ST. LOUIS - Former Pittsburgh Steeler running back Jerome Bettis has been chosen as one of the inaugural members of the new Celebrity Wing of the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame. Other inductees include actor Sir Lawrence Olivier, New York Observer film critic and bon vivant Rex Reed, choreographer George Balanchine, and the late Princess Grace of Monaco. “The new Celebrity Wing will honor those non-bowling celebrities who, by their public words and actions, have engendered positive awareness of the sport of bowling or otherwise have advanced the bowling lifestyle,” said Museum Director Jerry Baltz.
Through a spokesman, Bettis issued a statement calling the honor “the single greatest achievement of my life,” adding that “if I never got inducted into another Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t care,” since this honor “was the only Hall of Fame that mattered anyway.”
Baltz said he expected a large contingent of Steeler fans to attend the induction ceremony, traditionally held on the last Saturday of July at the Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame Lanes in downtown St. Louis. “I only regret that they won’t be able to bowl after the ceremony,” he said. “It’s a league night.”
