The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund has announced the new grant guidelines for the 2011-12 season.

This marks the fifth grant cycle for the Foundation. The majority of the grants distributed will help K-9 units to purchase dogs and dog safety vests, but other types of needs are also considered.

The Foundation will be distributing grants in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers during the 2011-12 season. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation invites police and fire departments in these eight cities to submit proposals detailing their needs.

For the first time this year, if the Steelers make the playoffs, the Foundation will also make grants to two cities anywhere in the United States that would not otherwise be eligible to apply. In addition, the Foundation will continue to make grants to several police and fire department K-9 units in the Pittsburgh area following the Super Bowl XLVI.

The Foundation distributed more than $110,000 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2010-11 Season.

Eligible departments must apply to The Giving Back Fund by August 1, 2011. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.


To view the full grant requirements, eligibility and evaluation process, click here.


For more information, please contact Jessica Duffaut at jduffaut@givingback.org

From WTAE this evening:

Members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, played in the “Hoge, Starks and Ward Celebrity Golf Classic for Children” at Southpointe Golf Club in Canonsburg today.

The annual event benefits the Highmark Caring Place, which champions the cause of grieving children by creating awareness of their needs, providing programs for them and their families, and empowering the community to effectively support them.


You can watch and listen to interviews with Merril Hoge, Ben, and Max Starks here.

Then NFL Network has you covered!


Starting at 2:00 p.m. (ET), NFLN will show five back-to-back episodes of their Emmy award-winning series, “America’s Game” featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers.

You can kick back and relax in the Lazy Boy and spend Sunday afternoon watching five hours of the Steelers Super Bowl seasons through NFL Films footage, videotape, audio clips, and interviews.



Schedule:

2:00 p.m. – 1974 Steelers: Re-live the story of the 1974 Steelers through the eyes of Joe Greene, Andy Russell and Franco Harris. Narrated by Ed Harris.

3:00 p.m. – 1975 Steelers: Re-live the story of the 1975 Steelers through the eyes of Lynn Swann, Mike Wagner and Dwight White. The 1975 Steelers were voted as the 7th greatest Super Bowl-winning team of all-time by a panel of football experts. Narrated by Bruce Willis.

4:00 p.m. – 1979 Steelers: Re-live the story of the 1979 Steelers through the eyes of John Stallworth, LC Greenwood and John Banaszak. Narrated by Ed Harris.

5:00 p.m. – 2005 Steelers: Re-live the story of the 2005 Steelers through the eyes of Bill Cowher, Jerome Bettis and Joey Porter. Narrated by Tom Selleck.

6:00 p.m. – 2008 Steelers: Re-live the story of the 2008 Steelers through the eyes of Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. Narrated by Jon Hamm.


Then at 8:00 p.m., tune in for the third episode of The Top 100: Players Of 2011, counting down players listed 80 to 71.


For more on the “Top 100”, click here.

The Browns’ Joshua Cribbs was interviewed for NFL Network‘s new series “Top 100 Players of 2011” and had this to say about the Steelers quarterback:

“He’s one of the quarterbacks that has IT. A lot of quarterbacks don’t have that IT factor. You don’t know what it is, you can’t put your finger on it…nine times out of ten you can count on this guy to make a play! He has done a tremendous job for his team, led them to Super Bowl after Super Bowl.

“One thing I can say about Ben is he is clutch. In big games, he shows up. Coaches will harp on how hard it is to bring him down, and they’ll bring up the footage of him shaking off guys twice his size…

“Every team wants a winner, Ben Roethlisberger is winner.”


You can watch video with more of the interview here.

There’s still time…

“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 2010.

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, stations, and skill contests. Each camper will be placed on a team according to his or her age.

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 talks highlighting the finer points of the game of football and beyond.


Parents and their guests will be able to listen to camp guests in designated areas at each location.

Some of the many Camp sponsors include High Mark , #1 Cochran Motors, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,  KDKA- Channel 2, and 102.5 WDVE!

Dates: June 20-21, 2011

Time: 9:00am – 12:30pm each day

Place: Mars Area High School, Mars, 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


A fun and educational experience is guaranteed!


To sign up for the camp, click here.

To learn how your youth football team can attend, click here.

To see photos, like the one taken above by fan Anita Doddroe, click here.

On Saturday night, April 30th at 8:00 p.m., NFL Network will premiere it’s new show, “The Top NFL Players of 2011” as voted on by NFL players.

Each episode will feature 10 players who made the cut. Each of those players will be saluted by someone who watched their play up-close and personal – from a coach, to a teammate, to a rival on the field.

The series will continue weekly on Sundays until the best player of 2011 is revealed on July 3rd.

The producers of NFL Films utilized the league’s most dynamic and recognizable names in the game today to assemble their list, a task usually reserved for Hall of Fame voters and media.

Immediately following each episode will be The Top 100: Players of 2011 – Reactions, a one-hour recap show that takes a closer look at the countdown with analysis and commentary from NFL Network analysts, special guests and fans.

Where did Ben rank in the Top 100? How about Troy Polamalu? James Harrison? What about your other favorite Steelers? You’ll have to tune it to find out!


The Episode Schedule:

Episode #1 (rankings 100-91)
Saturday, April 30 at 8:00 pm

Episode #2 (rankings 90-81)
Sunday, May 8 at 8:00 pm

Episode #3 (rankings 80-71)
Sunday, May 15 at 8:00 pm

Episode #4 (rankings 70-61)
Sunday, May 22 at 8:00 PM ET

Episode #5 (rankings 60-51)
Sunday, May 29 at 8:00 PM ET

Episode #6 (50-41)
Sunday, June 5 8:00 PM ET

Episode #7 (rankings 40-31)
Sunday, June 12 at 8:00 pm

Episode #8 (rankings 30-21)
Sunday, June 19 at 8:00 pm

Episode #9 (rankings 20-11)
Sunday, June 26 8:00 pm

Episode #10 (rankings 10-1)
Sunday, July 3 at 8:00 pm


You can see previews, behind-the-scene videos and more here.