1991: 168 carries for 972 yards and 16 touchdowns. 17 catches for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns. 1992: 154 carries for 825 yards and 10 touchdowns. 15 catches for 239 yards and 6 touchdowns. Bettis did not graduate from college at that time. He left Notre Dame in what would have been his senior year to enter the 1993 NFL Draft. He returned to Notre Dame in 1996 when he was having a dispute with the St. Louis Rams and was considering retirement. He took courses in "history, philosophy, marketing and business" totaling an 18 credit class load. He returned to the NFL shortly thereafter. Bettis later returned to Notre Dame to complete his college degree, and on May 15, 2022, he officially graduated with a business degree. Professional career Los Angeles / St. Louis Rams The Los Angeles Rams selected Bettis in the first round, with the 10th overall selection, of the 1993 NFL Draft. On July 22, 1993, Bettis signed a three-year, $4.625 million contract with a signing bonus in excess of $2 million. As a rookie, he flourished under Chuck Knox's ground-oriented offense. He quickly earned the nickname "The Battering Ram" as he rushed for 1,429 yards (second in the NFL), drawing comparisons to Earl Campbell. Bettis also had an NFL-best 79 rushing first downs and an NFL-best 38 runs of 10 or more yards, and tied for the league lead with seven 100-yard rushing games despite not becoming the full-time starter until the sixth game of the season. Bettis was named a First-team All-Pro (the only rookie named to the team) and Consensus NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and was selected for the NFC's Pro Bowl team in each of his first two seasons with the Rams. The Rams moved to St. Louis for the 1995 season. New coach Rich Brooks instituted a more pass-oriented offense, a major reason why Bettis was limited to 637 yards, a significant dropoff from his 1993 and 1994 totals. Brooks asked Bettis whether he wanted to move to fullback for the upcoming 1996 season or preferred to be traded. Bettis stated he thought he could still help an NFL team with his running. Trade to Pittsburgh In what would become one of the more lopsided trades in NFL history, on April 20, 1996, Bettis was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers with a third-round