After assisting the Steelers in winning Super Bowl XL, Jerome Bettis retired at the podium eighteen years ago. Subsequently, the player dubbed “The Bus” received inductions into both the Steelers Hall of Honour and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In Pittsburgh, where he still works with his foundation, Bettis also presents a show.

Bettis, the 10th overall selection in the 1993 NFL Draft, started out as a fullback before switching to running back rather fast. Over the course of his 13-year career, he ran for 13,662 yards and 91 touchdowns thanks to an incredibly unusual mix of size (5-foot-11 and roughly 250 pounds), agility, and speed. Because of his athletic attributes and upbeat demeanour, Bettis became an instant fan favourite in Pittsburgh, where he contributed to the team’s five division victories and fifth Lombardi Trophy.

As he celebrates his 52nd birthday, here are five fast facts about Bettis’ NFL career.

Rookie of the Year

In the 1993 season, Bettis overcame a sluggish start to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Despite just making one start in the first five weeks of the season, Bettis was named the winner. In Week 5, he set the tone with a 102-yard performance against the Saints. That season, Bettis would post six more 100-yard rushing games, including a career-high 212 yards in Week 15 against New Orleans. In that same game, Bettis also recorded his career’s longest run—a 72-yard touchdown. Strangely, in Week 2, Bettis ran 29 yards for his first career score against the Steelers.

Bettis finished the season with 1,429 yards, the second-highest total in the NFL behind Emmitt Smith, who won league and Super Bowl MVP honors that season.

Almost an Oiler

After Bettis spent his third season in Los Angeles, the Rams decided to move him. Bettis was left with the Oilers or the Steelers as his only options for his next team. Two things persuaded Bettis to visit Pittsburgh: one was the Steelers’ recent trip to the Super Bowl.

“My agent was drafting a different running back in the draft. Eddie George was his name, Bettis stated in a February 2021 podcast episode on “All Things Covered.” Eddie was therefore going to play for the opposing squad, whichever one I chose. Eddie was going to play for the opposite team, so I had to make sure I made the right choice.

“Selfishly, my agency wanted me to go to Pittsburgh since they had a higher pick than Houston. I thought that made sense to all of them. Everyone was pleased with my choice of Pittsburgh. Eddie eventually relocated to Houston, where he had a phenomenal career. When he first came out, he won Rookie of the Year. Everything functioned.”

Bettis was selected for his second All-Pro team during his rookie season in Pittsburgh, where he ran for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns. His 129-yard, two-touchdown performance in Pittsburgh’s 42-6 victory over the Rams was one of his standout games that season. In that game, Bettis ran for his longest run as a Steelers player—a 50-yard touchdown.

Best season?

With nearly 1,100 yards of rushing in the season’s first 11 games, Bettis looked like he was headed for an MVP season in 2001. However, an injury cut short his season and his chances of winning league MVP, a distinction he shared with only one other Steelers player since Terry Bradshaw. Currently, Bettis’ second season with the Steelers in 1997 was his finest statistical season.

Bettis ran for 1,665 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games, leading the Steelers to their fourth consecutive AFC Central division championship. For the second consecutive season, he recorded ten 100-yard rushing performances; his 20 100-yard games in two years stand as the franchise record. Barry Foster’s record for the team in a single season would have been broken by Bettis.

1,000-yard warrior

In each of his first six seasons in Pittsburgh, Bettis broke the 1,000-yard rushing barrier. During that time, only two other running backs in the NFL had as many 1,000-yard seasons as Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin. Bettis tied the mark held by Franco Harris for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by a running back in Steelers history. Bettis is the only player to start his career in Pittsburgh with six straight seasons of 1,000 yards or more. 14 of the 27 1,000-yard running campaigns in the Steelers’ history were led by Harris or Bettis.