BETTIS GOES FROM ROLLING AS 'THE BUS' TO RUSHING LIKE POPULAR FORD TRUCK

Pittsburgh January 20, 2006: When Detroit native and Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Jerome Bettis takes the field this weekend in the National Football League's AFC championship game, he'll be taking a little bit of Ford Motor Company with him.

Known widely as "The Bus," Bettis has taken to comparing himself to an F-150 pickup truck. "The Bus" moniker was first used by a Pittsburgh sports announcer in 1996. It describes his size, the Steelers' gold pants, and his tendency to run over defenders while rushing. The "F-150" nickname, on the other hand, was Bettis' own idea. He mentioned it for the first time last season, as he was about to move up to fifth place on the NFL's all-time rushing list.

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Bettis used an automotive allusion to compare his style of play to other great running backs.

"Those guys are Ferraris; I'm an F-150," said Bettis, a Detroit native who played collegiately at Notre Dame. "They go in every 3,000 miles, but I go 100,000 before you start changing the oil. The durability and dependability, that's where my benefits come in."

The Steelers' play-by-play TV announcer, Bill Hillgrove, says he wasn't surprised by Bettis' comments.

"He's always had a very realistic self-image," Hillgrove said. "And the truth is he never seems to run out of gas."

"He came up with that line himself," said Tim McCrackin, the owner of McCrackin Ford in Pittsburgh. "I honestly had nothing to do with it, but the fact is, over the years Jerome has learned quite a bit about Ford products."

McCrackin and Bettis have been friends since 1998, when Bettis was hired to be a spokesman for McCrackin's dealership. In 2004, McCrackin gave Bettis a special Steelers edition F-150 to drive. Since then, McCrackin has also sold a Ford Excursion to Bettis' mother and a Ford Explorer to his nephew.

"I really can't quantify if his comments helped sell any trucks, but people still ask me about it," McCrackin said.

Another dealer who sees Bettis as the perfect Ford spokesman in Pittsburgh is Richard Bazzy, the owner of Shults Ford.

"This town lives, breathes and dies by the Steelers, and Jerome is the pinnacle of everything this city represents," said Bazzy. "Pittsburgh is a city that is born and bred on a strong work ethic and strong values and so is Jerome."

The future Hall of Famer is widely expected to retire after this season. If Pittsburgh wins over Denver this weekend, Bettis could play his final NFL game in Super Bowl XL Feb. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit.