From Nick Veronica, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Ken Roethlisberger felt a new kind of pride this weekend when he played host to his son for dinner: it was Ben’s first Father’s Day as a dad, and Ken’s first as a grandparent.

“It’s nice to see [Ben] in that role,” Ken Roethlisberger said Monday while taking in Ben’s Football ProCamp at Seneca Valley High School. “It’s fun to watch him and Benjamin — he’s so small in his arms. He’s doing a good job so far. He gets down on the ground and plays with him — it’s great.”

Former quarterback and current broadcaster Rich Gannon once said that becoming a father made him a better quarterback in that he became “more disciplined.” Since Benjamin Jr. was born in November, Roethlisberger has started to understand the connection.

“I feel like having a child, especially a son, makes you very patient,” Ben said. “It was enjoyable to have my first Father’s Day and be around family — that’s what’s important to me.”

“It was nice having the whole family together,” Ken added. “We went to church in the morning all together. They came to our house and his wife, Ashley, cooked dinner — a cheese pasta with chicken in it. Delicious.”

While players across the league, from Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson to now free-agent linebacker Bart Scott have expressed concerns about letting their sons play football, Roethlisberger –who has absorbed injuries to nearly every part of his body while playing for the Steelers — said as long as Benjamin Jr. wants to play, it’s fine by him.

Ashley and Benjamin Jr. paced the sidelines of the football field Monday while Ben and a slew of coaches mentored about 500 boys and girls at Roethlisberger’s annual two-day camp.

The kids, ages 7 to 14, went through various drills designed to teach proper catching and throwing techniques before scrimmages. A few lucky campers got to catch a pass from Roethlisberger, right knee remained wrapped two weeks removed from arthroscopic surgery.

Unlike past camps, Roethlisberger rode a bike around the complex in order to see more groups.

“It helps me get around faster than walking, and its probably better for my knee doing a little rehabbing while I’m helping the kids,” he said.


You can read more here.


Photo credit: Larry Roberts/Post-Gazette

“My biggest thing is I always say I emphasize three things – teamwork, sportsmanship and having fun. So, to me, that’s what it’s about and as I ride by the kids are all waving and stuff and I try to get them to keep focused on football, but really they are out here having fun.” — Ben

From CBS Pittsburgh this evening:

Hundreds of kids spent the day passing and catching and learning the ropes of football.

Their coach, Ben Roethlisberger, is one of the best in the business.

Ben’s annual football Procamp kicked off Monday morning.

“It’s a lot of fun. This is my fifth year coming. I’ve been here every year and it’s always been really exciting,” one camper said.

More than 500 kids were having a blast while learning about football. From passing and catching to different drills the young athletes worked hard.

“We try and keep it to offense obviously, but I just saw some kids doing a toss sweep, learning how to run the ball, some wide receiver drills and obviously quarterback drills,” Roethlisberger said.

The kids were divided into teams and local high school coaches worked one-on-one with the first through eighth graders.

Ben makes the rounds and stops by each group to offer advice and teaching techniques. By the end of camp, each kid will have the opportunity to catch a pass from the quarterback.

Though, Ben is riding around on a bicycle, instead of walking because his right knee is still recovering after surgery.

“Doing good. I’m just getting around a lot better on a bike so I can get around faster, so I can get to more kids,” Roethlisberger said.


You can read more here.



The first day of Big Ben’s Football Camp is over, and we’ve already received many photos and comments from parents and other family members who were in attendance watching their excited youngsters on the field with #7:

Jackson Ritter is at camp with his grandpa and called his mom back home in VA with his Day 1 report –

“I just talked to Jackson and he had a blast!! He said it was ‘Awesome’ and that Big Ben gave him a high five – on Jackson’s right hand (he reminded me that is HIS throwing arm) haha. My dad […]

From the article, “Steelers players share thoughts on their dads” by Teresa Varley, at Steelers.com this Father’s Day morning!




“My dad is my hero. I want to be half the father he was to me. He means everything to me. I am very lucky to grow up with the father I have.” — Ben.



You can read more & see photos of Ben’s teammates with their fathers here!



*Thank you to Ms. Varley!

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

The Steelers will officially kick off their 2013 season when the team reports to training camp on Friday, July 26, at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. This will be the 48th year the Steelers will train at Saint Vincent College.

The first open practice to the public is scheduled for Saturday, July 27. The first practice in pads for the Steelers is scheduled for Monday, July 29. All practices that are open to the public are scheduled from 3-5 p.m.

The Steelers annual night practice at Latrobe’s Memorial Stadium will take place on Friday, August 2, at 7 p.m. Additionally, the Steelers will hold an evening practice at Saint Vincent College on Wednesday, August 14, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The last scheduled practice open to the public will be on Saturday, August 17. The team’s 2013 training camp will break on Sunday, August 18, one day prior to the Steelers’ game at Washington.

The complete schedule for the Steelers’ 2013 training camp will be released in the upcoming weeks.


For the most up to date information, please visit www.steelers.com.


*Thank you to fan Marilyn McClellan for snapping this photo of Ben taken during last summer’s training camp!

Would you like to win free tickets to the Kenny Chesney concert at Heinz Field next weekend, June 22nd?




Just follow @heinzfield for details on how you can enter!! That’s right, Heinz Field has it’s own Twitter account! You’ll get updates for all the happenings at the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh Football Team!


*Thank you to the Steelers for the use of the photo!

“People said why not earlier. Well, we wanted to try to see if we could manage. I’d come in on Tuesday to practice and it would feel good, and by Thursday, it was almost like a tire was slowly losing air. It kind of hurt me on Thursday. We figured it was time to get it done. Doctors agreed and said let’s do it now.” — Ben

Ben was at Steelers mini-camp this morning and answered a few questions from the media about the surgery on his knee:


How does the knee feel?

It feels great. I saw Dr. (Jim) Bradley this morning, and he was pleasantly surprised with the range of motion and where we are at, and the swelling. So, it feels great. I’ve been off crutches for a couple of days now. I’m moving around good. I think I could play Sunday if I had to.


Is the discomfort gone?

It’s still too early to tell. According to Dr. Bradley the surgery went really well. My knee is in great shape. They took care of the little problem. It had been bothering me a little last year, and we decided now is the time to take care of it.


More cleanup than repair?

Absolutely. There was no repair. It was just clean up.


Re: Same cleanup on the other knee:

The same knee. There were some reports but it was the same knee. So it was a very similar thing.


What will you do this week?

Watch. I’ll ride the bike a lot. That’s pretty much it. I will be here to support the quarterbacks, offense and coaches. I’ll do whatever I can do just to add moral support.


Are you broken up that you will miss minicamp?

It’s killing me, actually. It tears me up [Laughs].


Did you get enough work in during the last couple of weeks?

Yeah, I was here for every practice. I felt good. Honestly, I don’t ever like to miss practice but I’ll be ready for training camp.


You can read more from Ms. Varley at Steelers.com here.

You can also watch the video of Ben’s interview here.