Ranking the top 25 running backs in NFL history…
Drafted 10th overall by the Los Angeles Rams in 1993 out of Notre Dame, Jerome Bettis signed a lucrative rookie deal and immediately dominated, rushing for 1,429 yards and seven touchdowns to earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, first-team All-Pro and his first Pro Bowl.
Nicknamed “The Bus” for his 5-foot-11, 255-pound frame and trucking style, he added another 1,000-yard season in 1994 with the Rams, earning a second Pro Bowl.
Traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1996, Bettis found his home, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons there, including a career-high 1,665 yards in 1997.
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He earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 1996 after rebounding from a down year, and Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2002 for community work.
Key performances included six 100-yard games in the second half of 2004 and a 101-yard, two-touchdown effort against Chicago in 2005, plus three scores vs. Detroit to clinch playoffs. His career culminated in [Super Bowl XL](https://www.nfl.com/photos/super-bowl-xl-09000d5d80129c8f#7f62973d-8440-4c58-93d2-d4b704ff7898) victory in 2006, rushing for 43 yards in a 21-10 win over Seattle in his Detroit hometown, retiring as a champion.
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Bettis’s totals: 13,662 rushing yards (eighth all-time), 91 rushing touchdowns, 200 receptions for 1,449 yards and three receiving touchdowns across 192 games, with a 3.9 yards-per-carry average and 730 first downs.
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A six-time Pro Bowler (1993-1994, 1996-1997, 2001, 2004) and two-time first-team All-Pro, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Steelers Hall of Honor in 2017.
Bettis’s standout attributes were his extraordinary power, low center of gravity and balance, allowing him to absorb hits and gain yards after contact despite lacking top-end speed.
Featured image via USA TODAY Sports