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

Well over 100 golfers, including teammate Brett Keisel and ESPN’s Merril Hoge, joined Ben on the course for a full day of golf and games to benefit his Foundation.

Proceeds from the Invitational benefit police and fire agencies throughout the country with K-9’s and rescue dogs, and Make-A-Wish.



Ben is participating in “Football Drive” – the objective of this pre-tournament game is to hit the Fathead AFC North defensive players with the golf ball!


Pre-tournament competitions, which included games such as the Quarterback Challenge, Football Drive, Hat Trick, Three Point Shootout, Roulette Golf, Blackjack, and a $5,000 Putt Challenge, and a $1 million dollar Shootout (165 yard shot) got the day started, and 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.

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.


We’ll have more photos and info from the Invitational soon!

“It means a lot to me. We are in such an awesome spot. I have such an opportunity to give back to the community I call home. Pittsburgh is home to me. I love doing things for the community, for the kids, for people, just helping out. This is a small thing I feel I can do to help.” — Ben

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com this evening:

When the letters are given to him by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, it’s hard for Ben Roethlisberger not to feel a wave of emotion. Whether it’s a young child writing to thank him for making their dream of going to Disney World come true, or a girl excited because her room got a makeover, Roethlisberger is always filled with joy knowing he put a smile on a child’s face, helping them forget their struggles at least for a while.

“To see those letters, to hear about the kids, it touches my heart because I love the kids,” said Roethlisberger.

And on Sunday night, Roethlisberger went back to work helping to make more dreams come true, hosting his second annual Ben Roethlisberger Foundation fundraiser at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia and K-9 Police and Fire Units.

“It means a lot to be able to come out and have fun and raise money for the foundation, Make-A-Wish and the K-9 units,” said Roethlisberger, who is also hosting a golf outing on Monday. “It’s awesome to have my teammates and friends come out and support it.”

Roethlisberger’s teammates were on hand giving their full support, including Heath Miller, Maurkice Pouncey, Brett Keisel, Kelvin Beachum, Landry Jones, offensive line coach Jack Bicknell and former Steelers running back Merril Hoge, who loves seeing the work he is doing.

Roethlisberger’s Foundation began by providing K-9 grants to police and fire departments in the Pittsburgh area, as well as cities where the Steelers play. To date the foundation has funded the purchase of 66 dogs, in addition to the training of dogs and handlers, and the purchase of safety equipment.

His passion for granting wishes through Make-A-Wish gave him the idea to expand the work of his foundation, raising funds to help grant wishes as well.

“If I can make a wish come true for them and give […]

…and for the Steelers Dad who likes to “Grill & Chill” we have the perfect Father’s Day gift idea:


The Black & Gold BBQ Cooler!

Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce has a special offer this year on two different gift sets for you to choose from to surprise your dad with on Sunday, June 16th –


THE MEAT COOLER (pictured) for just $49.99 includes:


– Black and Gold Cooler (12 can capacity)
– 1 Rack of Big Ben’s Baby Back Ribs
– 1 lb of Big Ben’s Pulled Pork
– 1 lb of Big Ben’s Shredded Chicken
– 1 bottle Big Ben’s Mild BBQ Sauce

(All meats are fully-cooked!)


THE SAUCE / RUB COOLER for just $44.99 includes:

– Black and Gold Cooler (12 can capacity)
– Big Ben’s BBQ Gift Pack ( Mild BBQ & Spicy Wing)
– Big Ben’s Habanera Hot Sauce
– Millers Spicy Mustard
– Quaker Steak & Seasoning Meat Rub
– Black & Gold Candle


How do you order in time for Father’s Day delivery? It’s easy – just click here!

You can also check out & order other Big Ben’s BBQ products here!

Want to read a review from the ‘Sauce Authority’ on Big Ben’s BBQ Sauce? They gave it high marks!


* A portion of the proceeds benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Pittsburgh!

“We’re excited. This Sunday we’re going to have the Second Annual Ben Roethlisberger Foundation Fundraiser. It’s up at Jergels, and a bunch of teammates are coming and coaches, and we’re raising money for The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation which benefits Make-A-Wish, which to me speaks for itself. It’s so awesome to grant wishes to kids who may not have many wishes left. That to me is an awesome thing.

“And another part of it is we buy K9 dogs for police departments and fire departments all over the country. They’re K9 dogs, bomb sniffing dogs, drug dogs – and to me where it really comes into effect when after this Boston Marathon bombing, we’ve given some grants to the Boston police department when we play the Patriots – they’ve used some of the grants and some of the money to help with the aftermath of that event. To see it in action is a really neat thing.” — Ben on his fundraising event this weekend.

Ben was a guest on the Vinnie & Cook Show this afternoon, and among the other topics he discussed: the off-season workouts, more comfort with the offensive schemes, being part of the “08’ers” club – a small but elite group, an update on Heath Miller and his upcoming children’s football camp!

Some highlights:

On what they’ve done so far to make it “our offense” this season –

“I think last year it was new for all of us, so it was Todd’s offense that he brought to us. This year, I would say it’s more ‘our’ offense. We’ve added things, we’ve deleted things, we’ve all kind of put in our input, players and coaches. Todd’s open to change, and the things we need to improve on to be the best we can be, I feel we’ve done a good job of improving on.”


On embracing more of a leadership role in the Steelers’ locker room –

There’s not a lot of us old guys left anymore, so to me, I’m enjoying the opportunity to be a different kind of leader than I’ve been the last couple of years.

I pulled aside a couple of young guys today, said a few things to them, and I really felt like it resonated with them. To see these guys look at you […]

Ben spoke briefly to the media after Tuesday’s OTA session, and of course the first thing on the minds of everyone who gathered around him…


How do you think the Penguins-Bruins series is going to go?

I don’t want to start talking trash, but we’re waiting. [Laughs]. I’m excited. They look good. Obviously, they’re playing a good team and playing with a little destiny, too, with everything that’s happened. I’m just excited for everything to get going.


RB Jonathan Dwyer told us that you have more ownership of the offense this year. Do you agree with that?

It’s just another year of knowing what’s going on. So, I guess, yes.


You talked last week about having more input. Can you tell us anymore about that?

Nope. [Smiles].


What do you like about the offense this year?

We’re growing, we’re learning and we’re communicating. This year, more of us know what’s going on so we can coach each other up and instead of having questions and going to coaches to get answers, we now can say we need to do this or need to do that. To me that is the biggest difference and improvement I see.


With WR Mike Wallace gone and TE Heath Miller coming off surgery, what do you like so far?

Just having guys out here and getting the work in. Like I said, it’s time to knock rust off. We’re not out here trying to get ready for a game tomorrow. We’re just out here learning and getting better.


You can watch video from his interview here.

….from Benjamin, Jr., who is spending the holiday weekend chillin’ at the beach with mom & dad!




“Just wanted to say hello and Happy Memorial Weekend to everyone out there! Also want to say thanks to all the troops, past and present, that have served to protect our country and our freedom so I can sit on the beach with my shades and my bottle. Thanks everyone! Have a great, safe weekend!” — JR






You can see all my photos here!