Hall of Famers love to tell stories.

Their favorite usually involves the day they got the call, confirming that they are the elite, best-of-the-best, in their given sport.

They refer to it as the “greatest call” they ever received.

For 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Jerome Bettis, the call from the Hall just might be the second best call he received this year.

From his time as the “Battering Ram” in his rookie season in Southern California, to a decade spent in the Steel City, the only thing more impressive than his career rushing total of 13,662 yards (sixth all-time) was his constant talk of how his parents’ hard work and inspiration made him the man he is.

When the Steelers advanced to Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit, Bettis invited all his teammates to his mom’s house for dinner. And she fed everybody.

As Bettis got the call from the Hall of Fame in February, his mother, Gladys, was in the midst of battling breast cancer, and the family had no idea what kind of shape she would be in come August.

All that changed with another phone call in early July.

“Her doctors say she is cancer-free,” said Bettis, whose father, Johnnie, died of a heart attack in 2006. “We know there is always a chance it comes back, but right now it is gone, and she will be by my side in Canton, and that is a blessing.”

Also by his side will be Bettis’ brother, John Bettis III, who will be introducing Jerome at the induction ceremony.

“He is a life-long Steelers fan,” Bettis said. “Growing up I was a Dallas Cowboys fan, so we had huge fights.”

“It was tough,” Bettis chuckled. “Because we could never beat them.”

Them of course being the four-time Super Bowl champion Steelers of the 1970s. Ten members of those teams are in the Hall of Fame, a fact not lost on Bettis.

“It is a tremendous honor to be in the Hall of Fame, but to go in as a Steeler … is a whole other level,” Bettis said. “It’s an honor to be part of such a tremendous organization as the Pittsburgh Steelers. And to be in the Hall of Fame with other great Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I mean, (Jack) Lambert and (Jack) Hamm and (Joe) Greene and (Franco) Harris, (Mel) Blount, you hear these names, and they are iconic names. To be part of that legacy is huge.”

Bettis’ run to the Hall had an auspicious start at best.

At the kickoff for the Athletes For Life Foundation skills camp in Redlands, former NFL running back Greg Bell recalled a time when he was playing at the University of Notre Dame and attended a youth camp in Detroit.

“There was this pudgy little kid who kept saying, ‘I’m gonna be a running back, I’m gonna be a running back.’ We all kind of laughed, but a couple years later Notre Dame sent me back to Detroit to recruit that kid, as a running back, and now he is going into the Hall of Fame … as a running back.”

Bettis credits being a part of those camps with setting him on a course for the Hall.

“I went to a camp just like this when I was a kid in Detroit,” Bettis said. “I understand what it does, and I know what it did for me. It changed my life.”

Bettis knows the dangers of inner-city life for youth. In his book he talked about how he and his brother tried to sell drugs on the streets of Detroit to bring money into the household.

“If I can come here and talk to the kids, and maybe encourage, influence, and maybe help just one of kid, it will make a huge difference,” Bettis said. “And that is the goal.”

Even with his busy summer schedule filled with TV appearances, celebrity golf tournaments and Hall of Fame talk, Bettis was not about to miss out on being at the camp.

“It has been pretty hectic, but I told (Greg) that I would make time for the kids, because I was one of those kids,” Bettis said. “Who am I to not make time for kids who I have the ability to influence.”

The Athletes For Life Skills Camp teaches more than just football, but life and education skills as well.

“What I always try to impress upon the kids is, you have to have a plan. And education is the plan. Athletics is a 1 in 1,000 chance, so you have to have a plan.

“Education is the key, it unlocks all the doors,” Bettis said. “I try to explain to kids that your talent gives you the opportunity to be looked at. And as long as they understand that education is the key, they will be fine, regardless of what they do on the field.”

His message is simple, and one that a mother could be proud of.

“When you become grounded educationally, then that gives you the ability to now pursue other goals. That’s what I try to impress upon them, because that is what my mom and dad instilled in me. I benefited from that information, so I want to pass that on.”