CANTON, Ohio (AP) – The humbled men in gold jackets entering football immortality were unmistakable. So was the endless sea of twirling yellow Terrible Towels there to greet them and the outpouring of compassion for the legend who wasn’t there.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis headlined the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 on Saturday night, the sixth-leading rusher in NFL history turning the annual enshrinement ceremony into a de facto pep rally.
Bettis grabbed one of the ubiquitous towels synonymous with the franchise at the beginning of his speech and led a chant of “Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go” as the capacity crowd at Tom Benson Stadium – most of them clad in some variation of black-and-yellow – roared in support of the player that served as the physical embodiment of the team he helped lead to a fifth Super Bowl title in 2006.
“I really thought the Bus’ last stop was in Detroit at Super Bowl 40,” Bettis said. “But now I know the Bus will always and forever run in Canton, Ohio.”
The euphoria surrounding Bettis’ induction proved fitting on a night most of the eight-member class saw their lengthy wait to join football’s most exclusive club come to an end.