15 Jerome Bettis highlights taken from throughout the legendary Steelers running back’s career show just why the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee was right to include the Bus in the 2015 Hall of Fame Class. That year 3 candidates with strong ties to the Pittsburgh Steelers were finalists and they are Kevin Greene, Tony Dungy and of course Jerome Bettis.

• While most of Steelers Nation would be perfectly happy to see Dungy and Greene elected, Bettis is the one we cared about.

The committee gave Steelers Nation their wish, and these 15 Jerome Bettis highlights taken from throughout his career, that show just why Bettis is such a worthy Hall of Famer. Either click the links below or scroll down to relive 15 top highlights from Jerome Bettis’s career.

I. Bettis Best Game Ever

12/12/93, Los Angeles Rams 23, New Orleans Saints 20
Sometimes we easily forget Jerome Bettis wasn’t always a Pittsburgh Steeler after so long as “The face of the franchise.” But it is true. The Los Angeles Rams selected Jerome Bettis with the 10th overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.

Bettis took the league by storm, rushing for 1,429 yards as a rookie, and his best game of the season came vs. New Orleans, when he banged out 212 yards on 28 carries, for one touchdown. That was his highest single game rushing total ever, and it included his longest run at 71.

Although Bettis would never have a better day statistically, he did have bigger games — all for the Black and Gold.

II. Bettis First 100 Yard Game for Steelers

9/8/96, Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Baltimore Ravens 17
Jerome Bettis’ first game for the Steelers didn’t go so well, as Pittsburgh suffered a disastrous defeat in Jacksonville at the hands of the Jaguars with injuries decimating the linebacking crops, with Bettis 57 yard effort an under story.

He made good in week 2 the first Steelers-Ravens match up ever. Bettis rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries – and he didn’t even start. Erric Pegram had that honor, who turned in a respectable 60 yard on 11 carry performance

III. Rams Rue Decision to Run Bettis Out of Town

11/3/96, Pittsburgh Steelers 42, St. Louis Rams 6
Jerome Bettis was the only positive for the 4-12 1993 Rams. Chuck Knox aka “ground Chuck” got the ax the team hired Rich Brooks and moved to St. Louis. For whatever reason Bettis and Brooks didn’t work well together. Bettis production dropped by 400 yards in 1994 and to 637 yards in 1995.

• Dick Vermeil’s first decision was to pick Lawrence Philips in the 1996 draft.

That made Bettis expendable. St. Louis traded him to Pittsburgh for what was essentially a 2nd round pick.

By the time the Steelers played the Rams at mid-season, it was already clear that the trade might have been one of Tom Donahoe’s best ever personnel decisions. Bettis already had six 100 yard games and laid claim to the moniker, “The Bus.”

Bettis exploded vs. the Rams, scoring the first two touchdowns and racking up 100 yards before the half, as The Bus steamrolled the Rams to the tune of 129 yards rushing on 19 carries for a 6.8 yard average. For the record Lawrence Philips had six yards on 5 carries….

IV. Bettis Best Game with the Steelers

10/12/97, Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Indianapolis Colts 22
It was a strange night for the Steelers. Lindy Infante’s Colts arrived at Three Rivers Stadium nursing an 0-5 record and quickly took 10-0 lead before Norm Johnson got the Steelers on the board and then Bettis tied it up early in the second half.

Carnell Lake returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown, but the Colts would threaten the entire game, as the Steelers lost Kordell Stewart and Charles Johnson to injury. Things got so bad that reserve receiver Mike Adams had to play the entire second half on a torn ACL.

The Steelers did what they worked for them best in that day and age – they rode The Bus. Bettis racked up 164 yards, his highest total as a Steeler, on 30 carries including one touchdown.

V. Bettis Rides Over Broncos

12/7/97 Steelers 35, Denver Broncos 24
This late season show down would and should be remembered for many things.

• The game marked Carnell Lake’s second shift from safety to corner.
• John Elway burning the newly demoted Steelers nickel back Donnell Woolford twice to jump to a 21 to 7 lead.
• Kordell Stewart aiding Denver’s early lead with a bone-headed interception.
• The game will be remembered as one of Kordell’s legendary comebacks, with his first 300 yard game as he hooked up with Yancey Thigpen for 3 touchdowns.

But credit Jerome Bettis as the game’s unsung hero. The fireworks took place in the first half, which ended in a 21-21 tie. The second half started with the Broncos getting a field goal and the lead.

• Then Bettis took over.

He pounded Denver into submission, including 24 yard run where he literally dragged defenders for a good 7 or 8 yards after contact. When all was said and done, The Bus had run for 24 yards on 125 carries.

VI. Bettis Leads By Example

12/28/98 Jacksonville Jaguars 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
The Pittsburgh Steelers started 1998 unevenly, played a few strong games in the middle, and then pathetically petered out down the stretch, losing their final five games as Kordell Stewart looked lost.

When the season finale vs. Jacksonville arrived, the Jaguars started their back up and the only thing at stake was Bill Cowher’s chance to avoid his first losing season. He didn’t.

• The harsh reality is that many of Cowher’s players quit on him.

But one player shown out. He not only gave it his all, he played with power and he delivered results. That player was number 36, Jerome Bettis who ran for 139 yards and caught 4 balls for 24 yards – and he did it on a bum knee, having announced to ABC’s sideline reporter that he’d scheduled surgery for the following morning.

Stepping up in games like these were one reason why Bettis owned the Steelers locker room.

VII. The Bus Rides Well in the Snow

12/26/99 Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Carolina Panthers 20
The Steelers 1999 season ended much like the 1998 season did – with a season-ending melt down. With one exception.

George Seifert’s Carolina Panthers came to Three Rivers Stadium with a 7-7 record while the Pittsburgh Steelers were reeling on a six game losing streak.

• The Steelers looked like easy pickings.

Early on the Steelers looked lackluster, but then it started to snow. Snow blanked the Astroturf at Three Rivers Stadium, and it left the Panthers flat footed. The Bus took off, rushing for 137 yards and inspiring the team to victory. The Panthers made a run late in the game as they fought to within 3 late in the third quarter. But Bettis did what he always did – iced the game away with a dominating 4th quarter that saw him barrel into the end zone with 3:47 remaining to put the game away.

VIII. Bettis Helps Set Steelers Tone for ‘00’s

10/1/00, Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Jaguars 13
The Steelers followed their 1999 meltdown by opening the 2000 season by going 0-3, including a heart breaker at the hand of Steve McNair, as the pundits pooled their money on predictions on when Dan Rooney would fire Bill Cowher.

Bill Cowher had other ideas. He didn’t care that he’d started 0-3. He didn’t care that the Jacksonville Jaguars were Super Bowl contenders. He didn’t care that Jacksonville had won 3 straight vs. Pittsburgh. He didn’t care that Kent Graham, his starting quarterback, had been injured late in practice on Friday.

• He didn’t care because Bill Cowher preached that players should expect to win on Sunday.

In this game, names like Joey Porter, Aaron Smith and Desha Townsend announced their presence to Steelers Nation and as the Steelers defense dominated. But on a day where Kordell Stewart only managed 132 yards passing, Jerome Bettis carried the Steelers offense. He didn’t break 100 yards, but he did run for 97 and scored two touchdowns. The victory in Jacksonville set the tone for the Steelers for a decade and, once again, the Steelers rode the Bus.

IX. Bus Shines in Old Fashioned Steelers Raiders Showdown

12/3/00, Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Oakland Raiders 20
This probably gets left off of many other worthy Jerome Bettis Hall of Fame games lists, but it makes it here because this game simply doesn’t get its due. The twin Steelers-Cowboys Super Bowls defined pro football excellence in the 70’s, but had they not then the dozen epic matchups the Steelers and Raiders fought between 1970 to 1980 would have.

Due to scheduling irregularities, the Raiders would not play in Pittsburgh for 20 years. That changed in December 2000, and the matchup was worthy of the best of Steelers-Raiders lore. The Steelers had clawed their way out of an 0-3 start back to 6-6 while the Raiders boasted a 10-2 record.

Kordell Stewart, who’d reclaimed the starting quarterback role, was injured early in the game, and his replacement Kent Graham looked clueless, throwing a pick six and getting planted on the turf as the Raiders jumped to a 17-7 lead.

The Steelers comeback left Pittsburgh with some priceless memories:

• Kordell Stewart’s miraculous recovery, including his 17 yard touchdown run
• Mark Bruener marshaling pure will power to win a goal line dog fight to spark the Steelers rally
• Jon Gruden pleading for a 5th down after the Steelers defense stopped him cold on 4th down with 7 seconds left.

But what many forget, is that amidst all the chaos Jerome Bettis “quietly” kept the offense moving for by rushing for 128 yards. That’s just what Hall of Famers do.

X. Bus Rolls Over Redskins in Three Rivers Stadium Finale

12/16/00, Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Redskins 3
In 2000 Daniel Snyder bought his first off season Lombardi. For many fans and press alike, Snyder’s signing of Deon Sanders in June made the delivery of the Redskins 4th Super Bowl trophy a mere formality. The schedule had been published by then, and few Redskins fans even gave a second thought to the fact that they’d have to play the Steelers in the final game a Three Rivers Stadium.

• A far different off season narrative had been penned for Jerome Bettis.

Declining production in 1998 and 1999 led many, inside and outside Pittsburgh, to assume Bettis best days were behind him.

Yet, when the Three Rivers Stadium finale arrived, it was Jerome Bettis, and not any of Daniel Snyder’s high-priced free agents, who dominated the game. Bettis charged up and down the middle of the Redskins defense for 104 yards on 25 carries, and added another grab for 25. Perhaps the biggest highlight came when Deon Sanders backed away rather than try to tackle Bettis.

Daniel Snyder grew so incensed that he tried to order Myron Cope to alter his color commentary, to which Cope retorted,

• “If that boy billionaire thinks he can shut me up, then he can take his head and stick it in a bucket of paint!”

Suffice to say, all of Snyder’s money could neither silence the voice of Steelers Nation, nor change the fact that The Bus had plenty of tread left on his tires.

XI. Bettis Leads the Way as Steelers Inaugurate Heinz Field with a Win

10/7/01 Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Cincinnati Bengals 7
The Pittsburgh Steelers were supposed to open Heinz Field against the Cleveland Browns. But September 11th changed everything.

 

Instead, the Steelers would open at home nearly a month later, and this time vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. Bettis again led the way for the Steelers offense, piling up 153 yards on 25 carries, and giving the Steelers their first win in their new home.

XII. Bus Comes Off Bench to Help Steelers Spoil Philly’s Perfect Record

11/7/04, Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Philadelphia Eagles 3
Thanks to their 6-10 2003 season, the Steelers entered 2004 as an after thought –which is exactly what made this generation of Pittsburgh Steelers dangerous. On the arm of a rookie quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger and the newly added Duce Staley, reached week 8 with a 6-1 record.

Staley had run well in the season’s first seven games, but got injured in the Steelers upset of the Patriots. Prior to the season, Jerome Bettis had accepted a pay cut and was seen by many as an insurance policy at best or a scholarship year at worst.

Bettis proved his critics wrong as he ran for 133 yards and helped the Steelers spoil the Eagles 7-0 record.

XIII. Bus, Staley Tag Team to Bludgeon Jets in Playoffs

1/15/05, Pittsburgh Steelers 20, New York Jets 20
Steel Curtain Rising has talked about this playoff victory vs. the Jets many times before and will again. If you’re looking for a “Three yards and a cloud of dust” example of post season Steelers smash mouth football then you’d be hard pressed to find one without looking to the 70’s.

Jerome Bettis started this game, but had to take himself out due to injury. Staley came in and continued to pound the Jets. Then he got hurt and Bettis had to return.

• It was a sight to behold – two Steelers big backs alternating to pummel an opponent into submission.

The Steelers needed every bit of it, as Ben Roethlisberger began playing like a rookie, and the Jets mounted a stiff challenge. At the end of the day, Bettis the 32 year old war horse, ran for 101 yards and a touchdown.

XIV. Urlacher, Bears Get Hit by The Bus

12/11/05, Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Chicago Bears 9
Despite finishing the 2004 a hair under 1,000 yards, even veteran commentators such as Mike Prisuta declared that Bettis presence on the roster was more important to Bettis than the team itself.

• Games like this one prove him wrong.

The Steelers were at 7-5 and coming off a 3 game losing streak. Bill Cowher took the unusual step of order a full pads practice. He told the team they were Christopher Columbus uncharted journey. And with the 9-3 Bears coming to town, he turned to his gamers.

The record will note that Willie Parker got 21 carries as opposed to Bettis 17, but the Bus carried the day for the Steelers rushing for 101 yards, including dominating Brian Urlacher in one incredible 1-1 open field confrontation.

The Chicago game marked Bettis final 100 yard effort. But The Bus made it count.

XV. Super Bowl XL – The Bus Stops Here

2/5/06, Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Seattle Seahawks 10
When the Steelers came up short in the 2004 AFC Championship vs. New England, Hine Ward was moved to tears because he thought it would deny Bettis his shot at a championship. Ben Roethlisberger promised him, “I’ll get you back next year.” Bettis returned in 2005 with a singular goal – parking The Bus in Super Bowl XL in a game played in his home town Detroit.

• Bettis didn’t break 100 yards. He didn’t score a touchdown. He didn’t rip off a record breaking run.

Bettis finger print was all over the field, a fact made evident when Joey Porter pulled a surprise, and allowed Bettis to emerge as the lone Steeler during introductions.

Bettis leadership and inspiration is what drove the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers on their improbable 8 game season-closing winning streak and ultimately to One for the Thumb.

15 MORE Reasons for Jerome Bettis to be in the Hall of Fame

The tough thing about writing an article like this, aside from finding the time, is limiting this list to 15 worthy Jerome Bettis Hall of Fame Games. Many other candidates scream for inclusion.

• Forget about the numbers and statistics.

Hall of Fame worthiness comes from defining what it means to be excellent at your position. When you look at a sampling of his work, who can argue that Jerome Bettis failed to accomplish that? In 13 years as an NFL running back, from his rookie season to his final season, Bettis dominated games.

Jerome Bettis belongs in the Hall of Fame. Period.

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