Jerome Bettis, Dermontti Dawson left out of Hall

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 5, 2011, 7:14 PM EST
AP

There won’t be a Super Bowl-theme to the Hall of Fame class announced Saturday like there was last year with Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson.

Dan Gigler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports running back Jerome Bettis and center Dermontti Dawson will be left out of this year’s class.

That’s good news for Marshall Faulk and possibly Curtis Martin.

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35 responses to “Jerome Bettis, Dermontti Dawson left out of Hall”

  4. what did bettis do that martin didnt do??? bettis should not be in for a looooooooooong time. there are many more forgotten players than him that needs to be in. bettis was nothing more than a rb stuck on a team with no passing game that was sustainable, so they had no choice but to run the ball. dawson ah ok was one of the elite in his day.

  8. Bettis isn’t a first ballot guy, as much as I hate to say. But the fact that Dawson keeps getting snubbed every year is absurd. He was the best center in the league for most of, if not the entirety, of his career. I don’t get it.

  9. Bettis has way more stats than Martin. And as one analyst said its not all about stats either. Hell the Bus was a class act and represented the league better than most! Not inducting him now is a crock!

  10. Dawson should be in Bettis is borderline and does not deserve the nod ahead of Curtis Martin. Former steeler Donnie Shell is more worthy than Bettis.

  11. Dawson was one of the best Centers, EVER. He’ll get in soon enough. The Bus belongs, too. He is the best best big RB in history. He’ll get in soon enough. Just look at the stats ladies. He certainly belongs. You can’t really knock the guys that got in, because they were great players as well.

    At the end of the day, Dawson probably deserves it more than anyone. THAT was the big time snub.

  13. Have to agree with Bubby Brister. I do believe Bettis belongs, but am okay that he didn’t make it on the first ballot. Dawson, however, was a perennial All Pro and recognized as the best center in the league throughout his career. He should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but for him to be snubbed two years running is idiotic.

    However, Ray Guy was recognized as the best punter in the league throughout his career and he’s been waiting … waiting … waiting. This notion that you can only enshrine a handful of people when several are equally deserving is a crock. Enshrine the people who have earned it.

  14. the voting process is a JOKE… can’t tell me grudges & bias don’t play a part in voting…

  15. Would Bettis even be considered for the hall if not for Rapistburger’s (I believe it was him anyway) shoe string tackle after Bus’s fumble on the goal line in Indi; thus saving the game & leading to his only SB win?

  17. @philriversetc. …

    Yeah, that was Roethlisberger’s tackle, but that tackle didn’t give Bettis his career stats. It’s not generally considered a requirement that running backs must win a Super Bowl in order to get into the Hall. He’s number 5 on the NFL’s list of career rushing yards–and Martin is number 4. Both of them should go in.

    And while I’m at it, just have to say that I really don’t like Marshall Faulk. He comes across as soooo arrogant. Not questioning that he deserves to be a first-ballot inductee. But if they were giving the award for likeability, it would definitely go to Martin and Bettis ahead of Faulk.

  18. @philrivers

    Yeah because Ben was the main reason Bettis is 5th all time in rushing yards. Get a life you idiot.

  19. For a big back like Bettis to be top 5 all time in rushing is an amazing feat– especially considering that he was featured in the offense and defenses were always putting 8 in the box to stop him.

    No other big back in history was able to accomplish what he did. (Okoye, Butts, Means, Word, Jacobs, even Earl Campbell). Most had a few good years, but nothing compared to Bettis. He was unique. I have no issue with him not getting in first ballot— but he definitely deserves to get in soon.

  20. Jerome Bettis was not a HOF player. Puhhlease!!
    Hoping the NFL does not turn into the NBA where anyone who wore the uni is given consideration.

  22. A class without Dermontii Dawson in it is a joke. He was by the far the dominant center of his day, nobody else came close. He was one of the best ever. Once again, the Hall of Fame voting makes us laugh. Dawson belongs in the Hall, and now.

  23. You guys are aware that Bettis is top-5 ALL-TIME in rushing yards right? I’d say most people on this site must be either haters of him, or just plain morons.

    The offense, his style, etc really doesnt matter when someone is TOP 5!! He has more rushing yards then all but 3 RBs in the HOF. Not to mention TDs! Jerome Bettis is the definition of a HOFer and I dare one person on this site to find a stat that would suggest otherwise. Bettis was one of the best backs in the entire league for years and no one could question that. Just because he was not flashy does not put him below other RBs. He will be in and should have been a 1st ballot HOF.

  24. I don’t know how many times I have to say this… Jerome Bettis average yards per carry = 3.9. That is not Hall of Fame level stats.

    He is one of the most overrated running backs in the history of the game (thanks to the press, who love him).

  25. Hall of Fame process is a joke in EVERY sport! Once you retire you are eligable for HOF, however after 3 years, if not elected you don’t get in! If you were not good one year after retirement why would you be any better a year later.

  26. Hey Jack,
    If said player is on the verge of being in the hall of fame (a description that would fit Bettis to anyone that’s not a Steelers homer such as yourself), a SB win is actually a very important factor in determining his chances. I was not trying to belittle Bus’s career by any means, it was great. Definitely not 1st ballot hof great, maybe not even hof great, but great nonetheless. I was merely trying to demonstrate how one little shoe string tackle could potentially affect something so much bigger. Try reading the story, rather than just the headline. Idiot.

  27. Hall of fame numbers!

    * Second wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy
    * NFL rookie-season record for most combined yards gained, with 2,317 (1988).
    * NFL record 10 consecutive seasons with at least 75 receptions
    * NFL record for consecutive seasons with at least 5 touchdowns scored (11) – shared with Marvin Harrison, Don Hutson, Cris Carter, Terrell Owens, & Jerry Rice
    * NFL record for consecutive seasons with at least 5 touchdown receptions (11) – shared with Marvin Harrison, Don Hutson, Cris Carter, Terrell Owens, & Jerry Rice
    * NFL record for being the oldest player ever to return a punt for a touchdown – (35 years, 140 days)
    * NFL record for most consecutive games with more than one reception (147 games, 1993-2002)
    * NFL record for being the oldest player with 12+ receptions in a single game – (36 years, 97 days): 10/27/02 @ KC Chiefs, 13 receptions, 144 receiving yards
    * NFL record for consecutive starts by a wide receiver: 176
    * Only player to have 1,600 receiving yards against four different teams (Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Seahawks)
    * Holds the following team records with the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders:
    o Games (240) and seasons (16) played
    o Touchdowns (104)
    o Receiving (14,734 yards, 1,070 receptions, 99 touchdowns)
    o Punt return (3,272 punt-return yards, 320 punt returns, 3 punt returns for touchdowns)
    o All-purpose yards (19,431)
    o Yards from scrimmage (14,924)

  28. spergonwynn says:
    Feb 5, 2011 10:11 PM
    I don’t know how many times I have to say this… Jerome Bettis average yards per carry = 3.9. That is not Hall of Fame level stats.

    He is one of the most overrated running backs in the history of the game (thanks to the press, who love him).

    ===================================

    You only have to say it ONCE, because it is so stupid. How can he be overrated as the #5 RB of ALL TIME??? Its the overall body of work, not just one stat YOU think is subpar. How about Emmit Smith (4.2yds/ carry) and Faulk (4.3)? I guess they BARELY got in the HOF with okay yards / carry stats. How many times would you say they are overrated??

  29. I don’t think Bettis is a first ballot HOF’er but he deserves to be in eventually.

    Dawson DEFINATELY deserves to be in.

  30. I agree with everyone who says that Dirt Dawson should be in, but not Bettis.

    Bettis was one of the best big RBs to ever play, but “big RB” shouldn’t be a position all its own. IMO Bettis was no better at his position than guys like Levon Kirkland and Carnell Lake were at theirs. They were all very very good, but a notch below HoF caliber.

    Dirt on the other hand is IMO the best C to play since Dwight Stephenson retired. He may never get in though because people are tired of seeing Steelers inducted.

  31. Yeah, it’s stupid to not make a back who couldn’t even average 4.0 in his career out of the HOF because he was a ‘nice guy…’

    Sorry, but 13 years of mediocrity, mostly because your HC doesn’t care as he’s defense oriented, doesn’t (in my book) make you HOF worthy. There are a lot of backs that should go in before him.

    You need to be a great runner. Not a slug who benefits from a coach not willing to make the hard choices and replace your second-rate production.

  32. bryjord says:
    Feb 5, 2011 9:43 PM
    You guys are aware that Bettis is top-5 ALL-TIME in rushing yards right? I’d say most people on this site must be either haters of him, or just plain morons.

    lol. The Vinnie Testeverde argument…

    Testeverde is the #7 all time passing yards leader. And was never much of a QB. But a team could “get by” on offense with him. So, for team-after-team, year-after-year, he played his mediocre way to huge QB stats…

    That’s Jerome Bettis’ career. Lots of yards because your defensive-oriented coach didn’t really seem to care about the quality of your contribution to the team.

    Let’s face it, Cower was more than willing to “just get by” on offense so we had year after year of mediocrity being rewarded and hyped. Had the Rams traded Bettis to a team that cared about QUALITY production, he’d have been cut or benched.

    But, instead, he was traded to a ‘defensive’ team and allowed to grind on, year-after-year, in mediocrity. Like David Krieg. Like Drew Bledsoe. Like quite a few players who ‘just good enough’ to not get replaced, but not good enough to make a difference or escape their mediocrity.

  33. katmanduu says:
    Feb 5, 2011 7:42 PM
    Dawson was one of the best Centers, EVER. He’ll get in soon enough. The Bus belongs, too. He is the best best big RB in history.

    Oh. My. God.

    Jim Brown. Earl Campbell. Gerald Riggs. Bo Jackson. Jim Taylor. Larry Czonka. Marion Motley. John Riggins. John Henry Johnson. Earnie Nevers.

    Those were great ‘big’ backs. Not 3.9 ypc slugs…

  34. Bettis never really had a qb to prevent the D from loading up the box to stop the run. Kordell Stewart? Tommy Maddox? He didn’t play with Ben until the last 2 years of his career. His career YPC has to be measured against the fact that defenses continually keyed on stopping Bettis.

    It’s also worth remembering, part of what allowed the Steelers to get to the Super Bowl in Detroit was a run where Bettis absolutely trucked Urlacher. That was a signature run for Bettis.

  35. 6× Pro Bowl selection (1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004)
    2× All-Pro selection (1993, 1996)
    1× Second-team All-Pro selection (1997)
    Super Bowl champion (XL)
    1993 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
    1996 NFL Comeback Player of the Year

    How is this mediocre??? 6 Probowls out of 13 years?? Testaverde had 2 out of 20 years (87-07), and had all those yards due to longevity, so nice try. It has nothing to do with being a BIG back, he is the #5 RUNNING back of all time. He WILL be in the HOF!!

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