Rookie of the Year: Jerome Bettis, 1993

Running Back, Los Angeles Rams

Age:  21

College: Notre Dame

Height: 5’11” Weight: 243

Prelude:

After gaining over a thousand all-purpose yards in his last college season, Bettis was taken by the Rams in the first round (10^th overall) of the 1993 NFL draft. Head Coach Chuck Knox anticipated that the classic fullback would be the key to the team’s running game with his hard-running style and demonstrated ability to hold onto the football.

1993 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Rushing

Attempts – 294 [3]

Most attempts, game - 39 (for 146 yds.) vs. Chicago 1/2

Yards – 1429 [2]

Most yards, game – 212 yards (on 28 carries) at New Orleans 12/12

Average gain – 4.9 [3]

TDs – 7 [9, tied with four others]

200-yard rushing games – 1

100-yard rushing games – 7

Pass Receiving

Receptions – 26      

Most receptions, game – 5 (for 71 yds.) vs. Chicago 1/2

Yards – 244

Most yards, game - 71 (on 5 catches) vs. Chicago 1/2

Average gain – 9.4

TDs – 0

Scoring

TDs – 7 [19, tied with nine others]

Points – 42

Awards & Honors:

NFL Rookie of the Year: Sporting News

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: AP, PFWA

NFC Rookie of the Year: UPI

1^st-team All-NFL: AP, PFWA

1^st-team All-NFC: UPI, Pro Football Weekly

Pro Bowl

Rams went 5-11 to finish fourth in the NFC West.

Aftermath:

Bettis tailed off badly during the second half of the 1994 season and, while he still gained 1025 rushing yards and was selected to the Pro Bowl (and also caught a career-high 31 passes), averaged just 3.2 yards per carry. After running for 637 yards behind a poor line following the shift of the Rams to St. Louis in ’95, Bettis was traded to the Steelers. “The Bus” rejuvenated his career in Pittsburgh, where his power-running style was a perfect fit, and ran for 1431 yards, his first of six straight 1000-yard performances. He returned to the Pro Bowl as well as gaining consensus first-team All-NFL honors. Bettis reached his career high in rushing with 1665 yards in 1997. Overall, he played a total of 13 years, the last 10 with the Steelers, going out with a Super Bowl win following the 2005 season. Bettis rushed for 13,662 yards, which ranked fifth all-time, and scored a total of 94 touchdowns (91 rushing, 3 receiving). He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year).