‘Burgh’s Best to Wear It, No. 36: Jerome Bettis went home to win a championship

The Tribune-Review sports staff is conducting a daily countdown of the best players in Pittsburgh pro and college sports history to wear each jersey number.

No. 36: Jerome Bettis

When it comes to storybook endings, nobody wrote a better sendoff than Jerome Bettis.

The climax of a historic 13-year NFL career came in February 2006, in his Detroit hometown with Bettis hoisting the Lombardi Trophy as the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their fifth Super Bowl championship with a 21-10 victory against the Seattle Seahawks.

After the Steelers lost the 2004 AFC championship game at home to New England, Ben Roethlisberger told Bettis that if he returned for one more season, the young quarterback would find a way to lead “The Bus” to his first Super Bowl.

With the chance to play in Ford Field an unlikely proposition after 12 games in the 2005 season — the Steelers had a 7-5 record — Bettis rushed for a season-high 101 yards and two touchdowns in a win against the Chicago Bears. It set off a four-game winning streak to end the season and get the Steelers into the playoffs as the AFC’s sixth seed.

The Steelers memorably won three road playoff games — overcoming Bettis’ late fumble against the Indianapolis Colts — to set his date with destiny. For Super Bowl XL, Bettis would be going home.

Bettis contributed 43 yards rushing to the victory against Seattle and announced his retirement after the game.

“I came back to win a championship. Mission accomplished,” Bettis said after the game. “With that, I have to bid farewell.”

Bettis’ stamp on the NFL consisted of 13,662 rushing yards, which ranked fifth all-time when he retired and is still ninth in league history. His 91 rushing touchdowns are No. 11 on the all-time list. A six-time Pro Bowl and two-time first-team All-Pro selection, Bettis received the NFL’s ultimate honor in 2015 when he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bettis spent his final 10 seasons with the Steelers. His 10,571 rushing yards are second in team history, his 80 touchdowns rank third and his 50 career 100-yard rushing games are the most in franchise annals.

When Bettis retired from the Steelers, his No. 36 unofficially was put into storage as well. The Steelers never have issued the jersey number since Bettis bid farewell.

Before Bettis arrived in 1996, the most prominent player to wear No. 36 was linebacker Andy Russell, who wore the jersey as a rookie in 1963. After returning from military service in 1966, Russell switched to No. 34, which he wore for the next 11 seasons en route to a spot in the team’s Hall of Honor.

Other players in Pittsburgh sports history to wear No. 36 include:

• Outfielder Craig Wilson slugged 94 home runs in six seasons with the Pirates, including a career-high 29 in 2004. Wilson also tied a major league record with seven pinch-hit home runs as a rookie in 2001.

• Ramon Hernandez, a left-handed reliever, shared closing duties with Dave Giusti from 1972-75. Hernandez saved 39 games and had a 23-12 record and 2.51 ERA with the Pirates.

• Center Jussi Jokinen had 21 goals and 51 points for the Penguins in the 2013-14 season.

• Tough guy Matthew Barnaby spent parts of three seasons and had 15 goals, 33 points and 399 penalty minutes in 129 games with the organization.

Check out the entire ’Burgh’s Best to Wear It series here.