BUS LOAD; PITTSBURGH'S BETTIS HAS MUCH TO CARRY ON SUNDAY.

Byline: Drew Sharp Detroit Free Press 

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Jerome Bettis' second home is the bowling alley.

The Pittsburgh Steelers battering ram displays the same destructive mindset in obliterating bowling pins that he does in obliterating linebackers and safeties.

That's the price you pay for standing in the way of the Bus.

Next stop - the AFC championship game.

``It's always a competitor's dream, in any sport that you participate in, to be on a stage where you have to be at your best,'' Bettis said. ``Bowling taught me patience and concentration. You need to be stronger in the later frames. That's what I need to be Sunday. It's my first conference championship game, and I can't wait.''

Denver can wait.

The Broncos, Pittsburgh's opponent at Three Rivers Stadium, know that few teams have derailed the Bus this season. Bettis ran for 1,665 yards, second to Denver's Terrell Davis in the AFC.

His 3,096 yards for two seasons are the most in that span in Steelers history. Bettis won the team Most Valuable Player award both years. Only Terry Bradshaw previously had been back-to-back MVP at Pittsburgh.

But Bettis hasn't forgotten his roots. His parents have attended nearly every home game since he joined the Steelers last season, and they will be in the Three Rivers crowd Sunday. John and Gladys Bettis have provided the rudder that has stabilized Bettis after a rocky NFL start with the Rams.

``It's important that Jerome always knows that his family is behind him regardless of what may happen during his career,'' John Bettis said. ``Jerome's strength goes beyond what you see on the playing field. A weaker person couldn't have emerged from that situation with the Rams.''

Bettis called his trade to Pittsburgh two years ago ``a godsend.'' It's ``like I've died and have gone to football heaven.''

Bettis already has seen the other extreme.

After the Sporting News named him NFL Rookie of the Year in 1993, Bettis evoked memories of another 240-pounder with rapid acceleration - Earl Campbell. But the Rams moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995 and hired Rich Brooks as coach.

Brooks wanted to change the way Bettis was used. It didn't help that Bettis held out of training camp, wanting to renegotiate a more lucrative contract.

When Bettis finally returned, he gained only 637 yards in 1995, a disappointing season that made him a scapegoat for a disappointing first season in St. Louis.

``The publicity department there betrayed Jerome,'' John Bettis said. ``They started spreading rumors about his work ethic. He was considered selfish because he wanted the ball more.

``That last year, he only got the ball an average of eight or nine times a game near the end of the season. But a power back like Jerome needs the ball more late in the game so he can wear down a defense. But those new coaches couldn't figure that out.''

Brooks ran Bettis out of town, accepting third- and fifth-round draft choices from the Steelers. The Rams traded up in the first round to secure another talented running back: Lawrence Phillips.

Brooks' successor, Dick Vermeil, cut Phillips two months ago for his flagrant violation of team rules. It left the Rams with little to show for dumping Bettis. And it left Bettis and his family with a sense of vindication.

``Last year, I was running to prove to the Rams that they made a mistake,'' Bettis said. ``But this year, I'm running to prove to everyone in Pittsburgh how ecstatic I am about being here. I'm completely rejuvenated.''

He's also playing for the right coach in Bill Cowher, who openly exhibits his emotions. Cowher also provides the honesty and candor Bettis said he never got from Brooks.

John Bettis recalls a conversation he had with Cowher after a game last year when Jerome fumbled twice. Cowher told the elder Bettis that he wasn't going to yell at Jerome about the fumbles because he knew his parents ``would chew his butt out for me.''

Cowher, a Pittsburgh native, feels a special bond with Bettis.

``Jerome embodies what this city is all about,'' Cowher said. ``Pittsburgh is where 9-to-5, hardworking people take the bus every day to work and earn an honest day's living. It's a tough city that doesn't give up easy.

``That's Jerome's running style. The more he runs the tougher he becomes. That's why we want him with the ball when the game's on the line.''

And that's why he has become Pittsburgh's favorite new generation Steeler.

Bettis has his own athletic-wear line, naturally called the Bus Line. Cookies and snack cakes bear his name, and many fans at Sunday's game will wear Bettis' No. 36.

Taking Green Bay's Cheesehead hat phenomenon a step further, Pittsburgh fans wear miniature Bettis buses on their heads.

``Everyone should have the opportunity to play football in Pittsburgh,'' said Bettis, who played in college at Notre Dame. ``They're like other fans in that they want to win every game, but they truly have pride in hard work. That's what matters most to them. They want to make sure that their Steelers work as hard for their paychecks as they do.''

And that's why Bettis wants the ball as much as possible in the fourth quarter Sunday.

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Photo: (Color) The Steelers pin their hopes on running back Jerome Bettis, and Bettis plans to deliver on Sunday.

Associated Press