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 (10th 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
1st-team
All-NFL: AP, PFWA
1st-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.
--
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).
