“This gift is a huge thank you to everything, on and off the field, that Miami University provided me. Attending Miami was one of the best decisions of my life and I am happy to play a small part in helping to rebuild this football program.” – Ben.

Miami University opened its indoor sports center the first week of February, but it will be officially unveiled to the public during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 25th.



In October of last year, Ben and Ashley agreed to donate $1 million towards the Indoor Sports Center at Miami University.

The 91,000-square-foot complex that took about a year to construct was funded by $13 million in donations, and it will be used by student-athletes, intramural and club sports teams as well as youth athletic programs for tournaments.

The facility includes a full 120-yard football field with a synthetic playing surface similar to neighboring Yager Stadium. It also has netting for baseball, softball and golf; four 100-yard sprint lanes, a high jump and long jump equipment for track; storage space and an observation deck.

According to the Miami Redhawks site, this new facility “will positively impact all 19 of Miami’s sports programs and allow teams to train year-round”.

“I want to thank Ben and Ashley for their support of Miami Athletics. This gift continues our vision to make a difference in the lives of our student-athletes and that includes winning MAC Championships. I am thankful that both Ben and Ashley share in that same vision.” – Miami Athletics Director David Sayler.

More from the Miami Redhawks website:

In his time at Miami, Roethlisberger completed 854-of-1,304 pass attempts for 10,829 yards and 84 touchdowns from 2001-03. His junior campaign was one for the ages, throwing for 4,486 yards and 37 touchdowns, leading Miami to 12-consecutive wins, including a Mid-American Conference Championship and GMAC Bowl victory.

That season alone, he captured third-team All-America honors and was just the third player in Miami history to garner the Vern Smith Award as the Mid-American Conference Most Valuable Player.

Roethlisberger to this day still ranks first in Miami history in completion percentage (.655) and touchdowns, and is second in pass attempts, completions, yards and total offense (11,075).


*Photo courtesy of Kyle Kron (@kylekronMiami).

Taking another look back…

“It’s a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL. Everything I get to do, meet all these coaches, see Al Davis, visit with Warren Moon, it’s a dream coming true. It’s hard to believe. I have to pinch myself and make sure it’s true.” – Ben, on both the experience and the opportunity to play in the NFL, March of 2004.

From the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Mark Curnutte:

QB Ben packs ’em in for pro workout –

Scouts or assistant coaches from nearly all 32 NFL teams made their way to Oxford. Two head coaches, Green Bay’s Mike Sherman and the Giants’ Tom Coughlin – along with Giants’ general manager Ernie Accorsi and three of the club’s scouts – were there, too.

Charting each of the players’ moves with stopwatches and clipboards, scouts watched them lift weights, jump, sprint and run agility drills before congregating in Yager Stadium for the main event: Ben throws.

And Roethlisberger, a sure-fire top-five pick rated along with Mississippi’s Eli Manning as one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, did not disappoint.

He threw long and short, soft and hard, down the middle and toward the sideline – showing off his impressive arm and timing on the deep out pattern.

Roethlisberger ran 4.76 seconds in the 40-yard dash. And he clocked an 11.8 – considered fast for a quarterback – on a three-cone agility drill.

“He’s probably going to be gone before we pick, but I always want to cover our bases in case something happens – he falls or we move up,” Sherman said. “I thought he had an excellent workout. He did everything here he does on tape. You have to watch the game tape to really appreciate what kind of quarterback he is and what kind of leadership skills he has.”


You can read the rest of Mr. Curnutte’s 2004 article here.



From NFL.com‘s “Pro Day Workout – Ben Roethlisberger” the day after:

As expected, there was a big turn out here as over 50 NFL personnel people attended.

Roethlisberger’s workout was scripted by Steve Clarkson, who is a former San Jose State QB and currently helps prepare quarterbacks for the NFL. Roethlisberger (6-4 7/8, 240) ran his 40s in 4.81 and […]

You bet there is!

And we’re celebrating National Puppy Day by saying Thank You to these hard-working K9 officers (who eventually grew up to be great protectors)!


The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation awards grants to police and fire departments throughout the U.S. with a particular emphasis on support for K-9 units and service dogs.

The majority of the grants distributed will help K-9 units to purchase dogs and dog safety vests, but other types of K-9 related needs are considered. In fact, not only has Ben’s foundation been awarding grants for the purchase of the dogs themselves, but also for the purchase of equipment, training, and even veterinary bills since 2006.

Ben also strives to support Make-A-Wish and his foundation has distributed in excess of $1.2 million.


You can learn more about The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation and make a donation here.

For more information on the grant process, contact Jessica Duffaut at The Giving Back Fund (www.GivingBack.org).

You can support future K-9 grants and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time by purchasing candy on Sarris Candies’ website, (www.SarrisCandiesFundraising.com), using a special purchase code (77-7777). Sarris will donate 25 percent of the purchase price to his foundation.



Photo credits: Montgomery County (MD) Sheriff’s Office, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, Boston Police Department, John Kozowyk, and APlaceToLoveDogs.com.

I wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful birthday wishes! There were so many left for me on Facebook & Twitter and in emails to my dad’s website that I felt just like a princess!


My first birthday has been so much fun, especially the cake-eating part (naturally, I was a much neater eater than my brother!!) A girl could really get used to this.


I’m really excited for my birthday party this weekend, but Steeler Nation made today feel like a party too – a big one! XOXOXO — Baylee

with the spotlight on Baylee Marie Roethlisberger, born March 19, 2014.

This adorable little girl turns one…


…and boy, has her first year been fun!!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAYLEE!

Highlights from Scott Brown’s column at ESPN.com this afternoon:

Art Rooney, Dan’s father, paid the NFL a $2,500 franchise fee to found the team in 1933, according to the Steelers. In 1975, he officially turned over day-to-day operations to his oldest son, Dan, who became Steelers president.

Art Rooney passed away in 1988 and passed the Steelers down to his five sons — 18 percent each — with the McGinley family owning the other 10 percent. Dan Rooney continued to run the team as president and two decades after his father’s death he kept the Steelers in the only family that has ever owned them.

Ownership philosophy: Puts a premium on stability and building through the draft. Strong drafts led to the Steelers playing in three Super Bowls, winning two of them, from 2005 to 2010.

Playoff appearances: 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014

Super Bowl appearances/championships: Lost to Cowboys 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX (1995 season), beat Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL (2005), beat Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII (2008), lost to Packers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV (2010).

Defining moment in ownership tenure: The Steelers were leaning toward taking Arkansas offensive lineman Shawn Andrews with their first-round pick in 2004 after quarterback Eli Manning and Philip Rivers were selected before No. 11 overall. Rooney did not want the Steelers to pass on a potentially great quarterback, something they had done with Dan Marino in 1983. Rooney steered the conversation toward Ben Roethlisberger as he recounted in his book, “Dan Rooney: My 75 Years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and NFL.” The Steelers drafted the Miami (Ohio) quarterback, who became a starter in the third game of 2004 because of an injury to Tommy Maddox and went 13-0 in the regular season. Roethlisberger has been entrenched as the Steelers’ quarterback since and led them to a pair of Super Bowl wins — Pittsburgh’s first world championships since the 1970s.


More from Mr. Brown here.