Jerome Bettis at the January 2025 CFP Championship game. (Photo Chad Ryan)
At 5-foot-11 and 252 pounds, Jerome Bettis was already a force of nature when Lou Holtz brought him to Notre Dame in 1990. A Detroit native and the youngest of three children, Bettis didn’t even start playing football until high school—his first passion was bowling. But once he picked up the game at Mackenzie High, he became a two-way standout at running back and linebacker. By his senior year, he was rated the top player in Michigan, earned the Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year award, and was named a consensus high school All-American.
Bettis wasted no time making his presence felt in South Bend. As a freshman, he averaged 7.7 yards per carry on limited touches. In his sophomore season, he became a star, rushing for 972 yards and 16 touchdowns while also catching four more scores. His 20-touchdown campaign set a single-season Notre Dame record—a mark that still stands today. With his unique mix of tailback speed and fullback power, The Bus was nearly impossible to slow down.
His junior year was hampered by injuries, but Bettis still racked up 825 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, and two more receiving scores. He finished his career with 1,912 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns, and 33 total touchdowns—cementing himself as one of the most productive backs in Irish history. In his final game, the 1993 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M, Bettis delivered a vintage performance: 20 carries for 75 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a 26-yard touchdown reception in a 28–3 Irish victory.
After that win, Bettis declared for the 1993 NFL Draft. He later returned to Notre Dame in 1996 to take classes during a contract dispute with the Rams, and finally, in 2022—three decades after leaving South Bend—he completed his degree in business.
Bettis went on to carve out one of the greatest professional careers ever for a Notre Dame running back. Drafted by the Los Angeles Rams and later finding a home with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he played 14 NFL seasons and retired as the fifth all-time leading rusher in league history. The perfect ending to his career came in February 2006, when Bettis announced his retirement on national television while holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy after helping the Steelers win Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit.
In 2015, Bettis was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, cementing his status as one of the all-time greats of the game. Today, his story continues in South Bend, as his son, Jerome Bettis Jr., is on Notre Dame’s roster as a wide receiver—bringing the Bettis name back to where The Bus first became a legend.
Jerome Bettis, “The Bus” is this week’s: Fighting Irish Preview, All-Time Irish Hero.