Jerome Bettis on the Hall, Celebrity Golf, Football and Mom

Just a few days before heading to South Lake Tahoe to play in the American Century Golf Championship, former Pittsburg Steeler running back Jerome Bettis was talking golf, about his upcoming induction into the NFL Hall of Fame and how his mom is doing as a cancer survivor.

Nicknamed "The Bus" by a college reporter after seeing Bettis play at Notre Dame, Jerome will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio on August 8. "You don't even think about the Hall of Fame when you're playing," said Bettis. "You just want to do your best. I never thought about it until the media starting asking me."

Bettis's mom and dad, Gladys and Johnnie, never missed a game of his during his entire career. His dad has passed away but Gladys will be with him in Canton next month.

"This is real special because of the journey we've had, and now to see that journey come to an end in Canton," said Bettis of how important it is to him that him mom will be there when he is enshrined in the Hall.

Gladys Bettis is "now 100% cancer free" after getting the disease in the summer of 2014. The man who ran 13,662 yards in the NFL, took brutal hits on a weekly basis and is the sixth-best running back in league history says his mom is the toughest person he knows.

"Looking for a great weekend," Bettis said of the festivities surrounding the inductions. "My brother will be introducing me."

Bettis was drafted as a junior by the then Los Angeles Rams in 1993, then traded to the Steelers in 1996. During Tuesday's phone interview, Bettis said this move was a "100% blessing."

"I hated the Steelers as a kid but my brother loved them," said Bettis. "He was in heaven when I got traded to Pittsburg. The only thing he wanted was a picture of me in a Steeler helmet."

With 50-1 odds to win the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe next week, nobody is expecting Bettis to make a run for the top spot.

Don't expect him to not try though. "Guys line up to play in this tournament because it is that special. We know our limitations in our golf game but we still want to our best," said Bettis. "The other players will give you some business if you are off your game.:

On Hole 17: "The fans love it, the people on TV love it. When you get up there to tee off you tell yourself you're not nervous."

On South Lake Tahoe: "I have not taken advantage of all there is to do in South Lake Tahoe because I am so obsessed with playing well," he said. "I've got to open up and see more. I'll be having dinner at my caddy's home this time and getting out and doing more. I trying to evolve."