…when Big Ben was a Big Hit on the Emerald Isle! It was ‘way back’ in June of 2012!

So why not take a look back with us on this St. Patrick’s Day, 2021:

Ben and three of his close friends headed off to both Ireland and Scotland that summer to play some of the finest, and most difficult golf courses you can find.

It’s going to be awesome. Three days in Ireland and a week in Scotland…12 rounds in 10 days. So we have a lot of golf to play at some of the best courses in the world. — Ben, in an interview prior to his trip.

Well, it turned out to be awesome for quite a few fans too – Irish, Scottish and American fans not only met Ben during his trip, but shared their photos and stories us!


First stop, the airport!


Gina Huss met Ben on her way to Dublin:

“There were 6 of us (all born and raised in Pittsburgh!) going on a trip to Europe where we would be visiting Ireland, Wales, England, and France.. For 2 of us, it was our senior trip! We had a layover in Atlanta and then would be flying from there into Dublin airport. So there we were just hanging out in the Atlanta airport when our adult chaperone came running over to us flailing her arms and freaking out because she just saw Big Ben with some friends at the nearby restaurant! Naturally all being from Pittsburgh, we approached him calmly and told him we were from Pittsburgh and wondered if we could take some pictures with him.

He was so nice and took pictures with all of us! He asked where we were going, and one of his friends even knew the school district we were from! It was very cool to also find out that he was going to be on our flight to Dublin and that he was going golfing in Scotland!

To add to the already exciting meeting, when we boarded the plane and passed by him in first class, he acknowledged us as the “Pittsburgh senior trip crew” and raised his glass to us and told us to have lots of fun! We were absolutely mindblown! It was a very cool way […]

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

It might not have been the podcast you would have expected to hear Ben Roethlisberger on, but when he joined ‘Along for the Ride with Andrea Fappani,‘ the quarterback was laid back and relaxed, talking everything from horses to Super Bowls to Maurkice Pouncey to his future beyond football.

Fappani, who was born in Italy, is a staple in the National Reining Horse Association and has become one of the all-time leading trainers in the Performance Horse industry. He normally talks with people involved in the business on the podcast, but with Roethlisberger’s love of horses, it was a fun way to reach out to a new audience.

Roethlisberger started riding horses as a kid with his late mother, Ida, but after her passing he stopped and took almost a 30-year hiatus from it.

“I have other hobbies, and they all pertain to outdoors,” said Roethlisberger. “I love to golf. I love to hunt and fish. We have dogs. I am a big animal person. When I was younger, I grew up on horses. My mom, we had a few horses. We’d go riding. It was just trail riding. Some of my earliest memories, my mom passed away when I was eight years old, all of my horse riding was before that. I remember getting on the back of a horse and him swimming across a river and my feet being out of the stirrups trying not to get wet. Riding across a field when you came to open meadows.

“The little bit of rodeoing I did was at a young age. They would put balloons on the back of the saddle, and you would try and pop other people’s balloons and the last man standing with the balloons won. When she passed away, I didn’t do anything for about 30 years.”

He got back on a horse when he went to visit former teammate Brett Keisel in Wyoming on a fishing trip and said that sparked something in him. His current home is close to a horse farm, where he takes his kids to see the horses.

“That turned into me wanting to do this again,” said Roethlisberger. “Since then, we got a handful of horses ourselves and we love doing it.”

After they chatted horses, and much more, the […]

…and an incredible artist!

Have a favorite Pittsburgh sports icon? Chances are Alex Nicholson can draw him! See for yourself:

I was feeling nostalgic and decided to draw this pencil portrait of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr!

My finished pencil portrait of one of the best in the game, TJ Watt!

Progression of my pencil portrait of Troy Polamalu!

My finished pencil portrait of one of the best to ever do it, Sidney Crosby!

Throwback to drawing one of my favorites, the Great One – Roberto Clemente.

Life-long dream fulfilled! It was an honor to do this pencil portrait of two of the best in the NFL – Cam Heyward and his father, Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

And of course…

My finished pencil portrait of my favorite steeler of all time, Big Ben Roethlisberger!

Meet the man behind the pencils:

I am from Oakdale, Pennsylvania. Ever since I was a young child, I have always had a sincere passion for drawing. Just a few short years ago, however, I began to focus on creating life-like portraits with Prismacolor pencils. Today, I can honestly say that it is my absolute favorite thing to do. No matter how many portraits I complete, I am constantly motivated to make the next piece even greater.

This last year has been the most successful year for my artwork. For Christmas, I was blessed enough to complete a portrait for Cam Heyward and his father, Craig. This opportunity was absolutely amazing for me and I cannot thank Ms. Charlotte Heyward enough for the opportunity.

For as long as I can remember, I bleed black and gold. I love the Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates and look forward to each and every season. As you can probably tell from some of my drawings, I’ve always been a huge sports fanatic for my Pittsburgh Teams. — Alex.

In addition to drawing some of his favorite athletes, Alex can […]

“I don’t know what to tell them. If y’all don’t believe that he can do it, I can’t tell you anything. So, you know, Ben has everything he needs. He’s the smartest guy I’ve seen on the team. He’s the most…the biggest leader on the team. He has full control of the team. So, I feel like he has everything he needs to get us there. You know, we just fell short this year. I feel like he was doing his job this year. So, I mean, I don’t know what can sway someone’s opinion now?!” — Steelers Guard Kevin Dotson during his interview on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football when he was asked by Kyle Brandt what he would say to those who would say that Ben doesn’t have enough left in the tank to get the team to the playoffs or to win a Super Bowl.

You can watch to Kevin’s full interview here.

This year’s NFL off-season has already been a busy one for both Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it may have been just a bit busier 17 years ago – when it all started for #7 and the Black & Gold.

“When you have a franchise quarterback, it increases your chances of winning a championship. To me, it’s that simple. If you have a great one, you’re fortunate because not everybody does. We’re fortunate. The franchise guys are so scarce in the draft. Most veteran guys don’t become available. You never want to pick high enough to get one, but if you have the chance you should take one.” — Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert on finding his franchise guy in 2004.

We’re taking a look back at the 2004 NFL Combine, when Mr. Colbert found his “franchise guy” –

“It’s remarkable how far he has come in such a short time. Until his senior year in high school, he was a receiver. Yet, he was talented enough to take the Mid-American Conference by storm. That might not seem like a ringing endorsement on the surface, but remember that the last two MAC quarterbacks to do that were Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich, both of whom appear to have bright NFL futures. Roethlisberger, who declared himself eligible for the NFL draft after his junior year, has a good pro arm, is more athletic than Eli Manning and Philip Rivers and sees the field well. Scouts generally believe he has the highest upside of this year’s QB crop, but also represents the greatest risk because of his limited experience.” — The late Joe Stein, NFL Draft expert for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

From Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports, February 19, 2004:

For Roethlisberger, Super Bowl week was an eye-opener. He went to parties. He met current and former NFL stars. He visited radio row. ESPN followed him with a camera for a segment on Outside the Lines.

“It’s amazing and overwhelming,” Roethlisberger said of the nonstop activity during Super Bowl week. “I met JB (Fox’s James Brown), Howie Long, Coach Denny Green and Emmitt Smith. Those are guys I grew up watching.”

Roethlisberger’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, brought Roethlisberger to […]

“It is my greatest honor to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and give my all for this organization. I am grateful to be at this stage of my career and more than happy to adjust my contract in a way that best helps the team to address other players who are so vital to our success. I love this game and love to compete, and I believe in this team and my ability to deliver when called upon. It all starts with great preparation and I am ready to go.” — Ben.

From Teresa Varley, Steelers.com:

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Ben Roethlisberger to a new contract for 2021, it was announced Thursday.

“We are excited we were able to come to an agreement with Ben Roethlisberger on a new contract for him to return to the Steelers in 2021,” said General Manager and Vice President Kevin Colbert. “We know that Ben can still play at a high level and do special things for this team. Our goal remains the same – to put together a roster that will compete for another championship. We are happy that Ben will be one of our leaders to help us accomplish that goal.”

Roethlisberger, who has played in a Steelers record 233 games and started a record 231, came back strong in 2020 after missing the majority of the 2019 season with an elbow injury.


You can read more here.