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The Class of 2015
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On this edition of Sports and Torts, David and Elliott welcome two more members of the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2015 - Steelers Running Back Jerome Bettis and Kansas City Chiefs Offensive Lineman Will Shields.
Episode Segments:
 
Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis
Bettis ranks Sixth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 13,662 yards and is one of six players in NFL history to rush for 13,000 yards. He is one of only eight players in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards for eight or more seasons. He ranks third in NFL history with 3,369 rushing attempts. Bettis was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, including his rookie season. He joins the greats in Canton later this summer.
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Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Will Shields
Shields blocked for Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson during his career. He had blocked for 1,000-yard rushers for five seasons. He blocked for 4,000-yard passers for five seasons while Elvis Grbac did it in 2000 and Trent Green in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In fourteen seasons, Shields never missed a game, and he failed to start only one contest, his first regular-season outing, as a rookie in 1993. He went to the Pro Bowl every year from 1995 to 2006, a total of 12, a Chiefs team record, and having played in all of them, he is tied with Champ Bailey and Randall McDaniel for most Pro Bowls played.
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Links to Related Websites:
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
The Official Website for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve it's History, Promote its Values, & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis was selected in the first round, 10th player overall, out of Notre Dame by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL Draft. He finished second in the NFL in rushing during his rookie season after gaining 1,429 yards. Included in that total were his first career 100-yard and 200-yard rushing games, both of which came against the New Orleans Saints. His 212-yard day that season was a career-high. At the time he was only the eighth rookie in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in a game. His output that year marked the first of eight 1,000-yard seasons in his first nine years. He was named Rookie of the Year by numerable media outlets and was chosen as a first-team All-Pro and All-NFC.

Bettis led the Rams in rushing each of his three seasons with the club before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second- and fourth-round draft pick. He rebounded from a subpar year in 1995 with the Rams to earn Comeback Player of the Year and was again named first-team All-Pro in 1996, his first in the Steel City. Bettis gained 1,431 yards on 320 carries and scored 11 TDs for the division-winning Steelers.

The 5'11", 243-pound runner continued to carry the load for Pittsburgh. He was the Steelers' leading ground gainer eight times in 10 seasons. Bettis, a six-time Pro Bowler, retired following his lone Super Bowl appearance in the 2005 season (Super Bowl XL). The Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in the game played in Bettis's hometown of Detroit.

At the time of his retirement, Bettis ranked fifth all-time in rushing with 13,662 yards on 3,479 career carries. Nicknamed "The Bus" for his bruising running style, he also scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game 61 times during the regular season and three more times in playoff games.

In addition to his rushing totals, Bettis amassed 1,449 yards on 200 receptions and 3 TDs. His combined net yardage (15,113) was 19th best all-time at the time of his retirement. Bettis also completed three passes, all for touchdowns in his 13-season, 192-game career.


Jerome's Website

 
Will Shields
Will Shields, a 6’3”, 320-pound guard out of Nebraska, was drafted in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. He was placed into the lineup in his first NFL game after the team’s starting left guard Dave Szott suffered an injury. The next week, the offensive line was shuffled and Shields was inserted as the starting right guard. He started every game from that point through his retirement after the 2006 season. Shields never missed a game during his 14-season career and his 224 games played and 223 starts are franchise records.

As a rookie he helped the Chiefs to an 11-5-0 mark and the AFC Western Division crown. It marked the first division title for Kansas City since 1971. In all, the Chiefs won four division titles and made six playoff appearances during Shields’ career.

He earned his first Pro Bowl berth following the 1995 season and embarked on a string of 12 straight AFC-NFC Pro Bowl berths that ran through the end of his career. He was named first-team All-Pro in 1999, 2002, and 2003 and picked as a second-team All-Pro choice four other times. Shields was named All-AFC seven times including in each of his final six seasons.

Shields was the anchor of an offensive line that helped the Chiefs field potent offenses. In fact, five of the Chiefs best seasons for most net yards came during Shields tenure. He and his linemates helped Kansas City lead the entire NFL in total yards gained in 2004 and 2005. They also topped the AFC in that category in 2003. The team led the NFL in points scored in 2002 and again in 2003 highlighted by running back Priest Holmes’ then-record 27 rushing touchdowns in ‘03. In 1994, he and his linemates established a franchise record by allowing a mere 19 sacks.

He is a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. He joined Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas in 1999 as the only active players to be named to the Chiefs’ 40th Anniversary Team

Will Shields on Twitter


Will to Succeed Foundation