Stephon Gilmore’s wife takes shot at refs over controversial call. But we just couldn’t seal the deal. Apparently, it was this promise that got Jerome Bettis to play one last season. Houston was picking at No. He gave me another game ball. But I got a good name. But that’s O.K., because the play’s going over here.”. NFL Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis, center, is flanked by, from left, nsoro scholars Alexis, Justin, Maribel and Cathleen. As it turned out, Carolina was selling high on the former 1,000 yard receiver, as he had only 217 yards in six games with the Bills and was released after 12 games the following year. At the end of my junior season, it was clear that I was ready to make the leap to the NFL. Coach Holtz had scheduled a meeting with me and my family. What people might not realize is that my agent and I carefully orchestrated my move to Pittsburgh. Ball is snapped. Bettis won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1996, and in 2002 he was the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. Bowling wasn’t going to pay for my college degree, so I thought, Alright, let’s try this football thing. It gave Denver an automatic first down. That’s the thing that made my whole journey so special. Houston had Earl Campbell. Select 100 images or less to download. I scored the touchdown, but when I got up to celebrate, I had blood coming from my neck. My daughter had just been born prematurely, and she was still in the hospital. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. However, because the team had already wrapped up its playoff position, he was rested for the regular-season finale and finished 26 yards short of the team's single-season record. After the game, we didn’t even talk about it. Imagine that high-pitched voice, going a mile-a-minute: “Mrs. George, selected No. No individuals. 'Tails'? He took courses in "history, philosophy, marketing and business" totalling a heavy 18 credit class load. I got on a plane to Hawaii. Hines Ward was crying so hard, and unfortunately there happened to be some TV cameras nearby. The first play from scrimmage went to the surehanded Bettis, who had not fumbled once the entire year. On May 21, 2006, Bettis received an honorary Doctoral degree from Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan. The Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation and other agencies sponsor the Jerome Bettis Asthma and Sports Camp annually for children with asthma. Until Houston. Just one year after selecting Richardson third overall in the draft and seeing him run for 950 yards and 11 scores during his rookie season, Cleveland traded the young running back to the Colts for a first-round pick only two weeks into the 2013 season. He also said he intended to set their home on fire with both he and his wife inside. It was already dark. Desperate for a quarterback, Green Bay gave up a king's ransom to the Rams for Hadl during the 1974 season. And in that high-pitched voice, he says, “Hiya doin’, Mr. Bettis! He made seven Pro Bowls and still ranks in the top 10 all-time with 100 receiving touchdowns. Bettis’ post-NFL life is spent with his wife, Trameka, and their two children Jada, 16, and Jerome Jr., 14, in Atlanta. 15 catches for 239 yards and 6 touchdowns. I’m like, O.K., man. I run out, arms pumping, screaming like, Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh! 1988. Jimmy Johnson set up the Cowboys dynasty with an unbelievable trade in 1990, moving star running back Herschel Walker and four draft picks to Minnesota for five players, three first-round picks, three second-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick. He totally sold my mother. Bettis contributed 52 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' wildcard playoff victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on January 8. [10] The Rams gave Bettis the option of which team he wanted to be traded to, and he chose the Steelers over their AFC Central rival Houston Oilers (who would draft Eddie George that year instead) due to the Steelers' more storied history.[11]. "His hands went up and he was all excited. [14] Bettis was a second-team All-Pro choice in 1997 and set a then NFL record with two overtime touchdowns in the same season. My whole goal was to follow in his footsteps. Of course, Collins returned as a top performer in 2019 for the Pats. He was not the same guy. All our Pro Bowlers were there. We were on the Colts’ two-yard line with a minute left. Court documents show Shane Del Montjar, 73, “admitted to killing his wife on Oct. 13” when a trooper came to his door Tuesday. There’s nothing I can do but watch. Your Favorite NFL Players of the '90s", "Parcells, Carter finally make Pro Football Hall of Fame", "Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jerome Bettis among the 2015 class", Barack Obama's Pennsylvania Strategy: Appear With Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jerome_Bettis&oldid=984877734, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. So my decision came down to Notre Dame vs. Michigan because both schools had great engineering programs. It was a race against time. "[16] Bettis later put together one of the most bizarre single-game statistics in NFL history. That was the first step. Within a few years, I was the No. Elway was drafted first overall by the Colts in 1983 but refused to play for them. They were doing their best to keep me out of trouble. Nicknamed The Bus, he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft as the tenth overall pick. You could feel that energy not just between his son, but his daughter as well. Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. is a former American football player and is a journalist for WPXI-TV. Jerome credits the Notre Dame school newspaper with first using the nickname. The still competitive Panthers shocked the football world when they traded Benjamin to the Bills for a third- and seventh-round pick at the 2017 trade deadline.