Steelers' Jerome Bettis Claims One Of His Most Important Tasks Was Ending Locker Room Cliques

The Pittsburgh Steelers had unbelievable success in the 2000s, culminating with two Super Bowl wins. While Head Coach Bill Cowher couldn't win four Super Bowls like his predecessor Chuck Noll, he took the Steelers to two, winning Super Bowl XL. The relationship that the head coach forges with the players is a large part of what can help propel a team to success. However, Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis said that isn't all there is to it. 

Bettis recently joined Christian Kuntz on The Christian Kuntz Podcast and was asked about that fateful run to the Super Bowl after the 2005 season. The deck was stacked against them before the playoffs even began. After starting the season 7-5, they had to win out to get a Wild Card spot, which they did. Then, they became the first sixth seed to win a Super Bowl. 

The team truly believed that it was "us against the world," according to Bettis. He told Kuntz they believed in each other and that faith gave them what they needed to go the distance. He credits that camaraderie with some changes he made as he became a leader on the team. 

"When I came to Pittsburgh, they had just lost in the Super Bowl, and they had Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Carnell Lake, all these guys, Pro Bowlers, All-Pros," said Bettis. "It was a different locker room, there was a lot of niches. These guys was a group, and these guys was a group, so it was real segmented in the locker room. After I was there for a bit and became one of the leaders, what I quickly wanted to institute was all of us getting together."

He said the team would go to Dave and Buster's down on the waterfront and play games. They would compete against each other in things like a Grand Prix challenge. Bettis said he pushed for them to do more things together.

Bettis didn't get his Super Bowl ring until his final season, but says that doesn't mean they weren't trying. He said that winning wasn't the issue; they always seemed to win games, but he knew they needed to come together better and trust each other more.  

"We found that we started to count on each other more and appreciate each other more, and that led to a closer team," explained Bettis. "It was just that last push we needed, and that was a big part of our success, was us coming together, and the last piece of it was the selflessness that needed to happen on the field. That was the hardest part. I was in the center of that because Coach Cowher wanted to show that if this guy's a leader of the team, if I can go off on him and get after him, then anybody can get it. I had no problem with that."

He said he understood Cowher's methods because they had a good relationship. Bettis added that it helped the other players set their egos aside and focus on what was good for the team. Their business was winning. It didn't matter who made the tackle or scored the touchdown. 

In Super Bowl XL, the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10. The last game of Bettis' incredible career was played in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. 

Steelers Visited Jerome Bettis' Hometown

The Steelers didn't just play a Super Bowl in Bettis' hometown; they had dinner at his parent's house. Bettis shared with Kuntz that the team had done this twice, but the second time was bigger, with his mom feeding the whole team. 

He knew he would be stepping away from the NFL and saw the Super Bowl as a way to thank his parents for everything they had done to support him. Bettis said he even splurged for a suite for the big game. Unfortunately he didn't know how much that would cost him and ended up playing the game for free.   

Are you surprised to hear the locker room was more divided before Bettis arrived? Click to comment below. 

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