Jerome Bettis Graduates From Notre Dame — 30 Years After He Started

Former NFL running back Jerome Bettis is a lot of things: a devoted father, an NFL analyst, a radio talk show host, and now, a college graduate.

That’s right. Last week, Bettis, 50, took to Twitter to share his latest accomplishment:

A promise made, a promise kept. 28 years after leaving @NotreDame, I’ve completed my degree from the Mendoza School of Business. I hope my journey serves as reminder that education is the true equalizer in life and it is never too late to start. pic.twitter.com/J0Xn7Up47n

— Jerome Bettis (@JeromeBettis36) May 12, 2022

Back in 1990, Bettis, a native of Detroit, moved a little over 200 miles away to South Bend, IN to wear a golden helmet for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. He spent three years at the school, but left for the NFL Draft before he could earn his degree.

It was a smart move. The LA Rams drafted him 10th overall in 1993. However three years later, they made an extraordinarily dumb move and traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a measly second- and fourth-round pick. Bettis and the rest of the Steelers went on to win a Super Bowl together in 2006, and Bettis retired shortly thereafter.

His NFL career may have ended a while ago, but his commitment to Notre Dame remained — that is, until this year when he decided to complete his final four courses and earn his business degree.

“I promised my mother that I would get my degree,” he said via People. “In my immediate family, I’ll be the first person to graduate from college. But most importantly, I have two children. For them to see dad finish a commitment that he set out some 27 years ago, for me to complete that, I think it says a lot to them.”

It says a lot to all of us, Jerome. Congratulations and well done.