Bettis' wait for HOF call finally ended
PHOENIX - Jerome Bettis’ wait is finally over.
Bettis, the Detroit Mackenzie star whose hard-charging running style earned him the nickname “Bus,” was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday a day before Super Bowl XLIX.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams star, Bettis becomes the 30th running back in the Hall of Fame and is one of eight members of the Class of 2015.
Receiver Tim Brown, defensive end Charles Haley, linebacker Junior Seau, guard Will Shields, seniors committee nominee Mick Tingelhoff and contributors Bill Polian and Ron Wolf also were selected.
“Very deserving,” Hall-of-Fame Steelers running back Franco Harris told the Free Press. “Did you see him run? Oh my gosh. He was a load and he produced time and time again and just made it happen. Great running back and he should be in there.”
Bettis finished his 13-year career with 13,662 career yards - the sixth most in NFL history - two first-team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl championship that he won in his last game in his hometown of Detroit.
He’s the 21st Steeler selected to the Hall, and joins Harris, John Henry Johnson and Mario Motley as Pittsburgh running backs in Canton.
“So happy to be amongst the games greatest players!! My Family and I are truly honored and blessed!” Bettis tweeted.
One of the most physical running backs of his era, Bettis trails only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, Curtis Martin and LaDainian Tomlinson on the career rushing list. Tomlinson is the only member of that group not in the Hall of Fame, and he’s not yet eligible for election.
A first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 1993, Bettis also ranks fifth in career 100-yard rushing games (61) and 10th in career rushing touchdowns (91).
“His combination of speed and size, dating back to his days at Notre Dame (sets him apart),” Hall-of-Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks said. “I had the pleasure of knowing him since he was my recruiting host when I visited Notre Dame, so he was a problem (for defenders) and his sustained greatness over two franchises for the length of his career at his size is very impressive.”
Bettis, in his fifth year of being Hall-of-Fame eligible, was a finalist the last four years but passed over in part because of a backlog of running backs.
Marshall Faulk was elected for the Hall of Fame in 2011, Bettis’ first year of eligibility, and Curtis Martin was enshrined in 2012. No running backs were picked the last two seasons.
Defensive end Haley, who had 100.5 career sacks in 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, and Brown, who played most of his 17 NFL seasons for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, also were elected after long waits.
Haley was in his 11th year of eligibility, Brown his sixth.
Polian and Wolf became the second and third general managers elected to the Hall of Fame, Shields was one of the NFL’s all-time great guards, Seau was eight-time All-Pro linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, and Tingelhoff was star center for the Minnesota Vikings in the 1960s and ‘70s.
