As with his relentless pursuit of yardage and touchdowns on the field of play, Jerome Bettis will try to hammer it home as he carries the ball for the fifth consecutive year as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Bettis, the great Steelers halfback who is the sixth-leading rusher in NFL history, joins 14 other modern-era candidates as finalists, including linebacker Kevin Greene, who played from 1993-95 with the Steelers.
Bettis made it through the first ballot last year to be among the final 10. Greene, who played for a handful of NFL teams, registered more sacks than any other linebacker in history.
Also finalists as coaches are Tony Dungy, who played safety for the Steelers, then became their secondary coach and defensive coordinator in the 1980s, and Jimmy Johnson, who was a Pitt assistant in the 1970s. Dungy coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts, with whom he won a Super Bowl. Johnson coached two Super Bowl champions with the Dallas Cowboys and also coached the Miami Dolphins.
The Hall of Fame announced the 15 modern-era finalists Thursday night. They join the seniors nominee, former Minnesota Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff, and for the first time, two nominees as contributors, Bill Polian and Ron Wolf, both former team executives.
The 2015 Hall of Fame class will be selected Jan. 31 in Phoenix, Ariz., the day before the Super Bowl.
The other modern-era finalists: Kicker Morten Andersen, receivers Tim Brown and Marvin Harrison, coach Don Coryell, halfback Terrell Davis, safety John Lynch, offensive tackle Orlando Pace, guard Will Shields, linebackers Junior Seau and Charles Haley, and quarterback Kurt Warner.
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com and Twitter @EdBouchette.
First Published: January 9, 2015, 2:45 a.m.
Updated: January 9, 2015, 3:36 a.m.
