He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Miami University this morning during Divisional Recognition Ceremonies held at the Millett Assembly Hall.

How could I tell my children one day how important an education is, if I didn’t have one? This is pretty special to me. I’m proud to not just say I’m an alum. Now I’m a graduate. — Ben

From USA Today:

Most of the assembly didn’t know Roethlisberger was coming. When he suddenly appeared in the lineup with his class, the cell phones quickly came out and the texting began.

“I’m going to be sitting there thinking, ‘When I was in college, this person (next to him) was probably in middle school,’ ” Roethlisberger said before the ceremony. “I’m going to be the old man out there, but it’s worth it.’ ”

Worth it, because he promised his parents in 2003, when he left Miami four credits short for the NFL, that one day he would graduate.

Lots of pro-bound athletes say that, but how many end up meaning it? A career gets in the way. Money gets in the way. Life gets in the way. In this case, winning two Super Bowls got in the way.

“I had every intention,” he said of graduating. “Actually, I didn’t think it’d take this long.”

Roethlisberger’s autumns have been kind of busy. And something always seemed to prevent him from enrolling in time for the winter term. AFC Championship Games, for instance.

But the Steelers were quick outs against Denver the past season and the morning after the defeat, his Miami academic advisor sent him an email. Roethlisberger figured it was a note of condolence. Instead, it was a call to class.

“He responded in less than 20 minutes,” said Melissa Chase, associate dean. “He never asked for a shortcut. It was always, ‘What do I need to do?’ He did everything we asked of him. I know this was always a very important goal for him.”

What they asked of him at the end included a paper on Tibet. “Which I knew nothing about,” he said. Analyzing the New England defense was never like this. But luckily wife Ashley, with two degrees, makes a swell study buddy. He ended up with an A, and possibly more knowledge of Tibet […]

To sign up for the 2012 Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp!

“I just can’t say enough how great Ben was with the kids. We had Heath Miller, Brett Keisel & Chris Hoke come and work with the kids and they were great, too. However, when Ben showed up, it was absolutely electric!!” — Anita Doddroe, whose son attended the Camp in both 2010 and 2011.

Hey Kids! Join Ben this summer for some football instruction and fun at his Football Camp, sponsored by ProCamps Worldwide!

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

Campers will participate in daily games and skill contests. Each camper will be placed on a team according to his or her age.

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 from the top football coaches in the Pittsburgh area.

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.

Dates: June 18 -19, 2012

Times: 09:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Place: Seneca Valley High School, Harmony, Pennsylvania

Cost: $199.


Each camper will receive –

• Camp T-Shirt
• Autographed Camp team photo with Ben
• 7 Hours of expert instruction
• Opportunity to win contests and prizes

“I just want to say how impressed I was with all the interaction that Ben had with the kids – the way he went out of his way to make it special for them. In addition to signing all the autographs and passing to all the kids – he was in their games, interacting, and just enjoying playing with them. It was obvious that he truly does this for the kids and that he enjoys it.” – Janet Parker

A fun and educational experience is guaranteed!


You can sign your youngster up for the camp here.

You can see more photos here.

You can watch videos from the camp here.

You can read more testimonials from parents and grandparents here.



Also in June…

“It was such an honor for me to play in the Big 33 Classic, given the tradition of the […]

“I’m excited! You know, at least on paper, it looks awesome. But, you never know until you take the field and the bullets start flying. I’m really excited. We got some good guys on offense and defense to help add to a team that was good already.” — Ben, from the interview below.

From Buck Frank, Altoona Mirror this morning:

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger already talked with the newest Steelers first-round draft pick, offensive guard David DeCastro.

Roethlisberger said he phoned DeCastro to welcome him to the team, but DeCastro thought he was talking to a Steelers official who was handling his travel arrangements.

“He was saying, ‘Did you get those flight plans? Did you get those flight plans?”’ Roethlisberger, with his wife, Ashley, at his side, told an audience of 1,100 Saturday night at the 25th anniversary of the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Blair County Convention Center. Roethlisberger said after a few seconds, DeCastro realized who he was talking to.


“I can’t wait once we get started to get on him about that,” Roethlisberger joked. “I had an idea [about the picks]. They kept me in the loop a little bit. When DeCastro was there, you got to take him. Some are saying he’s one of the best guards in college since Alan Faneca. We hope he can live up to the hype.”


You can read more from Mr. Frank’s column on last night’s event here.



From Philip Cmor, also of the Altoona Mirror, on the event itself:

Family was a running theme on Saturday night at the Blair County Convention Center, as were community and, appropriately, history as the body celebrated the 25th anniversary of its first banquet before a record crowd of 1,100.

Even featured speaker Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers was on topic, talking about his father’s influence on his athletic career, the tragic loss of his mother in a car accident when he was 8 and the impact his marriage to former St. Francis University softball player Ashley Harlan – who sat with him at the head table – has had on his life; the Pro Bowl quarterback said how his most important ring […]

Ben’s cousins, Taylor, Ty, Tori and Tera showing their support in 2004…






















and again in 2012 (that’s Ty on the left, then Taylor, Tori and Tera)!





















“In 2004 when Ben was drafted, they wore their jerseys for our Christmas photo (quite a big deal for kids their age at the time). A couple of weeks ago when my oldest turned 21 and I wanted some new photos, they decided they wanted to do it again. These are the result. They are so proud of Ben and appreciate the time they get to spend with him when we are in Pittsburgh.” — Traci Spear.



You can see more great photos from the Spear family, as well as other family photos here.

From KDKA – Channel 2 this evening:

Four police dogs showed off their training Friday during their graduation ceremony at the Canine Training Center on Washington Boulevard.

Three of the German shepherds, funded by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s foundation, demonstrated their prowess at chasing down criminals.

The fourth dog named “Rizzo” has a different story. Officer Tony Yauch’s canine partner has the middle name of Paul Sciullo II, one of three Pittsburgh officers slain by a gunman in Stanton Heights three years ago.


You can read more here.

You can learn more about The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation here.

“I’m willing to do whatever the team asks of me, whether that’s play right away or sit. I want to talk to Tommy and Charlie a little bit about what’s going on. Whatever they’re willing to help me with, I’m going to take it all in.” — Ben, April 26, 2004.

From CBS Sports, “Roethlisberger: Manning, Rivers have nothing on me”:

Ben Roethlisberger arrived Monday in Pittsburgh as the No. 3 quarterback in the NFL draft and, for now, no better than No. 3 on the Steelers’ depth chart.

Roethlisberger, only the second quarterback drafted in the first round by Pittsburgh in 33 years, didn’t predict he would beat out incumbent Tommy Maddox or backup Charlie Batch immediately. He didn’t promise to have better rookie-year statistics than Mississippi’s Eli Manning or North Carolina State’s Philip Rivers, the two quarterbacks drafted ahead of him.

“Eli’s been getting a lot of hype leading up to this, but I said coming in it all boils down to this: it’s just football,” Roethlisberger said. “That’s what I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, just get on the field and start playing.”

Roethlisberger didn’t criticize Rivers or Manning, but said, “I think I bring a little more athleticism than both of them, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

“Everyone seems to think they have better systems, better teams they played on in college, were born into a football family,” said Roethlisberger, who played at Miami of Ohio. “Once I get the field, my will to win is much greater than both of them.”

Roethlisberger has already created more buzz in Pittsburgh than any Steelers quarterback draft pick since Terry Bradshaw in 1970. The Steelers haven’t yet started selling Roethlisberger’s No. 7 jersey, but no doubt they will quickly order up a batch to satisfy fan demand.

They might want to order a few in extra-extra large, too; obviously not accustomed to having 6-foot-4½, 240-pound quarterbacks, the Steelers badly underestimated Roethlisberger’s size and gave him a much-too-small uniform for Monday’s photo shoot.


You can read more here.

“If one of those backs would have slid, we were not going to hesitate to grab him. It’s just like the quarterback position. We felt good about that, but Roethlisberger slid and we got him, and […]