Jerome Bettis

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Bettis played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected 10th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL draft. He was a member of the Rams for three seasons before being traded to the Steelers, where he spent the remainder of his career. Bettis received six Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections, in addition to being a member of the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL, the franchise's first title in over two decades. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

In Their Own Story

During a Thanksgiving Day game with the Detroit Lions on November 26, 1998, Bettis was sent out as the Steelers representative for the overtime coin toss. Bettis appeared to call "tails" while the coin was in the air, but referee Phil Luckett declared that Bettis had called "heads" first and awarded possession to Detroit, which went on to win the game without Pittsburgh getting the ball. After reviewing the incident, the NFL changed the rule: the call of "heads" or "tails" would be made before the coin was tossed rather than during the toss, and at least two officials would be present. Sound enhancements of the audio showed that Bettis said "hea-tails" and Bettis admitted starting to call "heads" before changing it to "tails." In the 2004 season opener, Bettis scored three touchdowns while carrying the ball five times for a total of only one yard and a 0.2 yards per carry average. During that 2004 season, Bettis and New York Jets running back Curtis Martin dueled for position on the all-time rushing yards leaderboard. Bettis entered the season in 6th place all-time and 684 yards ahead of Martin in 9th place. Because Bettis was the backup in Pittsburgh for the start of the season, Martin was able to pass Bettis in week 13 until the Steelers played their game later in the day and Bettis retook the lead by 6 yards.

Reader's Guide

Bettis finished his career as the NFL's 5th leading all-time rusher. He holds the Steelers' franchise record for rushing yards in a single season when including postseason play. He was named Consensus NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1993 and NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1996.

Did You Know?

• Bettis did not start playing football until high school; his primary passion as a youth had been bowling.
• At age 14, he was diagnosed with asthma.
• As a youth in Detroit, Bettis and his brother made ends meet by selling crack cocaine.
• He set the Notre Dame touchdown record with 20 in his sophomore year (16 rushing, 4 receiving), a record that still stands.
• Bettis returned to Notre Dame in 1996 during a dispute with the St. Louis Rams and registered for courses in history, philosophy, marketing, and business.