A busy off-season for Big Ben
Family time was front & center:
Mom & Dad took Benjamin Jr. to see Sesame Street Live, and Baylee celebrated her first birthday in late Winter. Then in the Spring the Roethlisberger family was in attendance for Ben’s MAC Hall of Fame Induction. In early May it was all about having fun at the beach!
But the fun didn’t stop: There was hanging out with dad at the Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp, at the barber, at his Foundation Golf Invitational…and being silly on Fathers Day!
Ben and Ashley rounded out their time together before training camp by inviting friends Noah Galloway and his fiance Jamie Boyd to celebrate Ashley’s birthday in July at Reynolds Plantation.
Then it was events, tournaments, camps, inductions, an autograph signing…and an important contract signing:
Let’s see, there was snowmobiling with Jim Kelly in upstate New York, and playing in the Phoenix Open as well as attending the Dapper Dan Awards for Jim Kelly & Antonio Brown in late winter. Oh, and all that running around and throwing passes at Garth Brooks’ Football Camp!
Ben agreed to terms on a new contract in March to stay with the Steelers through the 2019 NFL season.
There was that hunting trip to Tennesee with Jim Kelly, and the official opening of Ben Roethlisberger Field in April.
Ben was the center of attention at his MAC Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in May. He also took his teammates to California to workout with Coach Brian Schottenheimer.
June was a crazy month: Ben played in both Coach Arians’ and Mario Lemieux‘s charity golf tournaments in June, after hosting his own at Treesdale Golf & Country Club. The night before, Ben hosted friends, fans and foundation supporters at his Triple 7’s casino night charity event!
Earlier in the month, Ben hosted over 400 children at his football camp, and everyone had a blast!
And then there was that autograph signing in Northern Virginia that looked more like Western Pennsylvania with all the Black & Gold being worn!
Whew!!! And that didn’t even cover half of it!
But now it’s time to get back to the business […]
A special tribute…
Lt. Eric Eslary, a 17-year veteran of the Ligonier Township Police Department, was killed on the evening of May 5th, 2015 when a driver crossed into oncoming lanes and struck his patrol vehicle.
His K-9 partner, Blek, refused to leave his partner’s side, even though he was injured in the crash. It was only after the coaxing of his partner’s wife, Mary Beth Taylor-Eslary, that he finally left the lieutenant’s side.
Lt. Eslary had been partnered with Blek since his first K9, Ando, passed away from cancer in 2009. Blek was purchased with the help of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation.
Below is a tribute in photos from Lt. Eslary’s wife, Mary Beth, and his K9 partner, Blek:
Rest in Peace, Lt. Eslary.
Photos: Christy Boyd
Celebrating in style
…and in good company as well!!
“Out celebrating Ben’s wife Ashley’s birthday. What a great party.” — Noah Galloway (via Instagram), with his fiance Jamie.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!!
A “Shout-Out” for Zach!
Regular followers of Ben’s site will remember Zach – he was out there helping Ben at his ProCamps kids football camp last month.
“We enjoy coming every year and Zach loves interacting with the kiddos. You all are amazing for giving him so many blessed memories!” — Kelly Mezger, Zach’s mother.
Another fun year with my bud Big Ben thanks bub for always being so cool and fun love big guy @_BigBen7 @ProCamps pic.twitter.com/Pc2EOtOytK
— Zachery Mezger (@coachzman) June 14, 2015
But now Zach needs your prayers, Steeler Nation!
He is now home recuperating after more than 12 days in the hospital. Zach had brain surgery, as well as a second surgery for an infection that developed afterwards.
“Ben & family, please know how blessed we feel that you all accept and love Zach the way you do. Thank you all for the love, support and allowing him to feel so cool. Blessings!” — Kelly Mezger
If you have a Twitter account, give him a personal shout-out at @coachzman . You can befriend him on Facebook here!
Also…
Please take a few minutes to read this beautiful story about Zach from Aaron Fitt, at D1Baseball.com!
“Wait!! Is that….? It sure is!!”
This Steelers fan couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Big Ben at O’Hare Airport in Chicago this week!
“I’ve been a DIEHARD fan of Ben’s since his days of being a Redhawk!!! I knew right away at the Airport that was him…but was too scared to ask for a photo with him, so I made my wife go up to him instead (heehee)!
“Ben, thanks for taking the time to take a picture with me at Chicago O’Hare Airport…Hopefully I didn’t bring any attention towards you!” — Chad Hyke
Chad, thank you for sharing your photo with us!
And speaking of photos, you can see some great additions to Ben’s gallery from last weekend’s Collector’s Showcase of America show here.
VA was in a ‘Steelers State of Mind’ today
And Steeler Nation painted the town (of Chantilly) Black & Gold!
It looked more like downtown Pittsburgh when the doors opened up at the Collector’s Showcase of America Summer Show this morning as a sea of Steelers fans rushed in! And Ben was ready for ’em when he sat down to sign autographs and pose for photos – here are just a few that were shared with us:
“Today was one of the BEST days this year I have had so far this….I got to meet Big Ben & I am on cloudy nine!! Thank you Ben for taking time out to take this pic with me…as you can tell I was really excited! Stay healthy!! #GoSteelers”. — Nadjejd “DeeDee” Scott
“What a dream come true! After Ben shook my hand, I couldn’t help but give him a hug. I’ve been a Steelers fan all of my life, but Ben is my all time favorite player. So happy I was finally able to meet him and get my jersey signed, and even happier that he gave me a hug! Thanks Ben, you are the best!” — Tara Henderson
8 year old Will, a Big Redhawks fan & a Big Ben fan: “Ben was awesome today!” — Michael Spiers
“After waiting 11 years I finally got to meet my favorite football player. Getting up at 3am and driving all the way to Virginia was completely worth it!!” — Taylor Moore
That’s David, Nathan and Natalie Hanks with Big Ben: “A big thank you to Ben for making my son see that his hero is a genuinely great man!” — Lura Hanks
Jake & Big Ben: “Best day ever! First in line to get a pic with Ben. He was so nice!!!” — Monica (Diehard fans from West Virginia)
“I must say, it was worth the 6-1/2 hour round trip drive from Horsham, PA!! I didn’t faint, Ben was super nice AND I got to stand on my ‘good […]