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(One of four in a series on the Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists with Steelers connections.)

Jerome Bettis endeared himself to teammates and fans, not just for the way he played the game, but the way he handled himself on and off the field during his 13-year NFL career.

For the second consecutive year Bettis is a finalist for the Hall of Fame and Steelers fans will soon know if what he did on the field was enough to endear him to Hall of Fame voters.

“It’s definitely an honor to make it this far,” said Bettis. “When you are on the list of all of these great players and there is the possibility of being in the Hall of Fame, it’s an honor definitely.”

The Class of 2012 will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 4 during a Hall of Fame special on NFL Network beginning at 5:30 p.m. Bettis is one of 15 modern-era candidates who are on the ballot, along with Jack Butler and Dick Stanfel, who were selected in August 2011 as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee, which reviews the qualifications of players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago.

Besides Bettis, the other modern-era finalists are Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Dermontti Dawson, Edward DeBartolo Jr., Chris Doleman, Kevin Greene, Charles Haley, Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin, Bill Parcells, Andre Reed, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, and Aeneas Williams.

From this list of 17, between four and seven will be elected into the Class of 2012.
 
“I played with Jerome in Los Angeles, St. Louis and Pittsburgh,” said former tackle Wayne Gandy. “It will always be my honor to have played with him. He is one of those guys who gave his all to the game, played hard. You can always tell the great players because they motivate other guys to play harder. Jerome was one of those types of guys. We knew if we blocked and blocked hard, he was going to get the extra yards, and we would make each other look good. His personality is great. He was always appreciative of his line.

“He definitely deserves it with his style of running and to play that long and physical. He helped bring Pittsburgh the first Super Bowl in 26 years. That cemented it in my mind.”

Bettis began his career with the Los Angeles Rams in 1993 but had his best days once he was traded to the Steelers on draft day in 1996. Bettis rushed for 10,571 yards with the Steelers, 13,662 for his career to rank fifth in NFL history when he retired.

“He had a brilliant career, made big plays and was a big factor in the run the Steelers had,” said former Steelers running back and Hall of Famer Franco Harris. “It’s tough to last with the running style he had. Running backs don’t last a long time. He ran tough and ran well. He told me later on in his career he started to put some moves in there. I didn’t see them, though.”  

He capped his career in fairytale fashion when the Steelers won Super Bowl XL in Bettis’ hometown of Detroit, and then he announced his retirement from the podium with the Lombardi Trophy in his hands.

Bettis would not mind adding another chapter in that fairytale career, but after being a finalist last year has a better understanding now of how tough it is to get in the Hall of Fame.

“My hope is to get in this year,” said Bettis. “You understand the process and know there are great players on that list of finalists. I can’t be upset if I don’t get the nod this year. I understand how difficult it is and how much work goes into the process and what it is. I understand it.”

Bettis was the Steelers leading rusher from 1996-2001 and in 2003-04, and he rolled up 50 100-yard games with the team.

“What Jerome has given to the game, and our battles go back to Stanford-Notre Dame, has been great,” said John Lynch, who played safety in the NFL for 13 seasons and now is a reporter for the NFL on FOX. “He is one of those guys you always had the ultimate respect for because he was immensely talented and handled it the right way. He always had that smile on his face. In the most intense moment of the game, Bus would have a smile on his face.

“Jerome is one of the favorite guys I ever competed against. He was one of the most popular guys in the game for a long time. He did so much for the game.”