When Jerome Bettis’ Mom Cooked Dinner for the Entire Steelers Team at Their Family Home Before Super Bowl XL

Seeking their fifth Super Bowl championship in franchise history, the Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL in Detroit, Michigan, on February 5, 2006.

Favored by four points heading into the matchup, the Steelers lived up to expectations with a 21-10 win. They had fallen behind 3-0 early in the second quarter, but they responded with a touchdown in each of the remaining quarters, holding Seattle to just one more score the rest of the way. You couldn’t have scripted a better win than that.

But before the opening kickoff, the weekend already felt like a win for one particular Steeler — Jerome Bettis. Not only was the veteran running back playing in what would be the final game of his career, but he was doing so in his hometown of Detroit.

To top it off, Bettis’ mom, Gladys, made sure the whole team got a taste of home cooking, hosting them for dinner and bringing a little extra warmth to an already special moment.

It wasn’t just about feeding the players’ bellies — the Bettis family celebrated, shared a meal with their favorite team, and bonded before the big game, maybe easing the tension a bit. You can see in the video below just how relaxed and at ease everyone looked.

WHOLESOME: 19 years ago, #Steelers icon Jerome Bettis’s mom made dinner for the entire team at the family home before Super Bowl 40.

The game was played in Detroit, Bettis’ hometown, and was his last career game.

Mothers are the best ❤️❤️❤️pic.twitter.com/phUtseCD9K

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 12, 2025

With retirement on his mind at the time, it was a perfect ending to The Bus’s NFL career. Bettis got to play his final football game — the Super Bowl — in the city he grew up in. To top it off, he ended it with a win and decided that game would be ‘The Bus’s last stop.

In the game, Bettis carried the ball 14 times for 42 yards. It was the other Steelers running back, Willie Parker, who stood out, rushing for 93 yards — including a 75-yard touchdown in the win.

Meanwhile, a young Ben Roethlisberger struggled in the game, completing less than 50% of his passes and throwing no touchdowns with two interceptions. In fact, the only touchdown thrown by a Steeler came with 8:56 left in the game as wide receiver Hines Ward threw a 43-yard reverse-pass to Antwan Randel El.

In the loss, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for 273 yards and a touchdown. Running back Shaun Alexander rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries. 

Following the Super Bowl win, Bettis retired from the NFL after 13 seasons. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.