He carried the ball only 15 times as a freshman, so it wasn't as if he was an instant impact figure.

He never was a first-, second- or third-team AP or UPI All-America when he was at Notre Dame, and thereby can't be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

He didn't rush for 1,000 yards in a season, as his backfield partner (Reggie Brooks) did in 1992. From 1981-2005, 10 other Irish backs accumulated more yards on the ground than he did.

Gosh, he didn't even suit up for his senior year at Notre Dame in 1993 when the Irish finished 11-1 and a debatable No. 2 in the nation.

Yet if you had to assemble an all-time Notre Dame team, Jerome "The Bus" Bettis has to be the fullback.

Many high school star athletes boast of their prowess prior to setting foot into the collegiate or professional ranks. A minute percentage lives up to it. Bettis was one of the exceptions - and then some. Soon after signing with Notre Dame in 1990, Bettis sent Blue & Gold Illustrated a photo that showed him donning his "All-World" jacket for Detroit's Mackenzie High and holding a globe in the palm of his hand.

Sixteen years later, Bettis retired as the fifth leading rusher in NFL history with 13,662 yards, behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Curtis Martin. In the grandest exit, his finale was a Super Bowl victory in his hometown. Such achievements on the field earned this past weekend him the vote to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, located in Canton, Ohio, this August. He is one of 12 Notre Dame representatives in history to achieve that elite distinction, tying the Fighting Irish with USC for most by one school.

More importantly, Bettis took pride as a role model and has been "All-World" in philanthropic endeavors. In 2001, he was the recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in recognition of his football excellence and off-the-field community service. Upon returning to Notre Dame in the late 1990s to begin completion of his degree requirements, Bettis - who also hosted football camps in western Pennsylvania and Detroit - established an endowed scholarship for undergraduate studies at the University.

Bettis originally was destined for Oklahoma because the Sooners' explosive wishbone attack appealed to him. But when head coach Barry Switzer resigned in 1989 and the program was placed on probation, Bettis whittled his choices to Michigan and Notre Dame. He breaks down in laughter when he recalled Lou Holtz's trip into his rough Detroit neighborhood late in the 1990 recruiting process.

"He drives around the block, sees the neighborhood and - I'll never forget it - I was standing on the porch and he asked me 'Is it okay for me to get out (of the car)?' " Bettis chuckled. "I said, 'Sure, Coach, come on in!' He was the only white guy in a four-mile radius.

"We had a great meeting. I said, 'Coach, if I come to Notre Dame, I want to be able to tape my shoes.' He said, 'Well, I don't allow kids to tape their shoes.' "

In the clash of wills, the tape won thanks to a different kind of tape. While at the Bettis' home, Holtz viewed game clips of Bettis and, according to the fullback/linebacker prospect, Holtz told him, "You can tape your shoes - as long as you sign today."

When he enrolled in August, Bettis' fashion statement impacted the rest of the team. Everybody began taping his shoes - until Holtz broke into a tirade in one practice and banned it.

Recalled Bettis years later: "I'm thinking, 'I don't believe this guy. He's a liar. I'm going to transfer…' Next thing I know his golf cart pulls up next to me and he says, 'Bettis, get in!' We go to the farthest edge of the field and he said, 'I know I said nobody can tape his shoes, but you can - just not today.' "

As a freshman in 1990, Bettis carried 15 times for 115 yards in a backfield that possessed incomparable talent. Raghib Ismail, the Heisman runner-up that year, rushed for 537 yards and 8.0 yards per carry in a part-time role. Ricky Watters, who would finish his own career 15th at the time on the all-time NFL rushing chart, amassed 579 yards and 5.4 yards per attempt. Rodney Culver, a future pro who would die in a 1996 plane crash, was the leading rusher with 710 yards, and Tony Brooks, who would finish eighth on the school's career rushing list, contributed 451 yards.

The backfield stable was so loaded that a) Reggie Brooks, Tony's younger brother and future second-round NFL pick, lined up at cornerback before returning to running back, b) Dorsey Levens, a future Pro Bowl player, transferred to Georgia Tech after carrying only 13 times in 1990 and c) Jeff Burris, Bettis' classmate, also shifted to defense even though he was a USA Today second-team All-American as a running back.

By the following spring, after Ismail left for the NFL early and Watters graduated, Bettis became the go-to back in spring drills.

"People will have problems with him," predicted senior tight end Derek Brown of the freshman back in the spring of 1991. "(Defensive end) Devon McDonald was telling the defense, 'Hit him low!' But if you hit him low, he'll run over you; if you hit him high, he'll run over you."

"His ankles are the only place to hit him," added Irish linebacker Demetrius DuBose. "But he runs so low to the ground, how do you get to his ankles?"

Just before the start of the 1991 season, Holtz recognized what a special talent he had in the sophomore fullback, so it was time to make sure he wouldn't squander it. After one of the preseason practices, the players knelt around Holtz afterwards for a talk.

"There's a guy on this football team, he's going to get our ass beat," Holtz began. "He doesn't have a commitment, I can't trust him, and personally I don't think his ass cares. We're going to lose a national championship because of this guy. He doesn't want to win, thinks he's God's gift, thinks he's the next big thing."

Captivated by Holtz's passion, Bettis was determined to find out who this individual was. And while looking around for him, he heard Holtz say, "Jerome Bettis, stand up!"

"I was ready to pass out," Bettis recalled. "He says to me, 'Son, you're going to get our ass beat. You don't run hard, you don't work hard, you're not making this team better…' All this time I feel 100 eyeballs on me."

Once Holtz' speech was concluded, Bettis was shook up and walked alone - until the head coach's golf cart pulled up next to him.

"He says, 'Bettis, get in!' " Bettis relayed. "At this point I don't even want to get back in the cart. I'm thinking it can't get any worse. He says to me, 'Hey, I just wanted to get you going.' I ended up having a very productive season."

Indeed, "The Bus" rambled for 972 yards, 5.8 yards per carry - a remarkable figure for a tailback, never mind a fullback who runs into the teeth of a defense - and 16 touchdowns. That didn't even include a 150-yard, three-touchdown effort in a 39-28 upset of No. 3 Florida in the Sugar Bowl. After Bettis carried 24 times for 178 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-20 victory over USC, Trojans head coach Larry Smith referred to Bettis as the greatest fullback he's ever seen.

That same year, Bettis scored on four of his 17 pass receptions, giving him a single-season Notre Dame record 20 touchdowns.

After similar prosperity as a junior (825 yards, 5.4 yards per carry) during the 10-1-1 campaign in 1992, Bettis met with Holtz about turning pro one year early to help his family financially.

"He told me I had pretty much done all I could do here and gave me his blessing," said Bettis, the10th pick of the 1994 NFL Draft. "To hear words like that, you realize he's not a dictator but a real person."

After earning Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors (1,429 yards 4.9 yards per carry) with the then woeful St, Louis Rams, Bettis' career was headed downhill after his third year with the Rams (637 yards, 3.5 yards per carry) and he was prepared to quit football - until he met with Holtz again about returning to school.

Upon seeing his old coach again, Bettis gave him a broad smile. Holtz looked beyond the façade.

"He said, 'That smile is not real. You're not happy. You're just a shell of a man you once were. Son, you're not running with conviction. You need to be here every day to work out, you need to show me…' " recalled Bettis, who signed with Pittsburgh that year.

"I'm thinking, 'I don't play for you!' But I was there every single day, and he was patting me on the back and head. When I left, he told me I'm ready to be successful again."

Mission accomplished. His All-World standard has been met both on and off the field.

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