Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run [Hardcover]

Jerome Bettis (Author), Gladys Bettis (Foreword), John Bettis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

Jerome Bettis is telling the story of his remarkable career in a lavishly illustrated new book with stunning photography from both on and off the field, an account of the 2005 season from training camp through the playoffs, plus an accompanying DVD highlighting his life and career.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Few athletes get the opportunity to finish out their careers in the storybook fashion that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis was able to experience. Bettis, a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest ball carriers in the history of the NFL, captured the hearts of fans all over the country as his quest for a Super Bowl championship took him from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati to Indianapolis to Denver and, finally, back to his birthplace of Detroit for Super Bowl XL.

His Steelers had fallen one game shy of the title game the previous year, and Bettis wrestled with the decision that confronts all athletes at some point in their careers: do I have enough left for one more year—another run at the championship that’s always been just out of reach? The answer was yes, and "the Bus" battled through injuries and the daily rigors of his 13th NFL season in the hopes that his decision would pay off with football’s ultimate reward.

A late-season swoon was followed by a critical four-game winning streak that propelled the Steelers into the playoffs. They became America’s favorite road team throughout the postseason as fans nationwide pulled for the team’s affable fullback to get one last chance at a championship ring. A payback win over a brash young Cincinnati Bengals team preceded a thrilling victory over heavily favored Indianapolis, and then the Steelers manhandled the Denver Broncos to earn the trip to Detroit to face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Bettis’s homecoming was the feel-good story that dominated the headlines during Super Bowl week, and the image of him kissing the Lombardi Trophy after Pittsburgh won the game was the signature moment of the entire NFL season. And Bettis himself, knowing that the 2005 season would be his last, chronicled the campaign from training camp to the Super Bowl. His first-person account—lavishly illustrated with stunning photography of on-field action and intimate off-field moments—starts with the disappointment of the previous season’s finish. Bettis describes how, from the very first day of training camp, the understanding was that anything less than a trip to Super Bowl XL would be a disappointment.

Bettis shares details about his relationships with Steelers stars Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Joey Porter, and others, as well as his long partnership with head coach Bill Cowher. He discusses his home and family life, introducing readers to his parents and siblings, his wife, and his first child, whom he credits with altering his perspective on the importance of football in his life. He takes the reader through his pre- and postgame routines, revealing the fact that life as an NFL running back involves more pain and suffering than most fans realize. And he also offers a first glimpse into what life after the NFL will mean for Jerome Bettis and how he has prepared himself for the future.

But more than anything, Driving Home is Bettis’s triumphant story of one final season in a storybook career that truly had a fairytale ending.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Triumph Books; Har/DVD edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157243838X
• ISBN-13: 978-1572438385
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,213,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Coffee Table book, December 21, 2008

By 

Betty H. Addison "Avid Reader BJ" (Baltimore, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run (Hardcover)

This book gets a lot of attention on the coffee table in the living room, especially from the guys! Great conversation starter...especially for women who actually like football, as I do.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Driving Home Jerome Bettis, January 4, 2011

By 

B. Thomas "Boops" (harrisburg, pa United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run (Hardcover)

At my house we are all Jerome Bettis fans but this book was purchased as a gift for my grandson. He loves the book and has shared it with his buddies.-----Amazon Verified Purchase---

5 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars driving home: my unforgettable super bowl run, January 3, 2007

By 

James E. Brooks (West Grove, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Driving Home: My Unforgettable Super Bowl Run (Hardcover)

This was a christmas gift for our grandson, who is a steelers fan.
He was real excited to receive this as a gift.