Customer Reviews

The Bus: My Life in and out of a Helmet

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All football fans know about the "Bus". The 5 foot 11 inch 238-255 pound (Depending on the week.) battering ram of a running back. Bettis is the epitome of the blue collar "OLD SCHOOL" football player. You know He's coming, He's telling you He's coming. It doesn't matter if it's snowing or the suns shining, He's coming off tackle, and there is going to be some banging, and there is going to be pain. He's giving pain and he's taking pain, but that's how he's paved his way to a sure to be first vote election to the National Football League Hall Of Fame, and how he gained 13,662 yards, scored 94 touchdowns, and became a Super Bowl Champion.

While these are interesting and impressive numbers, I learned a lot more important things about the "Bus", and the education starts before you even reach the table of contents. The "Bus" has what amounts to an open letter to the world from his heart, dedicating this book to his deceased Father. Jerome states that his Dad taught him what it means to be a Father, a husband, and a man. What he says next brought tears to my eyes, because it is the exact, same, exalted feelings, I always state to the world about my dear departed Father. "My Father was the best Father in the world. He was my hero. Whenever somebody asks who inspired me, my answer is always the same my Father."

Bettis grew up with loving parents in a bad part of Detroit where his Father worked two jobs and education was stressed in their household. When some older kids in the neighborhood starting messing with Jerome, and tried to hurt him, his Mother found out, and I'll let Mrs. Bettis tell you what she did: "I tracked those kids down and I said, Don't you touch him. I'll kill you. Don't even look at him. I was a fearsome mother. We scared the fire out of them." Jerome was a geek, wore glasses, and did not have any football posters on his wall, nor did he harbor any dreams of being a pro football player. What he did dream of becoming was a "PRO BOWLER"! His favorite athletes were Hall Of Fame bowlers Earl Anthony and Marshall Holman. I'm sure some fans may be surprised that Jerome was a National Honor Society member. When he got involved in football in high school he burst upon the national scene, and narrowed down his college choices to Notre Dame and home town Michigan. Much to the dismay of hometown fans he picked Notre Dame. His story then chronicles his rise to college All-American and first round NFL draft choice. The very first thing he did with his bonus money was buy his parents a new house.

The "Bus" hits the truth as hard as he hits the defensive line with some of his straight from the hip declarations. Such as regarding his Rams teammate Jim Everett with the following description: "The worst thing you can call a player is soft, and Everett was as soft as puppy fur." Or in describing Steeler teammate and quarterback Mike Tomczak: "I'm not blaming Tomczak for the loss, but that was one of those games you need your quarterback to win it for you. Tomczak wasn't that kind of quarterback. That's not his fault. Usually we just needed him to manage the game for us. But when we needed him to win a game for us, he didn't have that type of talent."

There are many more interesting inside "tidbits" ranging from the "Bus" faking an injury, to the game he had to take three shots in his ankle and eight shots in his groin to be able to play. They're all hard-hitting, but what else would you expect from a hard-hitting blue collar Bus!

In this book Mr. Bettis offers an account of his life. I was surprised by the honesty with which he wrote the book. He wrote about his failures as a child growing up in the inner city of Detroit as well as his struggles in the NFL. He elaborates on many NFL related issues he was involved with.

Personally, reading a first hand account of some of the injuries was very interesting. I recall the 'fog bowl' playoff game when Pittsburgh travelled to New England in the playoffs and lost. Little did I know that The Bus had a groin injury that game and played anyways. Fans rarely hear about player injuries unless the player's on the injured list. It was interesting to read about that situation and have it come full circle as a fan not understanding why The Steelers didn't run the ball well in that game.

Most news headlines about this book state that Mr. Bettis faked an injury during his career to stay with the team. That assessment wasn't correct. He faked the timing of the injury, but not the injury itself. When I read the book I very much sympathized with his reasoning for doing so.

I learned a few life lessons in the book as well as reassured me of others. As a top player in the league, Mr. Bettis constantly had critics and had to work for everything he earned. Nothing was ever handed to him. Once he was in the league, he had to work harder to stay in the league.

If you're a fan of sports or of great success stories you'll love this book.

Just like "The Bus" himself, this book is a winner. It is a must-read for all "Bus" and/or Steeler fans. He is witty, personable and honest and presents an insider's look into the workings of the NFL and also into his personal life. The story is one that will inspire any young person to "follow your dream", but is realistic in emphasizing the hard work, determination and resilience involved in achieving success. I would highly recommend it!

Jerome Bettis is one of my favorite Steelers, his is the first jersey I ever got. This book was well written, honest, and inspirational. Any true Steelers fan will relate to Bettis' accounts of game days...many of the games he talks about in the book were ones I was fortunate enough to attend. Being from a state in the New England region, the accounts of the games played against New England were particularly vivid in my mind. This book allows the reader into the heart and mind of Jerome Bettis. By reading about what other players and coaches have said about Bettis it is clear that he was a special football player, and is a special man. Some may have heard negative things about this book, but if you bleed black and gold, you will want to read this story. It's one you won't soon forget.

this Book charts the career of Jerome Bettis from his upbringing Detriot with his Parents through his College days with Notre Dame through his NFL Career with both the Rams and Steelers with whom he won a title with. the Bus Pulls no punches and talks directly about growing up and the obstacles and challenges he faced. he speaks frankly about other NFL Players and NFL Politics and how things really go down in the trenches. he is a strong minded and direct Cat. this is a Book that takes a NFL inside all of the hardwork,drive and dedication to being the best you can be. Bettis is a sure fire Hall of Famer and he is a Smart Brother as well. a very well put together Book.

This is a great book for all football fans. Even if you're not a big Steelers fan or even a fan of Bettis, you will like this book. Bettis tells about the good and bad obstacles he faced from his childhood to his days as a football player.

I was perusing the bargain book section at a local book store when I came across this book. Being an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan (I live in a blended family environment - my wife and oldest son are Philadelphia Eagles fans and my youngest son and I are Steelers fans), I noticed this book. I thought it might be a book my youngest son would like to read. OK, I was curious also.

A departure from my normal type of book to read - leadership, motivation, business focus, etc., I felt the diversion was warranted. Every now and then, I like to read a story about a kid who comes from obscurity to become something because it aligns with my life. Jerome Bettis came from the ghettos of Detroit to become one of the best running backs of the National Football League (NFL). Although I didn't come from the ghetto, I did come from a dinky town in the woods of western Pennsylvania, about as obscure as you can get, even though the area I grew up in did produce several famous NFL players - Joe Namath, Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, just to name a few.

Books about humble beginnings to greatness spur me on. It tells me that great beginnings are not a prerequisite for great endings. Greatness is an attitude, not an altitude in life. While I might not be known as widely as others, my significance in life is dependent on what I do and how it influences others.

I learned several things from this book:

1. Scrappiness helps us achieve our goals - the tenacity and internal fortitude to believe we can actually reach our goals.

2. Team membership is important - we don't reach our levels of success by ourselves, we need others, not stepping on them or using them, but through joining forces to accomplish more.

3. Friendship qualities gains friendship support - we have a desire to help others who we are drawn to, so developing likable personality qualities engenders camaraderie and forward progress.

Coming from the ghetto, Bettis had to work just a bit harder to break free from his environment than those of us who don't come from that culture. The ghetto is not a place, but a way of life. Being from the back woods is not a place, but a culture. Being insignificant is a mindset; significance is influence. To become something different, we must do more than the status quo, break the homeostasis of our life and decide on a new path. Bettis admits in his book he could have stayed in the `hood and lead a life of crime and downward spiral. He wanted to become a professional bowler, but through a concerned coach and dedicated parents, he changed his life and impacted many through his accomplishments on the gridiron.

His book details his steps along that long journey, similar steps I've taken in very different forms but just as impactful in my live. I've never been one to just let life happen, but to envision my future and determine the path to get there. Along the way, I've run into many roadblocks and detours. Although I didn't end up where I originally wanted (retired by 40, grandfather by 45, speaking tour by 50, etc.), I am satisfied with the results so far, but nowhere near finished with the journey. Books such as "The Bus" continue to remind me I am not abnormal, but have suffered similar setbacks, dealt with comparable politics and disappointments, and have parallel paths as many others, famous or not.

This book is light reading compared to my normal business focused books, but getting outside my profession to see others struggles helps put my situations in perspective and cross-pollenates their learning with mine. As a result, I see problems, challenges and opportunities from different angles than my colleagues, sometimes giving different options than traditionally seen. Rather than being myopic in viewpoint, I see the broader vision, the alternate paths and remain flexible to various solutions. As a result, I am more valuable to my clients because I offer other solutions than the normal "we've always done it that way" methods. Then I can help them choose the best method to meet their needs.

I really liked this book. I love the Bus and I love the Steelers, so I was excited to read this! I was not disappointed, I read it in just a couple days. It was great to learn more about Bettis and I liked hearing about the NFL from his perspective, which is obviously much different than what the fans see. For someone as great as Bettis, I really enjoyed hearing about the people that inspired him and helped him achieve his success. It's also nice to hear about some of the other Steelers from Bettis's point of view :) Also, I think the book does a very good job of balancing content about his personal life with content about football. Overall, I would recommend this to any football fan, especially fans of the Bus and the Steelers!

A great read from start to finish,once you pick it up its hard to put down....

I just finished reading this book and it is amazing. I am a die hard fan of Pittsburgh Steelers and that is why I bought this book. It is a incredible journey through Jerome's life, he is so honest about what he lived. When you read this book is like having a conversation with him, is like being there. Believe me when I told you YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK and if you are a young person you can learn a lot of things for your own future.
Thank you Jerome Bettis for sharing your life with all your fans.