Whereas, It is an honor and a privilege to welcome Jerome Bettis home to Detroit as he competes with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL; and,

Whereas, While attending McKenzie High, Jerome played linebacker and running back for the football team and was rated the top player in the State of Michigan by the Detroit Free Press and was the “Gatorade Circle of Champions Michigan Player of the Year” as a senior; and,

Whereas, After high school, Jerome pursued football at the University of Notre Dame, and proved to be quite a stellar athlete; finishing his college career with 337 carries for 1,912 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 32 receptions for 429 yards, with 75 yards on 20 carries, and 2 touchdowns versus Texas A & M in the Cotton Bowl; and,

Whereas, In 1993, Jerome entered the NFL draft and was selected by the then Los Angles Rams, and following his rookie season garnered several accolades including: The Sporting News and Pro Football Writers Association Rookie of the Year Honors, receipt of the Carroll Rosenbloom and Dan Reeves award given to Ram’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, became first Rams rookie to rush for more than 1,000 yards since 1983, was the first Rams rookie to make the Pro Bowl since 1985, and finished second in the NFL in total rushing yards just 57 yards behind Emmitt Smith; and,

Whereas, During his time with the Rams, Jerome continued to post extraordinary numbers and in 1996, was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers where his career and numbers began to rise, placing him among the NFL’s elite running backs; and,

Whereas, With the Steelers, Jerome became only the 10^th runner to compile more than 12,000 rushing yards, is only the fifth running back in NFL history to have 3,000 attempts, in 2001, during his fifth Pro Bowl, was honored as NFL’s “Walter Payton Man of the Year” for his community service, and is the NFL’s fifth leading career rusher with 13,662 yards; and,

Whereas, This is the second Super Bowl for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 26 years, and the first for Jerome Bettis, an honor as he gets to play for the championship in front of a home crowd; and now therefore be it,

Resolved, That I, Jennifer M. Granholm, Governor of the State of Michigan, do hereby proclaim February 1, 2006, as Jerome Bettis Day in Michigan.  Congratulations to Jerome on an exemplary career in the National Football League, you have made Detroit and the State of Michigan proud to be your home.