced, "It's been an incredible ride. I played this game to win a championship. I'm a champion [now], and I think the Bus's last stop is here in Detroit." Thus, Jerome Bettis officially announced his retirement standing on the champions' podium, holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Hines Ward, the MVP of the game, said during the "I'm going to Disney World" Super Bowl commercial; "I'm going to Disney World and I'm taking 'The Bus!'"

Parents

Bettis' parents, Gladys and Johnnie, have amazingly only missed two football games of his career: one in Mexico and one in Japan. A shot at the end of Super Bowl XL showed his mother, Gladys, in tears because the Steelers had won.

External links

• Jerome Bettis at ESPN.com
• Template:Pro-football-reference