He rushed for over 1,000 yards and was selected for the NFC's Pro Bowl team in each of his first two seasons with the Rams. Bettis was named a First-team All-Pro (the only rookie named to the team) and Consensus NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Bettis also had an NFL-best 79 rushing first downs and an NFL-best 38 runs of 10 or more yards, and tied for the league lead with seven 100-yard rushing games despite not becoming the full-time starter until the sixth game of the season. He quickly earned the nickname "The Battering Ram" as he rushed for 1,429 yards (second in the NFL), drawing comparisons to Earl Campbell. As a rookie, he flourished under Chuck Knox's ground-oriented offense. On July 22, 1993, Bettis signed a three-year, $4.625 million contract with a signing bonus in excess of $2 million. The Los Angeles Rams selected Bettis in the first round, with the tenth overall selection, of the 1993 NFL Draft. Professional career Pre-draft measurablesĪll values from NFL Combine He returned to the NFL shortly thereafter.īettis later returned to Notre Dame to complete his college degree, and on May 15, 2022, he graduated with a business degree. He took courses in "history, philosophy, marketing and business" totaling an 18 credit class load. Louis Rams and was considering retirement. He returned to Notre Dame in 1996 when he was having a dispute with the St. He left Notre Dame in what would have been his senior year to enter the 1993 NFL Draft. In his sophomore year, he set the Notre Dame touchdown record with 20 in one season, with 16 rushing, and 4 receiving (23 total touchdowns including the 1992 Sugar Bowl, a record which still stands).īettis did not graduate from college at that time. In his last game as a junior, a 28-3 win by Notre Dame over Texas A&M in the 1993 Cotton Bowl, he rushed 20 times for 75 yards, ran for two touchdowns and caught a 26-yard touchdown pass. Bettis finished his career with 337 rushing attempts for 1,912 yards (5.7 yards per attempt), and made 32 receptions for 429 yards (13.4 yards per reception). 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.īettis enrolled at the University of Notre Dame to play college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He attended Mackenzie High School in Detroit, where he was a standout running back and linebacker. As a youth in Detroit, Bettis and his brother made ends meet by selling crack cocaine. Bettis did not start playing football until high school, as his primary passion as a youth had been bowling. He is the oldest of three children of Gladys Elizabeth (née Bougard) and Johnnie E. Early life īettis was born February 16, 1972, in Detroit, Michigan. Bettis was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. He retired in 2006 after helping the Steelers win a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XL, the franchise's first in over two decades. A six-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, he is regarded as one of the greatest power runners of all time and ranks eighth in NFL rushing yards. Bettis was a member of the Rams for three seasons before being traded to the Steelers, where he spent the remainder of his career. Nicknamed " the Bus" due to his large size and running style, he played college football at the University of Notre Dame and was selected 10th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL Draft. (born February 16, 1972) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2001).NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1993).
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