Jerome Bettis To Be Honoured In Week 4 At Heinz Field

When it comes to one of the most prolific running backs in NFL history, apparently a Hall of Fame ceremony in Canton is not enough. On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they would be hosting a special ring ceremony for “The Bus” at home during week 4, a Thursday night primetime affair and the first of two clashes with arch rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

While the specifics of the ceremony have yet to be disclosed, one can assume the event would take place at half time, and would involve Bettis getting his Hall of Fame ring re-issued by the Steelers brass.

If Mean Joe Greene’s number retirement ceremony last season is any indication, not a single member of Steeler Nation will budge from their seats for the duration of such a special intermission.

Bettis was initially drafted by the (then) Los Angeles Rams but forged a legendary career over a decade in Pittsburgh. His no-nonsense, bulldozing running style was the continuing embodiment of Steeler Football to all those who had grown up in the Steel Curtain era. The tailback ended his career ranked fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list, and capped off a storybook career with a lone Super Bowl ring in his home town of Detroit.

Shortly after retirement, Bettis’ number 36 was added to the Steelers’ list of unofficially retired jerseys, which includes a host of legends such as Terry Bradshaw, Jack Ham, Franco Harris and Jack Lambert. With a special “thank you” to be delivered in Heinz Field before a raucous home crowd, “The Bus” will be forever enshrined as one of the greatest to ever wear the Black and Gold.