Jerome Bettis did not start playing football until high school as his primary passion as a youth had been bowling. At the University of Notre Dame Bettis finished his career with 337 rushing attempts for 1,912 yards, and made 32 receptions for 429 yards. Bettis was picked in the first round, 10th overall of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams.

Bettis would go on to play for the Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the Rams, Bettis would win All-Pro and consensus Offensive Rookie of the Year. Bettis rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons with the Steelers between 1996 and 2001. Bettis finished his NFL career with 13,662 rushing yards.

In 2015, Bettis was voted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bettis returned to NBC to help Bob Costas preside over the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation at the end of Super Bowl XLIX on February 1, 2015. Bettis starred in a Geico commercial in 2019, playing a running back in flag football that dominates the competition. Jerome often plays in celebrity golf tournaments and is busy making various appearances and speaking engagements to corporations associations and other various organizations.