JERONME DETTI “THE BUS”: The secrets behind the Steeler steeler S RB.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL: The HISTORY.
OTHER COUNTRIES: American Football abroad. NOV. 2014 EDICIÓN - 1 DAYANA AGUDELO CAMILO RIVEROS 11-01
EDITORIAL The aim of this magazine is to show the qualities and difficulties that american football has have along the time, among other things that let us to learn more about the sport and getting an invitation to admire it, also its branches, players and some teams that are representing us nationally and internationally and even to get practicing this sport with success, if with enthusiasm and discipline we try. This magazine is for all audiences, but primarily it is dedicated to the followers and practitioners of this sport. We would like to clarify some questions maybe you have and say some curiosities you might not know. Also this is dedicated to the teams that have represented us in a good way internationally and have been the leading nationwide such as "Pumas DC" the most times champion and "Lobos Medellín" current champion. This magazine has different themes, for example initially we talk about Jerome Detti, called “The Bus” who is one of the best and most representative players of this sport and talking about his most important participation in the team called “The Steelers”. Next we are talking about American Football’s history, its purpose, its beginning and its development; also about Walter Camp, how was his big role in starting the sport, as well he is called the father of this discipline. Also we are talking about the professional and college leagues, plus mentioning the different levels on which it is played in the United States and likewise mention that in Mexico, Japan, most of Europe Nations and Colombia the American football is also played and largely, but in these countries this is not as famous as it is in America, also has a very good development. When talking about Latin America, it was a very important development with respect to American Football, because since 2006 it has been practiced in Argentina, where currently there are three very important leagues.
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JEROME DETTI “THE BUS”
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972), nicknamed "The Bus," is a former American football halfback who played for the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Bettis is sixth on the list of NFL rushing yards leaders. He retired in 2006 after the Steelers won Super Bowl XL in his native Detroit, Michigan.
EARLY LIFE Bettis was born February 16, 1972, in Detroit, Michigan. He is the youngest of three children of Gladys Elizabeth (née Bougard) and Johnnie E. Bettis. Bettis did not start playing football until high school, as his primary passion as a youth had been bowling. At age 14, he was diagnosed with asthma. He attended Mackenzie High School in Detroit, where he was a standout running back and linebacker. As a senior, he was rated the top player in the state by the Detroit Free Press, and was the Gatorade Circle of Champions Player of the Year award winner. COLLEGE CAREER At the University of Notre Dame, Bettis finished his career with 337 rushing attempts for 1912 yards (5.7 yards per rushing attempt avg.), and made 32 receptions for 429 yards (13.4 yards per reception). In his last game as a junior, a 28-3 win by Notre Dame over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl, he rushed 20 times for 75 yards. In his sophomore year, he set the Notre Dame touchdown record with 20 in one season, with 16 rushing, and 4 receiving. During his
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tenure at Notre Dame, it was announced on national television that Jerome was the first player allowed by then coach Lou Holtz to tape his shoes and ankles outside his cleats. • 1990: 15 carries for 115 yards and 1 TD. • 1991: 168 carries for 972 yards and 16 TD. 17 catches for 190 yards and 4 TD. • 1992: 154 carries for 825 yards and 10 TD. 15 catches for 239 yards and 6 TD.
Bettis did not graduate from college. He skipped his Senior year at Notre Dame to enter the 1993 NFL Draft. He returned to Notre Dame in 1996 when he was having a dispute with the St.Louis Rams and was considering retirement. He took
courses in "history, philosophy, marketing and business" totalling a heavy 18 credit class load. he returned to the NFL shortly thereafter, and "he has not returned to Notre Dame to finish the coursework for his degree." NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE CAREER Rams: Bettis was picked in the first round (10th overall) of the 1993 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams. On July 22, 1993, Bettis signed a three-year $4.625 million contract with a signing bonus in excess of $2 million.[5] As a rookie he flourished under Chuck Knox's ground-oriented offense. He quickly earned the nickname "The Battering Ram" as he rushed for 1,429 yards (2nd in the NFL) and an NFL best 79 rushing first downs. Bettis was named a First-Team All-Pro and Consen sus NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Rams. The Rams moved to St. Louis for the 1995 season. New coach Rich Brooks
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instituted a more pass-oriented offense, a major reason why Bettis was limited to 637 yards (Ranked 14th In NFC)—a significant dropoff from his 1993 and 1994 totals. Brooks asked Bettis to move to fullback for the upcoming 1996 season or if he preferred to be traded. Bettis stated he thought he could still help a NFL team with his running. On April 20, 1996, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers with a 3rd round pick
in the 1996 NFL Draft in exchange for a second round selection in the same draft and a fourth round selection in the 1997 NFL Draft. In exchange for Bettis, the Rams drafted Ernie Conwell (2nd round of 1996 draft) and also received the Steelers 4th round pick in 1997. In 1997, the Rams had multiple trade deals including moving up to the number 1 draft slot to draft
Orlando Pace. With the Steelers 1997 fourth round pick, the Rams traded that to the Dolphins along with 2 six round picks to move up 9 slots and draft Ryan Tucker (OT). The Steelers drafted Steve Conley (3rd round of 1996 draft) as part of the picks they received in this trade. Conley was traded to the Colts two seasons later for a 5th round pick.
THE STEELER The Steelers needed a running back because Bam Morris, their power running back in the 1995 season, was arrested in March 1996 for marijuana possession. With his playing status unknown, Pittsburgh acquired Bettis. Morris eventually pled guilty to marijuana possession and was cut by the team in June 1996, leaving Bettis as the featured back. Bettis rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first six seasons with the Steelers between 1996 and 2001. Included in that run were three campaigns of over 1,300 yards. In 1997, Bettis rushed for a career-best 1,665 yards in the team's first 15 games. However, because the team had already wrapped up its playoff position, he was rested for the regular season finale and finished 26 yards short of the team's single-season record. Bettis was leading the league with 1,072 rushing yards in 2001 when he suffered an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the regular season. Injuries would also cost him part of the 2002 season and he then began the 2003 season as a backup to Amos Zereoue. Despite regaining his starting role midway through the 2003 season, Bettis again found himself a backup to start the 2004 season, this time to Duce Staley. But when an injury took Staley out of action mid-way through the year, Bettis stepped in and gained 100+ yards in six of the next eight games and would have likely topped 1,000 yards for the season if not for the decision to rest him in the Steelers' meaningless final regular season game. The remarkable late season effort led to the sixth Pro-Bowl berth of his career. Bettis spent the 2005 season as a short yardage running back, but managed two notable games along the way: First, a 101 yard, two touchdown effort in a pivotal week 14 win over Chicago (his second-to-last game in Pittsburgh). This game included a play in which he ran over Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher on the goal line during a heavy snow squall. Secondly, he scored three touchdowns in a win over Detroit to clinch a playoff
berth on the last day of the season, which was his last game in Pittsburgh. He would finish the season and his career as the NFL's 5th leading all-time rusher. Bettis was also at the center of one of the most controversial calls in NFL history. During a Thanksgiving Day game with the Detroit Lions on November 26, 1998, Bettis was sent out as the Steelers representative for the overtime coin toss. Bettis appeared to call "tails" while the coin was in the air but referee Phil Luckett declared that Bettis called "heads" and awarded possession to Detroit, who would go on to win the game before Pittsburgh had the chance to have possession. After reviewing the incident, the NFL changed the rule and declared that the call of "heads" or "tails� would be made before the coin was tossed rather than during the coin toss and that at least two officials would be present during the coin toss. The readers of ESPN voted the incident as the #8 on its list of the top ten worst sports officiating calls of all time, even though later sound enhancements of the audio showed that Bettis said "hea-tails" and Bettis admitted starting to call "heads" before changing it to tails. Immediately after the incident, however, Bettis commented "I did not say 'heads-tails.' That is a lie. That's a bald-faced lie." Bettis later put together one of the most bizarre single game statistics in NFL
history. In the 2004 season opener, he carried the ball five times for a total of only one yard, a 0.2 yards per carry average. However, he scored 18 points on those carries with three touchdowns. During that 2004 season, Bettis and New York Jets running back Curtis Martin dueled for position on the all-time rushing yards leaderboard. Bettis entered the season in 6th place all-time and 684 yards ahead of Martin in 9th place. Because Bettis was the backup in Pittsburgh for the start of the season, Martin was able to pass Bettis in week 13 until the Steelers played their game later in the day and Bettis retook the lead by 6 yards. When the Jets traveled to Martin's home town of Pittsburgh to play the Steelers the following week, both backs would cross the 13,000-yard mark, making this the first time two players crossed the 13,000 yard mark (or other similarly high yardage milestones) in the same game. Their combined career totals were also one of the biggest combined career totals for opposing running backs in history. At the end of the game, Martin would lead Bettis by 9 yards. Two weeks later in week 16, Bettis would again pass Martin and establish himself with a lead of 81 yards. In doing so, Bettis passed Eric Dickerson for 4th place on the all-time list. Bettis sat out the final week of the season, and when Martin rushed for 153
yards that week he passed Dickerson and Bettis for the final time. After the Steelers' defeat in the 2004 AFC Championship Game on January 23, 2005, Bettis announced that he was considering retirement, but would not make a final decision for several months to prevent the sting of the defeat from clouding his judgment. Later, Bettis agreed to stay with the Steelers for another season. He stated he would love
“THE BUS� Radio color commentator Myron Cope popularized the nickname The Bus after hearing a brother of a fellow Notre Dame alumni call Jerome "Bussy" in Green Bay. The nickname comes from his ability to carry multiple defenders on his back, like a bus ride, during his carries. It was during the Green Bay broadcast that Cope started using the nickname "The Bus." Jerome credits the Notre Dame school newspaper with first using the nickname. Another lesser known nickname for Bettis was "The Closer." He was given this nickname by former Steeler head coach Bill Cowher because whenever Pittsburgh was ahead and was ready to close out the game, Cowher would send in Bettis to run out the clock. He did this because of Bettis's very low fumbling percentage and the fact that he was difficult to tackle. POST-FOOTBALL CAREER In February 2006, at the 2006 Winter Olympics, NBC Sports announced that Bettis had been signed as a studio commentator for NBC's new Football
to play in the Super Bowl in 2006 since it was to be played in his hometown of Detroit. His wish came true as the Steelers played in, and won, Super Bowl XL (40) against the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 on February 5, 2006. Bettis finished his 13 NFL seasons as the NFL's 5th all-time leading rusher with 13,662 yards and 91 touchdowns. He also caught 200 passes for 1,449 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was named to
the Pro Bowl in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2004. Bettis won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 1996, and in 2002 he was the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. While Bettis finished with 1,542 more yards than Franco Harris on the NFL's all-time rushing list, Harris remains the Steelers all-time leading rusher because 3,091 of those yards came while Bettis was with the Rams.
season 3 of the NBC comedy series The Office. Signing autographs at a paper convention, Michael Scott tries to invite him to a room party, which Bettis declines. Later, Michael claims Bettis is nicknamed "The Bus" because he is afraid of flying.
Night in America Sunday night pregame show where he was through the 2008 season.
In 2010, Bettis joined School of the Legends (SOTL), an online community and partner of the NFLPA. He was featured in an article on the D1 Training website in February 2011 and filmed training courses for SOTL that focused on his position as a running back.
In April 2006, Bettis and his parents teamed up with Don Barden, the head of PITG Gaming LLC, in a bid for a casino on Pittsburgh's Northside to be called the Majestic Star. Their plan would aid the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins with funding for a new ice arena. Barden said that he would give $7.5 million a year for 30 years to help build a new arena.
Bettis is currently the host of The Jerome Bettis Show on WPXI-TV, filmed at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, airing Saturdays at 7:00 PM and 1:00 AM. He was a commentator for the NFL Network and a former NBC studio analyst for Football Night in America. Now he is an NFL analyst for different ESPNprograms, such as SportsCenter.
Bettis opened a restaurant called "Jerome Bettis' Grille 36" on June 5, 2007 on Pittsburgh's Northside.
The Jerome Bettis Bus Stops Here Foundation and other agencies sponsor the Jerome Bettis Asthma and Sports Camp annually for children with asthma. Bettis has also delivered over 1000 pairs of cleats to children in the Detroit school system..
Bettis makes a cameo as himself in
On February 2, 2013, Bettis failed to get voted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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THE HISTORY WHAT IS IT? American Football is a group sport. It appeared more than 100 years ago in the United States as an evolution of the english rugby. It is one of the most competitive contact sports in the United States and it is currently practiced in more than 60 countries. This sport requires great self-discipline, physical training and mental preparation. The most competitive event and media of this sport is given in the National Football League (NFL), the League of professional football in the United States.
American Football arises from a mixture of the game of rugby and english or european soccer. The sport is more similar to rugby but, also incorporates certain terms and rules copied whole or in part of the dispute of european football matches. But the history and evolution of the American Football has been progressive and extensive. Then it is briefly described:
century the practice of this new sport developed thanks to the introduction of new provided rules specifically by college coaches such as Eddie Cochems, player and american football coach, and others who developed the idea of the forward pass, which differs greatly american football from rugby, where only back passes can be made.
setting a scoring method still in force today. The match that faced the universities of Pennsylvania and Rutgers in 1887 is considered as the first played pure american football match. The following year significant changes in the regulations were made that would continue until our days relating to the use of the arms to block certain moves.
BEGINNINGS In this way was like Walter Camp, considered the father of this discipline par excellence, created the american football.
THE DEVELOPMENT The major changes that we are talking about were beginning in 1880. Until then It was played rugby with regulations slightly different from those imposed by the Rugby Union, governing the game by the rules imposed by the “Asociación Americana Intercolegial de Football (A.A.I.F.)”. It was from 80’s when was introduced the figure of the quarterback, the number of players in the field is reduced per team from 15 to 11 players, in addition to the above-mentioned line of scrimmage and the “downs”. In addition, the dimensions of the court are reduced from 140 x 70 yards to 110 x 53 yards.
OBJECTIVE The American Football is played by two teams, so that 11 offensive players of one of the teams play against 11 other defensive equipment. The attacking team tries to carry the ball well through the career or through the pass, toward the rival annotation area and thus score points. The defense has to prevent this happens and try to prevent the advance of the rival team to the annotation.
Although it is true that the practice of this sport as we know it today has emerged after a long period of evolution in which different people have been collaborating with the introduction of new regulations and changes. This has contributed to convert the variant of the rugby into a totally new sport, although visibly similar to rugby. The first rule introduced that was far from the game of rugby was the line of scrimmage, characteristic of american football, and at the same time the “downs” were introduced. Between the late of nineteenth and early twentieth
Also in that decade it is created the possibility of playing two additional halves of 15 minutes each one to prevent the draw in the scoreboard between two teams. Also in this decade is professionalized the tactic used by the coaches, the moves are beginning to be done previously of a more thorough way and it is tried to be as original and practical as possible by such surprise the opponent. And in general, large and important changes are made in the regulation and provision of the game, even altering the score given to each action of the game,
The game consists in that offensive squad achieved a touchdown (a touchdown is the basic form of annotation in american football; with a value of 6 points, plus 1 of transformation if it is done through the shot between sticks, or 2 points if it is done through move) as a main goal, or a field goal (with a value of 3 points) in its defect. To do this they must advance at least ten yards (9.144 meters) in a maximum of four opportunities o “downs”. Thus, for every ten yards travelled at least, it has the right to other four opportunities to seek the same goal of ten yards, and so on up to carry the ovoid in to the end zone of the field of the rival team and achieve the annotation.
PROFESSIONAL AND COLLEGIATE LEAGUES In United States, American Football is played at many levels: • Professional American Football.
broadcasting and sharing of revenue from tickets sold at stadiums and television broadcasts for home and
visiting teams. Finally, the NFL eventually adopted all pioneers aspects of the AFL, except the name.
• American Football on covered field Professional (Arena Football League) played in roofed gyms. • College American Football - played by many institutions of higher education. • School American Football - played by most high schools. • Youth and Amateur American Football. • Flag football - non-contact, almost exclusively amateur. • Touch football - without contact.
The rules of professional, university, school and amateur are similar. The small Arena Football League, (since 1987) plays an adaptation of the american football for roofing enclosures, playing at a faster pace, in a smaller pitch with lateral lines incorporated, the ends of the playing fields have padded walls similar to those found in the outfield of a baseball field. The “flag football” and “touch football” are versions of the american football without tackleos.
Several professional leagues ceased to exist: the World Football League (WFL, 1974-75), the United States Football League (USFL, 1983 -1985), the XFL (2001), the All-America Football Conference (1946-1949), the World League of American Football (WLAF 1991-1993, which became NFL Europe), and the league considered as the genesis of modern professional amrican football, the American Football league (AFL, 1960-1969). The NFL merged with the AFL in 1970, after the AFL began to succeed in attracting NFL stars. After the merger, the NFL adopted innovative features carried by the AFL, like players’ name on t-shirts, official clocks on the scoreboard (in the NFL was often field watches and scoreboard didn’t tally, generating confusion) and conversion of the 2 points. Even before the merger, the NFL adopted revolutionary concepts from AFL of television
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A.F. IN OTHER COUNTRIES
JAPAN In Japan there is a professional league. The “X-League” or “League Of Excellence”, is a corporate league. It is a league disputed between teams owned or sponsored by a company. Players are often also employees of that company. It consists of 4 divisions: X, X2, X3 and X4, which only X division can be considered professional.
EUROPE With regard to Europe, almost all nations have their own leagues, highlighting by their importance the ones from Austria (Austrian Football League), Germany (German Football League), France (French Championship of American Football) and Italy (Italian Football League ). In Spain is disputed the LNFA, organized by the Spanish Football Federation (SFF). The winner and runner-up of LNFA obtain the right to participate in the European Football League (maximum european competition), and the two finalists in the
EFAF Cup (second most important European competition).
In Latin America, there was a very important development with regard to American Football, because since 2006 it has been practiced in Argentina. Currently there are three American Football League (the largest, most competitive and therefore, home of American Football in this country) FAARG (Football Americano Argentina - Buenos Aires - 10 teams), CFA (Córdoba Football Americano - 3 teams) and RFL (Rosario Football League - Rosario (Santa Fe) - 3 teams), although there are teams in formation in several provinces, including: Santa Fe (FASF - Football Americano Santa Fe). MEXICO There exist the “Major League of the ONEFA”, a university championship founded in 1930, and since then until now, is the most important competition of Football in Latin America. There is also
the “CONADEIP Premier Conference”, another university competition founded in 2010. Although there is no professional league, american football is the fifth most popular sport in this country.
COLOMBIA In Colombia was created FECOFA (“Federación Colombiana de Fútbol Americano”), which has slowly grown, and promises to be a strong international competition in the future. It recently entered into a strategic alliance with FLAG FOOTBALL COLOMBIA to join forces and work together looking for the growth and development of american football in all its forms.