From ESPN’s AFC North Blogger James Walker this afternoon:

In February we explained that three Super Bowls victories for starting quarterbacks leads to automatic enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. The only quarterbacks in that class are Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman and Tom Brady. Three are in Canton and one — Brady — will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer five years after he retires.

Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly joined that elite group but came up one scoring drive short in Super Bowl XLV, losing 31-25 to the Green Bay Packers. Now he’s stuck at two rings.

So what does this mean for Roethlisberger’s Hall of Fame chances? It means he still has some winning to do.

Roethlisberger’s 10-3 record in the postseason speaks volumes. His .769 winning percentage in the playoffs surpasses both Brady (.737) and Manning (.473). Roethlisberger also compares favorably with Hall of Fame inductees of the past 10 years in key areas such as passer rating (92.5), completion percentage (63.1) and yards per attempt (8.0)…


You can read more here.

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette‘s Ray Fittipaldo caught up with Ben at his Football Camp yesterday:

Roethlisberger was joined at his youth camp by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner and several teammates, including offensive linemen Willie Colon and Trai Essex, receiver Emmanuel Sanders and reserve quarterback Charlie Batch.

This is the fifth year that Roethlisberger has played host to a football camp for youths.

“I want to be an influence on these kids,” Roethlisberger said. “I want to see the smile on their faces when they catch a pass or high five them when they catch a touchdown. I’m sweating more than they are running from field to field. To me, it’s so awesome to have this opportunity. Even if you teach them one little thing, or any little thing that makes them smile, that’s what it’s all about.”


You can read the rest here.


You can see photos from the Football Camp, compliments of Cindy Dupray, here.


*Thank you Cindy!

Ben took time during his football camp today to talk to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Ray Fittipaldo.

From the interview:

When asked about keeping quiet about his workouts with teammates during the lockout, Ben said, “That’s kind of how I am. To me, it’s not about letting the world know we’re doing it. As long as we know we’re doing and we’re doing it, that’s all that matters.That’s just how we operate and how I operate. I’ve gotten some letters from people, I’ve heard some things like ‘Why aren’t you working out?’ Well, we are working out. We’ve probably worked out more than most teams. It’s just that we choose to keep it quiet.”


You can watch video of his interview here.


Ben also spoke to KDKA-Channel 2 this afternoon. You can read about it here.



Tomorrow:

– Mr. Fittipaldo will have his full interview with Ben on the Post-Gazette’s Sports page.

– Ben will be interviewed by DVE‘s Mike Prisuta at his camp. You can keep updated with Mike on Twitter here.



Also:

If your child attended the camp and you would like to share your stories and photos with the website, just send an email: bigben7website@gmail.com!

Happy Fathers day to all the fathers out there! Especially all the new first time fathers.

To all you kids out there, listen to your fathers because they know what’s best and they love you, and go give them a big hug and tell them you love them!

Fathers, be the best fathers you can be because you are who we as kids want to be like when we get older – be the best role model you can be.

I hope everyone has a great day!

I love you Dad, thanks for being the best dad any kid could ever ask for, you are my role model in everything you do, if I could be half the man, father and husband you are I’d be so happy. Thanks for being you, love Ben

Terry Hoeppner  (August 19, 1947 – June 19, 2007)

“There are not enough words to explain what Coach Hep was and meant to me. He was a mentor, a father, a coach and an inspiration. He will always be in my thoughts and never far from my heart.” — Ben

From an article that appeared in SI on November 5, 2007 entitled, “This one’s for Hep”:

Ben Roethlisberger keeps one copy of the poem folded in the console of his car. He keeps another framed above the desk in his house. He had a third laminated for the inside of his locker, just in case he ever needs to recite a line before wind sprints.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;

And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar,

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit;
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit

The poem, entitled Don’t Quit, is standard motivational fare, the kind that football teams silk-screen onto T-shirts during training camp. But the words are not nearly as important to Roethlisberger as the man who used to read them aloud. Terry Hoeppner taught Roethlisberger the poem long before either of them really needed it. When Hoeppner was the coach at Miami (Ohio) University and Roethlisberger was his quarterback, Hoeppner would recite it until his players rolled their eyes.

Then, in 2006, the poem took on new meaning….


You can read the rest here.


You can learn about and donate to the Coach Hep Scholarship Fund here.

You can also give to the Coach Hep Cancer Challenge here.

A new book by super agent Bruce A. Tollner!

“As a quarterback, I have played on some championship teams—and I have experienced some painful losses. Regardless of the outcome of any one game, my dad has been there to cheer me on. Whether I throw a winning touchdown pass or an interception, I know my dad is there to say, ‘Good job, Son, I am proud of you!’ My parents have had a major influence on the way I live life, as well as the way I play football. Because of their influence, and that of my coaches and others, I am blessed to be able to live out a childhood dream to play professional football. ‘The C.H.I.L.D. Game Plan’ can help you to help your child live out their childhood dreams. Read this book, and put together a winning game plan for your child. — Ben Roethlisberger, Two-time Super Bowl Champion Quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers.

About the book:

Life is not always easy. Everyone struggles from time to time and there are times when we all just want to hide. However, it’s during these times that you, as a parent, grandparent, guardian, teacher or school administrator can have the greatest positive influence on the life of a child.

This book is absolutely loaded with ideas for you to use and examples for you to follow to help you develop a winning Game Plan for your child.

The C.H.I.L.D. Game Plan goes in depth to show you how you can help a child develop a winning Game Plan for life that will allow him / her to experience the thrill of being a champion in the greatest game of all… the game of life!

In this book, you will find specific references to five very important areas:

Competitive sports and the body, Heart and social awareness, Intelligence – school – career… and the mind, Life force – spirituality and the soul, and Destiny.

Get ready to have a huge positive influence on your child!

“In 1933, my dad, Art Rooney, purchased an NFL team. Today, the Pittsburgh Steelers organization is not just a family-owned NFL franchise that has won six Super Bowls—we are a family! That is just one of the values given […]