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 […]

Just in case you missed the re-airing in May on NFL Network….


EA Sports NFL Quarterback Challenge, 2005

The competition tests the NFL’s premier quarterbacks in four different skills competitions, including accuracy, speed and mobility, distance, and ”No Huddle.”

Participants include:

Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Byron Leftwich, Jake Delhomme, Matt Hasselbeck, Joey Harrington, Carson Palmer, Torry Holt, Joe Horn, Chad Johnson, and Keenan McCardell.

Part I – Sunday, June 12th at 4:00 P.M.

Part II – Sunday, June 12th at 5:00 P.M.

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

On the heels of Roethlisberger being ranked No. 41 by a survey of more than 400 NFL players, Cromartie expressed his thoughts via Twitter and disagreed with the ranking.

First, ESPN’s Skip Bayless tweeted “Big Ben definitely is in my top 10 NFL players.” Then, Cromartie replied “same here skip…whoever did the voting is crazy.”

Cromartie’s respect for Roethlisberger is nothing new. During the playoffs last January, Cromartie expressed his dislike for New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, then did a complete 180 the following week leading up to the AFC Championship Game by saying, “I love Ben, man. Ben’s a competitor.”


You can read the rest of Mr. Walker’s blog here.

More from the 25th Anniversary Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic…


From Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News this evening:

The Hall-of-Fame quarterback, recuperating from recent back surgery, was thrilled with the response to his event, which was held Monday at Batavia’s Terry Hills Golf Course.

Kelly had a fuller-than-normal field of 60 fivesomes on the 27-hole layout and said attendance at the auction and party on Sunday night was a record of about 1,200.

The tournament weekend annually raises more than $200,000 for the Kelly for Kids Foundation and the Hunter’s Hope Foundation.

Roethlisberger is an annual attendee at Kelly’s event. He said he’s in frequent communication with Kelly, even during the season.

“We talk quite a bit. He’s a great guy,” Roethlisberger said. “We talk during the season — good games, bad games. Jim’s to me one of the best to ever play the game. I remember having … I always tease him because I used to have his poster on my wall. He’s a great. That Midwest, Ohio, Western Pa. toughness, we try and pride ourselves on that.”


To read more from Mr. Gaughan on the event, click here.

To learn more about Mr. Kelly’s Foundation, click here.

Mr. Arrington, a former Pro Bowl linebacker who played for the Washington Redskins for six seasons, writes a blog entitled “Hard Hits” for The Washington Post. He has made Ben the subject of his latest entry:

I’m in Buffalo for Jim Kelly’s 12th Annual Golf Outing and last evening I had a chance to hang out with old teammates like Bruce Smith and Andre Reed. I also had the chance to hang out with some new faces, but the one who stood out the most to me was Ben Roethlisberger.

I have to tell you: I’ve met him before and felt as though he was a pretty arrogant guy, but last evening my perception of him totally changed.

Ben was pleasant and I found him to be very down to earth, in an environment where men and women were were falling all over him for his attention. I’m not trying to justify the allegations against him, but I clearly saw how he could find himself in a sticky wicket of a situation. He was chased the entire evening…


You can read the rest of Mr. Arrington’s blog here.



News from the Tournament:

From WBEN (yes, that’s really the name of the television station!) –

Several players, past and present spoke to the media today during the 25th Anniversary Jim Kelly Celebrity Classic at Terry Hills Golf Course in Batavia, NY. Most of the talk centered around the NFL Lockout.

From one man still in the league to another, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger participated in the final game we’ve seen for the NFL. He’s anxious to get back in to the swing of things.

“It’s a lot of question marks,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s tough, trying to stay busy, working out with the guys and getting together and doing things like that so, just trying to keep it as regular as we can.”


You can read more here.

You can read more about the Tournament and Mr. Kelly’s Foundation at the Buffalo News here.