Former Notre Dame football standouts Jerome Bettis and Tim Brown were both elected in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Bettis played for the Irish from 1990-92 while Brown played in South Bend from 1984-87, winning the Heisman Trophy after his senior season.
The two were part of an eight-man group to be elected, joining former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields, and defensive end Charles Haley among the modern-era inductees.
Former Minnesota Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff was selected by the seniors committee and former NFL executives Bill Polian and Ron Wolf will be enshrined as well.
Both Bettis and Brown’s star turns began at the collegiate level. Before becoming some of the best players on Sundays, they did (most of ) their damage for head coach Lou Holtz.
Bettis was one of the best fullbacks in Notre Dame history. He scored 27 touchdowns during his three seasons in South Bend before becoming the 10th overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft.
Brown is Notre Dame’s last Heisman Trophy winner, and his career in South Bend ended with Brown holding 19 different school records. He was a two-time All-American who had 1,937 all-purpose yards in 1986 before ranking sixth in the country during his Heisman-winning season with 167.9 yards per game.
Bettis was in his fifth year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame. Brown was in his sixth.
