From at the Findlay Courier today:

Ben Roethlisberger remembers a time when they were handing out football jerseys and they asked him what number he wanted.

He said No. 7, because that’s the number his idol, quarterback John Elway, wore.

An NFL Hall of Famer, Elway threw 300 touchdown passes in his pro football career. Last January, in a 30-17 AFC championship game loss to New England, Ben Roethlisberger threw his 301st.

“At this point in my career, somebody would come up to me almost every week and say, well you passed this guy in (total) yards or that guy in touchdowns,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s such an honor to be up there, to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys. Any time my name gets mentioned with those guys, some of the greats, it just means I’ve played a long time.”

It’s been an epic journey for a guy who, when he was very young, imagined himself becoming a spy and later, as a 1,000-point all-Ohio selection in basketball, possibly playing hoops in college. But the lanky kid with a strong arm and a strategist’s knowledge of defenses was destined to be a quarterback.

Big Ben’s strength was a knack for making the most of an opportunity, whether it was side-stepping a defensive end and stiff-arming a linebacker to completing a crucial third-down pass in a high school playoff win over Toledo Whitmer, or going from third-string to starter and winning his first 14 games when injuries sidelined Steelers starting quarterback Tommy Maddox and backup Charlie Batch early in his rookie season.

Life was better than good in the NFL spotlight.

In 2005, still just 23 years old, he became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl title when he guided the Steelers to a 21-10 win over Seattle in Super Bowl XL. Three seasons later he won another, driving the Steelers 88 yards in the final two minutes of the game and capping a 27-23 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII with a 6-yard TD pass to Santonio Holmes with just 35 seconds on the clock.

A Pro Bowl selection in 2007, Big Ben was a rising star in the NFL ranks. In 2008, he signed an eight-year contract with the Steelers valued at over $100 million. He made appearances on […]

From Steelers.com:

The Steelers have five primetime games, as well as play on Christmas Day.

The Steelers success last season has them in the national spotlight this season, as the 2017 schedule includes five nationally televised primetime games, giving Steelers Nation plenty of opportunity to see them in action.

And for the second-straight year, and only the second time in team history, the Steelers will play on Christmas Day. The Steelers will travel to Houston to take on the Texans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 25, one of only two games to be played that day.

The Steelers kick off the season on the road against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 10, a 1 p.m. game against their AFC North rivals.

Things get rolling at Heinz Field on Sept. 17, when the team hosts the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. It’s then back on the road for games against the Chicago Bears (Sept. 24) and Baltimore Ravens (Oct. 1), before returning home to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars (Oct. 8) at Heinz Field. All three games kickoff at 1 p.m.

The Steelers head to Kansas City on Oct. 15 (4:25 p.m.), where they defeated the Chiefs last year in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Then it’s back home again for a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on Oct. 22 (1 p.m.).

The first of five primetime games in a seven-week span will take place on Oct. 29 when the Steelers are on NBC’s Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions at 8:30 p.m. The following week they will have their bye (Nov. 5) and then travel to Indianapolis on Nov. 12 to take on the Colts at 1 p.m.

The Steelers begin a stretch of four-straight primetime games when they host the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, Nov. 16 on NBC/NFLN (8:25 p.m.), followed by a home game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 26 (8:30 p.m.). The Steelers will be on the road against the Bengals on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Dec. 4 (8:30 pm.). The primetime blitz concludes with a Sunday night game against the Ravens at Heinz Field on Dec. 10 (8:30 p.m.).

A rematch of the AFC Championship Game will be at Heinz Field on Dec. 17 when the Steelers […]

From the Findlay Courier:

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and former Findlay High School star Ben Roethlisberger will headline the 33rd annual Hancock County Sports Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony that is slated for 6 p.m. April 22 at Owens Community College’s Community Education and Wellness Center.

Tickets for the event are sold out.

Other inductees that will be honored include Mike Dillon, Terry Grose, Kathy Morris, Carlee Roethlisberger and Mianda Watts.

This year’s six inductees brings the total of Hall of Famers to 203 members since the first class was inducted in 1985.

The Hancock County Sports Hall of Fame has plaques, display cases and story bards containing memorabilia from inductees at Legends Steakhouse and Sports Bar at 411 South Main Street.


Ben Roethlisberger –

Before becoming the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger was a star athlete at Findlay High and Miami (Ohio) University.

As a Trojan, Roethlisberger was all-Ohio in football and basketball. As a senior, he threw for 4,041 yards and 54 TDs, throwing for eight TDs against Fremont Ross and two TDs in the last 19 seconds to beat Napoleon. On the hardwood, he finished as the top career scorer (1,095 points) after an FHS record 546 points in 1999-00.

At Miami, he passed for more than 4,000 yards as a junior, leading the 10th-ranked Redhawks to a 13-1 record including a 49-28 GMAC bowl victory over Louisville. For his career, he completed more than 65 percent of his passes and threw 80 TDs.

Ben was a 1st round draft pick of the Steelers in 2004 and has since started 183 games. In addition to being the winning quarterback in two Super Bowls (2005, 2008), Ben holds over 50 franchise records and many NFL marks. His career stats include more than 46,000 passing yards, 301 TDs and a 13-7 career playoff record. He is the only NFL quarterback to lead his team to 20 fourth quarter comeback wins before the age of 30. He currently has the ninth best passing rating in NFL history.

Known for his charitable works, including the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, in 2014 he donated $1 million to Miami University.


Carlee Roethlisberger –

Carlee Roethlisberger was a star athlete in two sports at Findlay High School and the University of Oklahoma.

She […]

Happy Easter to everyone from the Roethlisberger family. We hope everyone has a blessed day, hopefully with family – and found lots of eggs. We hope everyone remembers the reason for Easter, HE IS RISEN! — Ben, Ashley, Benjamin, Baylee & Bodie.

We’re coloring eggs outside & getting ready for Easter. — Benjamin & Baylee.

Today we lost a great one! I wouldn’t be a Steeler if it wasn’t for Mr Rooney! We will miss you dearly! Love you DMR! — Ben.

April 14th update:

Ben spoke LIVE on KDKA-Channel 2 with Mr. Bob Pompeani about his favorite memories of Mr. Rooney.


Ben was also a guest on the Mark Madden Show on 105.9 The X.