Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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1,200 miles away to the University of Notre Dame to play football there." THE FINAL BUS STOP Bettis had his own stories to tell even though he played only three seasons at Notre Dame (1990-92) before beginning his pro career. During his recruitment in a rough section of Detroit, an Irish assistant coach was sent to his home and his con- spicuously nice car was parked next to another one that ended u p s t o l e n while that as- sistant was in Bettis' house. Bettis noted with a laugh that had it been the Irish a s s i s t a n t ' s car that had been taken, he probably w o u l d n ' t have ended up at Notre Dame. He paid a special tribute to his late father, Johnnie, who he called his hero. "He taught me how to be a man," Bettis said. "You see, he had two jobs. He worked to the bone, never com- plaining, never asking for a break. All that while supporting three children. He was the strongest man I will ever know, and it's because of him that I am here. "When my father sent me off to col- lege, he told me one thing. He said, 'Son, I'm sending you off to school. I don't have much to give you, but I have a good name. So don't mess it up.' Well, Dad, I hope I made you proud. "I want to thank the University of Notre Dame for taking a chance on a young kid from Detroit. Going to school truly changed my life." He then turned his attention to Holtz, whom he thanked for keeping him humble, making him work beyond what he thought was possible and teaching him about love of the game and competition. After a stellar Rookie of the Year cam- paign with the St. Louis R a m s i n 1993, Bettis' love for the game began to dissipate. " I w a s having some rough times w i t h t h e Rams, and I decided that I was going to leave and go back to school," Bettis said. "Coach Holtz called me up and said, 'Who was this impostor wearing 36 for the Rams?' I said, 'Well, Coach, that was me.' He said, 'No, that wasn't. That was not you. That was an impostor. That guy didn't love the game of football.' "He said, 'You need to come back here and you need to develop that love for the game.' And I went back and I got traded to Pittsburgh, and the love came back. "So thank you, Coach, for not just being a coach for three or four years, but being a coach to all of us for a life- time." ✦