…than a fan story that makes its way straight from Ireland?


This one came to us just this morning from Duncan Purcell, who met “the man himself” last summer during Ben’s trip to Ireland and Scotland!
































Me, Duncan Purcell posing with The Legend!

I am a PGA Golf Professional at Ballybunion Golf Club, Ireland. Last spring on a quiet afternoon, I was in our Pro Shop and in walked Ben and 3 of his buddies. We don’t get much NFL here in Ireland, but I had followed Ben and his Steelers team from their Super Bowl run and win from the previous year. It’s always enjoyable meeting top sports people and personalities.

I had a brief exchange with his golfing partners, and then plucked up the courage to ask Ben for a hand shake. He was very obliging so I asked for a photo with him and he had no problem with this. I’ve met many personalities in my job but I have to say that Ben is so approachable and down to earth.

I have relatives in the States that are HUGE Steelers fans and they were just as happy as I was to meet the man himself.

Great guy. And I shall forever be a fan of his. He’s always welcome back to Ireland, and especially Ballybunion! — Duncan Purcell, County Kerry, Ireland


You can read more fan stories from Ben’s trip to Ireland and Scotland here, here and here!


Thank you so much, Duncan! And a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of Steeler Nation!

to Plaxico Burress! From an interview this week with Steelers.com‘s Teresa Varley:

On Tuesday, the Steelers re-signed Burress just before the start of free agency, keeping the 6-5 receiver as a big target for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

“I get to come back and play with Ben and everyone there,” said Burress. “I am definitely excited. It’s beautiful. I was telling my wife it’s great that I know where I am going to be now. It’s a big stress reliever. We know where we are going to be. She is happy, her family is excited. She gets to go back to Pittsburgh, which is where she is from. We can start making plans for what we want to do.

“For me to get off the board the first day of free agency I think it says a lot about the Steelers and what kind of role they have in mind for me. I want to go in and have fun and fulfill it. I am happy to be back. This is where I wanted to be. I couldn’t ask for more.”


You can read more from his interview here.



And a welcome to…

Bruce Gradkowski! From another interview at Steelers.com:

Playing for the Steelers was something Bruce Gradkowski dreamt about as a kid growing up in the Pittsburgh area, and that dream turned into reality on Wednesday when the free agent quarterback signed with the Steelers.

“To get to learn from Ben and work with him and help this team, I am excited,” said Gradkowski, who played collegiately at Toledo. “I watched Ben since his Miami of Ohio days, playing in the MAC together. He is such a competitor. That is one thing I love to do, compete. He is a winner and I love to see that and am happy to be a part of it.

“I am excited to sit down with Todd Haley and dissect the offense, get in the playbook and learn his system and take it from there. My job is to be ready in a moment’s notice. I am going to support Ben and do what I can to be prepared and if my time comes, do what I need to do to be ready. I will grasp this offense fast. If […]

for fan Heather Scott when it came to finding a way to meet her favorite player! She recently found the website on Twitter and wanted to share her story with other fans:


I’m a lifelong Steeler fan, born and raised in Johnstown, PA. Serving in the Air Force relocated me to Tinker AFB where I also found my second home, Oklahoma, where I started a family and still reside today. I wear my love for the Steelers on my sleeve, meaning after a 15 minute encounter with me you will know exactly how much I LOVE my Steelers.




On March 2, 2011, Ben’s birthday, my son Karsten’s soccer coach messaged me about Senior Night at Oklahoma University (where Ben’s sister Carlee was a basketball star). I thought “if Ben were going to be at a game, THIS was going to be the game”. So I asked my friend Linda to go to the game with me and (of course) had to call my family in PA to tell them what I was up to. Most responses were “Ben doesn’t sign autographs” or “even if Ben’s there, no way you’ll be able to get to him”… but that wasn’t going to slow me down. I was determined and if he was here in Oklahoma, by golly, I was going to meet him!

We sat across from the OU bench, and I scanned the crowd for any sign of Big Ben. I saw a really big guy with a blonde woman on his arm enter the arena from the tunnel and make their way to the press table. I spent the entire first half determining whether that really was Ben, but when I saw him sign a jersey for someone, BAM! I knew it was Ben for sure AND he gave an autograph! (HA! in your face Uncle Jim!) Well adrenaline kicked in and I made my way to Guest Services, where I explained that I was from the Burgh area, had my terrible towel, and asked if they could possibly get it to him to sign. Yeah… Not quite. They didn’t budge and in fact tried to act like it wasn’t Ben. I wasn’t giving up. I asked if they knew anyone else that could possibly help me. Surprisingly they directed […]

“I don’t want to say it’s a transition phase because I feel like I’m still here and ready to rock and roll. I feel healthier, better. I feel like I’m in my prime and ready to play great football. And I feel that we’ve got guys around here who feel the same way.” — Ben

From an interview with Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Ben Roethlisberger delivered some optimistic opinions for a Steelers team bracing for mass departures with the start of free agency next week.

He’s healthy and not overly concerned with the many defections expected when the doors open wide Tuesday for the Steelers’ 17 unrestricted free agents.

“There always will be some new guys, there always will be some guys leave,” Roethlisberger said in a recent interview. “We never like to see anybody go but we know it’s a business and guys have to do what’s best for themselves and their families.

“For me, it’s about getting better and taking the guys we have here and getting better, taking the new guys who are coming in — rookies, free agents, whatever it is — and getting better.”

Roethlisberger, who was on his way to having one of his best seasons before his injuries, acknowledged for the first time that he did not have the arm strength to make either of those throws after returning from a sprained right shoulder and a dislocated rib.

“Sometimes, certain passes just weren’t right. I didn’t trust myself to get enough zip on it to throw it out there. I tried to guide it too much instead of just throw it.

“But that’s making excuses … I’ll be better, health-wise.”

The prospect of losing Mike Wallace, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall and others — plus the uncertain status of injured tight end Heath Miller — does not dissuade Roethlisberger from at least sounding as if he is optimistic about 2013 after an 8-8 season.

“We have a great group of guys here and if we happen to lose one or two of them, I have confidence [the front office will] get guys in here who will be ready to compete and play,” Roethlisberger said.


You can read more from the interview here.

Fifth Third Bank and #1 Cochran present the 2013 Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp!

“Let me just say that Ben’s camp was an absolute delight!! It’s a very well run and organized camp with never a dull moment. Ben is great with the kids! Once again he threw the football to every camper so they could have chance to ‘catch a pass from Big Ben’! Both of my grandson’s caught their passes! YEAH!! Thanks so much to Ben for a wonderful experience for my grandsons!!” – Anita Doddroe, June 19, 2012.

It’s not too early to sign your child up to join Ben this summer for some football instruction and fun at his Annual Football Camp, sponsored by ProCamps Worldwide! Spots are filling up fast!

The Camp is open to boys and girls, ages 7-14.

Ben will be joined by a selection of the top prep and college coaches from the area.

Each day, the campers will experience various stations, specializing in fundamental skills of football. Individual groups will be small to assure that each camper gets maximum instruction.

Ben will give daily talks highlighting the finer points of the game of football and beyond. Parents and guests will be able to listen to camp guests in designated areas at each location.

And you never know which of Ben’s teammates will show up to help out #7! Kids that attend Ben’s Camp have had the opportunity to meet and get instruction from Brett Keisel, Charlie Batch, Willie Colon, and even Coach Tomlin!


Dates: June 17th and 18th, 2013

Times: 09:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Place: Seneca Valley High School, Harmony, PA

Cost: $199.*

*If you use the code BigBen7 when you register, you’ll receive a $20 discount off the registration fee, courtesy of ProCamps!

“We took our granddaughter, age 12, and our grandson, age 7, to Ben’s Youth Camp. What organized Chaos! It was an awesome experience for both. Both caught Ben’s passes. They talked about the camp all the way back to Northern Ohio. They have already decided to come back next year…at our expense! We also really enjoyed the experience!” — Linda Hawk, Ohio

Each camper will receive –

• Camp T-Shirt
• Autographed Camp team photo with Ben
• 7 Hours of expert instruction
• Opportunity […]

…with a collection of new photos from Steeler Nation!


Garrett Koch’s third-grade class project? Big Ben Roethlisberger of course!


Students in Mrs. Stahlman’s third grade class at Big Walnut Elementary School in Sunbury, Ohio recently learned about biographies through an interest-based project.

Students were given the choice of a famous person that they wanted to research. Their end project was the biography poster. Garrett Koch, shown here with Mrs. Stahlman, is a huge Steelers fan and loves wearing his Roethlisberger jersey to school, so the choice of completing his project on Big Ben was an easy one!

Thank you to Mark Cooper, Principal of Big Walnut Elemetary (and a big Steelers fan himself) tweeted Garrett’s awesome poster to the site’s Twitter page!

Also, thank you to Garrett’s parents, both of whom are Cleveland Browns fans, for allowing us to share Garrett’s work with his fellow Steelers fans!


You can see a larger version of the hard work that Garrett put into his poster here.



After dining at The Silver Fox Steakhouse, Ben wanted to thank the chef:

While visiting his friend (and one of his heroes), Jim Kelly in upstate New York during the month of February, Ben enjoyed dinner at the acclaimed “Silver Fox Steakhouse” in Ellicottville, NY. Before he left, he posed with Head Chef Jack Atkinson (left of Ben) and some of his staff.

“I’m a huge Steelers fan, and of Ben as well. It was my pleasure to cook for him. He was extremely gracious to my staff and myself posing for pictures and signing autographs.” — Jack Atkinson


You can check out The Silver Fox’s website here.



Chad & Jennifer Pointer decide to tie the knot Steelers-style last summer!

“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.

“Ben in my book is second to NONE from his Ironman […]