It wouldn’t be right if we didn’t start off this month’s post with a photo straight from Steelers training camp!

And this one has a bit of BigBen7.com history to it:


Chad Pointer was married in that jersey back on June 29, 2012! He shared his wedding photos with us in March of this year. His wish was to go to training camp and get Ben to sign it….and it happened, on the first day that camp was open to the fans yesterday!

“Ben in my book is second to NONE from his Ironman play on the field to his K9 work off the field. We live in Evansville, Indiana and love our Steelers and the greatest QB ever! Our first date was to the Tampa Bay vs Steelers game 3 yrs ago, she was a TB fan, has been a Steelers fan every since. We were married in West Palm Beach, Florida, the same place I proposed a year before. We then had our reception back home in Indiana – even entered the room to ‘Renegade’ playing.” — Chad


Chad also took some great action photos from training camp. You can view them here!



This has to be one of the coolest cat’s to ever put on a #7 jersey:


Four-year old Lil’ Fan Quantarious Jackson loves his Big Ben! In fact, his mother Nicole said that her son is “a true fan” of #7! The Jackson’s not only bleed black & gold, they pose in it for their family photos too!


You can check out a couple more Lil’ Fans here, Big kid fans here, and one really cute & fluffy fan here!

“I firmly believe my best is yet to come. I do. People may laugh, that’s fine. People can say what they want.” — Ben, during a round of interviews with the media today.”

From Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Buoyed by a return to health, a better relationship with his coach and what he sees in his teammates, Ben Roethlisberger predicted good things for himself and the Steelers in 2013.

“This offense is like a new toy,” Roethlisberger said in an interview Saturday with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It’s like I’m opening this present and I can’t wait to see what’s going to come out of this thing with all these guys and this offense. I’m generally excited for this year.”

He and Todd Haley, his offensive coordinator, had a somewhat frosty relationship during their first season together in 2012. That’s changed and developed into one the quarterback called “actually good.”

“And I’m not just saying that,” Roethlisberger said before the Steelers took the field for their first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. “Last year obviously had its growing pains; it is what it is. And it’s more than just him and I. It was him and other coaches, him and other players, but obviously people are going to talk about the quarterback and the coordinator more.

“But there was no hatred, none of that stuff people made it out to be. It was nothing like that. We had our times when we butted heads, but I butted heads with [former coordinators Bruce Arians and Ken Whisenhunt].”

He reiterated that his shoulder and ribs have long healed, and said his right knee, which underwent minor surgery to clean out some cartilage, feels fine, although he did not want to dispute Mike Tomlin’s assessment Friday that he was feeling “discomfort.” He did not run with his teammates during the annual run test on the first day of camp because he was told not to by a trainer, Roethlisberger said.

“I feel great. I’m ready to rock and roll. I can’t wait for practice. I don’t think I’ll be restricted at all.”

And he says he is in better shape. His weight’s down, he says his physique is better and he’s concentrated on building more upper-body strength, including kayaking as one method of doing […]

Vince Rubino of Akron, Ohio wanted to share his fan story, or rather, his young daughter’s fan story that took place during last year’s training camp.

He thought it might be a nice way to start off this year’s training camp!

I wanted to thank Ben for being so gracious to us last summer at Steelers training camp in Latrobe. My 6-year old, Gianna, begged me to take her to a Steelers game in 2011, but coming all the way from Akron, Ohio where we live, I knew between the drive and the game, it would prove to be too long a day for her age. I did the next best thing, I surprised her last July by taking her to Steelers training camp so that she could get an up-close look at her team!

I remember how excited I was when my dad took me to Steelers training camp when I was about the same age, and I was hoping it would become the same great memory for her. I think she asked, “Where are we going?” every 10 minutes of the 2-1/2 hour drive from Akron to Latrobe. We pulled into the beautiful rolling green hills of St Vincent’s College and it looked very much the same as I remember seeing it as a kid. It wasn’t until we walked to the practice field that she realized THESE were the REAL Steelers!

We watched practice and Gianna was so excited she took over our camera. I got a kick out of watching her click away and how quickly she recognized her favorite players, Big Ben and Troy Polamalu.

Then came time for autographs.

We gathered at the fence waiting for the players to walk by. Gianna was in the perfect position – right along the fence – to get autographs and take photos as I watched from just a few feet away. Unfortunately some of the bigger kids (the adults!) started to get overly excited and started pushing aggressively to position closer to the fence. I could see the panic in Gianna’s eyes just before the crowd around her unknowingly started to trample her. I was afraid she would get hurt so I rushed to pull her out from the front of the crowd, but […]

First dinner for two, then a concert at the Consol Energy Center tonight!


Ash and I at the Eagles concert celebrating our Anniversary! Love the Eagles, I hope they don’t ask me to get on stage to play drums and sing, haha, just kidding! — Ben

…wants to wish a Happy Anniversary to his parents today!


I waited all day for Grandma & Grandpa to come over to babysit so they could help me send a photo with an Anniversary wish for my awesome Mommy & Daddy! I love you!! — JR.

The Second Annual Ben Roethlisberger Foundation Invitational took place on Monday, June 3, 2013 at the beautiful Sewickley Heights Golf Club.



The tournament was a huge success – 118 golfers, including teammate and friend Brett Keisel, Mr. Art Rooney II, Steelers Great Franco Harris, Penguins Great Mario Lemieux, and former Steeler and current ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge, joined Ben on the course for a full day of golf and games to benefit his Foundation.

And benefit it they did!

The event raised over $100,000 for both of Ben’s Foundation causes: the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia as well as K-9 Police and Fire Units across the country.



Pre-tournament competitions, which included games such as the Quarterback Challenge, Football Drive, Hat Trick, Three Point Shootout, Roulette Golf, Blackjack, a $5,000 Putt Challenge, and a $1 million dollar Shootout (165 yard shot) got the day started. During the tournament golfers had the opportunity to try their hand at other competitions along the course, including Poker & Roulette Golf, a Men’s and Women’s Long Drive, the Straight Drive, and a TPC Sawgrass “Island Green” hole on the 17th.

Golfers enjoyed both a lunch buffet served on the patio before heading out on the course, and a delicious dinner in the clubhouse after the tournament featuring several buffet stations. On the course, the golfers were treated to made-to-order Primanti Bros sandwiches from a specially prepared golf dining cart!

Prizes were awarded to the winners of the day’s games, and gifts as well as autographed items from Ben were given to everyone upon leaving!



This photo collage was made by Drew Taylor, who played in Ben’s tournament with his father, Rick. The highlight for Drew was meeting and posing with both Ben and Franco Harris.

Sponsors for the tournament included Apollo Jets; King Street Grille; PNC Bank; Cisco/Presidio and Summit Golf Brands – the company behind three of the golf industry’s leading brands: Fairway & Greene, EP Pro, and Zero Restriction.


You can check out and enjoy five pages of great photos from Ben’s tournament here! […]