`The Bus' a mecca for endorsements

Jerome Bettis grabbed a quick shovel pass from Kordell Stewart and rumbled 17 yards to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17 in overtime. It was Oct. 26, 1997, and Bettis, aka The Bus, calls it his greatest moment in Three Rivers Stadium.

More than two years later, the Steelers have been unable to provide fans many moments like that overtime thriller. But off the field, The Bus keeps rolling.

On TV commercials, on the radio and on grocery store shelves, it is difficult to escape the presence of Jerome Bettis in Pittsburgh.

His TV spots for Pittsburgh Ford dealerships show him, shoulder pads and all, prone on a shrink's couch seeing autos in ink blots. Giant Eagle products bearing his name, including Bus salsa, barbecue sauce and mustard, continue to multiply. Dick's Sporting Goods, through his national Nike deal, features a mock "Bus Schedule" pitching shoes. He also does local ads for Three Rivers Health Plan Med Plus.

Bettis, an asthma sufferer, is the spokesman for Glaxo-Wellcome Inc.'s asthma and respiratory division. He also has national deals promoting EA Sports video games and Snickers for M&M/Mars.

While the 1997 Jaguar game may be Bettis' greatest moment as a pro, another date sparked the deluge of endorsement opportunities for him - April 20, 1996. On that day, the Steelers acquired him from the St. Louis Rams for second- and fourth-round picks in a draft day trade.

"Jerome came to Pittsburgh and the fans immediately gravitated to him as a hardworking person," said Jahmal Dokes, his business manager. "Then the Bus thing came, and a lot of opportunities were coming at him."

The Bus thing, of course, is the nickname. Though not coined in Pittsburgh, the nickname didn't really start rolling as a pro until he donned the black and gold. He even trademarked The Bus after becoming a Steeler.

While many give longtime Steelers color commentator Myron Cope credit for coining Bettis' nickname, it actually originated during his playing days at Notre Dame. He started calling him The Bus with regularity on the air. Player and nickname are inseparable. And that's a good thing for Jerome Bettis the endorser.

"The nickname is critical; it creates a personality in and of itself," Bettis said. "When I'm dealing with a company, I'm not Jerome Bettis, I'm The Bus. It's a focused personality, just about football."

When people talk about what makes him a good pitchman, they all mention his personality. It's an image he protects in choosing his endorsements. He said companies generally take proposals to Dokes, who brings promising ones to Bettis.

"We look at it to see if it's something I would like to be associated with," Bettis said. "If it's a product, first I need to see if I like it."

If the product passes this first litmus test, the next question is how the product fits into his promotional portfolio. In order to help him manage his off-the-field career, Jerome Bettis Enterprises LLP was created. Dokes runs the company as CEO. Bettis will likely become CEO when his playing days are over.

"One of the first things we look at is, How does this company work into the entire Bus entity?" the manager said. "Is it a company that could hinder the personality we're trying to reflect in Jerome? We look for longtime commitments."

Dokes said it is important that deals reflect Bettis' personality.

"It definitely needs to complement," he said. "We'd probably never do a disco or a club that's out of the scope of what Jerome is all about."

"I was a marketing major," Bettis said. "My company, JBE, is a full-service marketing company."

Dokes also has a marketing degree. The two attended Detroit Mackenzie High School together, where Dokes played defensive back.

Once The Bus got up steam in Pittsburgh, Bettis called his high school friend to run his company, which is based in Southfield, Mich.

Dokes said the company has its hands full now managing Bettis' career, but it plans to manage other players' careers once he has retired from the National Football League.

"We kind of want to wait until Jerome's playing days are slowed down and behind him because we spend so much time keeping that afloat," Dokes said.

Bettis' 1998 endorsement income totaled $1.1 million, about 40 percent from local deals. His 1999 endorsement income should be in the $1.2 million to $1.5 million range. He is signed with the Steelers to a four-year, $14.4 million contract, set to expire after next season.