The Bus Wanted a Sexier Nickname at First

Jerome Bettis is one of the most famous former Steelers players in history, but arguably, he’s known better by his nickname, “The Bus.”

Bettis has been out of the league since 2005, but he still is constantly approached by fans calling him “The Bus,” so much in fact that he admitted he automatically turns whenever he hears the word.

So, does Bettis even like the nickname? He talked with Sports Illustrated’s Lacey Jane Brown on Radio Row on Thursday to talk more about his conflicted relationship with the nickname.

“At first, I was like ‘Could we come up with something sexier?’” Bettis said. “I mean, I know I’m a big guy and all that, but I mean I want to have a little sex appeal. It’s like ‘The Bus.’ When I first heard it, I was like ‘O.K., but is that the best we can do?’ ... When you visualize a bus, it’s not like what you’d envision this super aggressive NFL player to be, you think school bus, you think kids, school bus. Initially, I did not love it, but I have come to fall in love with it because it is who I am.”

It would be hard to imagine the former running back by any other name at this point, so luckily for fans, he enjoys his nickname now.