“We had no clue about Pittsburgh…when that phone rang, we had no clue!” — Ben on Coach Cowher calling him at the Draft.

Ben joined the DVE Morning Show to talk about his draft day:

“It feels weird, every time I’ve done this show you’re always like ‘Your quarterback, number 7′, and I’m just Ben now!
If you get Willis, you’re gonna be like ‘The new number 7,’” he added.

Of course, Roethlisberger was the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, a class that was deep with quarterbacks.
When asked if he had any idea where he would end up heading into the draft that year, Ben said they were sure it would be New York, but when that didn’t happen, they thought Buffalo would be next on the list.

“The call from Pittsburgh really kinda caught us off guard.”

He also recalled being in the green room when the Chargers selected Eli Manning as the first overall pick, despite the Mannings saying they wouldn’t be going there if that happened.

“Seeing Eli’s face…I’ve never seen a number one overall pick look so mad.”

They also talked about how big the media coverage of the draft is now compared to 2004. Ben said his class went through the same things guys are going through now (like measuring of hands, etc.), but it just wasn’t reported on then like it is these days. Players didn’t have social media back then, either.

A highly debated topic for Steelers Nation leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft has been ‘Will the team select a QB with their 20th overall pick?’ Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett are two names that come up a lot, but Ben questioned whether or not either would be left at that point, but said if they were, it’s possible.

He also added, “If there was really good center out there, I think you could go get him and move Kendrick (Green) to guard.”

And when asked if he would be pulling a Tom Brady and rescinding his retirement announcement, Roethlisberger said, “First off, my coach and GM don’t want me back. Second off, I’m pretty content with where I’m at, being a bus driver, making lunches in the morning…”

You can listen to Ben’s full awesome & funny interview here.

….but Ben Roethlisberger was worth the wait”


From Bill Washinski, Staff Writer, SteelerNation.com:

The 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season was one of the most frustrating and disheartening in franchise history. A promising 9-1 start had Steeler Nation dreaming of one for the thumb. Unfortunately, each week hope was held out for the return of Terry Bradshaw, who was recovering from an elbow injury, to see the Steelers through to that Championship. But the news never came back good and the impatience for QB Cliff Stoudt mounted each week, especially as Pittsburgh lost 4 in a row and championship dreams turned dull.

Down in South Florida, Dan Marino of Pittsburgh Panthers fame was setting new QB standards for the Miami Dolphins, the hometown boy whom Pittsburgh controversially passed on in the 1983 NFL Draft. Marino wanted to play for the Steelers, even wrote letters to Dan Rooney and Art Rooney, with Dan Rooney the advocate to draft Marino, only to be overruled by Chuck Noll.

Bradshaw was finally able to return as Pittsburgh was on the verge of dropping a once all but clinched up AFC Central division. He easily drove Pittsburgh to a 14-0 lead on the strength of 2 TD passes vs. the New York Jets and positioned the Steelers to clinch the Division Championship. However, on that final pass, his elbow popped, and the great career of Bradshaw was over.

The question has been asked many times, how many championships would the Steelers have won if they had Marino in the 1990s? It’s not a question of if, but how many? As it continued into the 2000s, the position of QB exposed the Steelers extremely thin margin of error that existed under Neil O’Donnell and Kordell Stewart. They lost a Super Bowl and chances at a Super Bowl because neither could make the big play under pressure, compounded by the load of interceptions that turned championship dreams into nightmares.

The Steelers have never been the most active players in free agency or by making trades as a general rule, but it was even more underwhelming when it came to pursuing a QB. Under Noll, they traded a 3rd round pick for Woodley, a 4th round pick for Todd Blackledge and had a trade for Jack Trudeau […]

April 24, 2004 – With the 11th pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select…

“I was in New York. I had my mom and dad with me, my sister was there and my agent. My college coach at the time and his wife were there. Everyone kind of had their speculations of ‘what number’ and what team. The teams we thought were going to take me didn’t, but it ended up working out perfectly for me.” — Ben, from the video, “Recalling Draft Day”.

Ben arrives at Madison Square Garden that Saturday morning with plenty of supporters in his corner – his family, his agents Leigh Steinberg and Ryan Tollner, and his college coach, Terry Hoeppner and his wife Jane.


At 11:20AM: Ben and four others – Eli Manning, Roy Williams, Robert Gallery, and Kellen Winslow Jr. – are introduced to the crowd.

Green Room waiting –

• 12:25PM: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announces that the San Diego Chargers have selected Eli Manning with the No. 1 pick. Eli emerges from stage right and is greeted by unwelcoming chants by the Chargers fans in attendance.

• 12:58PM: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announces that the New York Giants have selected NC State quarterback Philip Rivers with the No. 4 pick. Soon thereafter the trade with the Chargers is announced – Eli Manning is headed to New York, Philip Rivers to San Diego. Both fan bases seem pleased with the outcome….as Ben waits for his turn.

• 1:57PM: Pittsburgh is on the clock. “We see Ben Roethlisberger on the phone,” ESPN announces for the television audience. Sure enough, it’s Steelers coach Bill Cowher calling to tell Ben the Steelers are going to select him with the No. 11 pick.

• 2:00PM: NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announces that Ben is indeed headed for Pittsburgh. Ben arrives on stage and dons a Steelers ballcap and holds up a Steelers jersey.

• 2:01PM: The Steelers fans in the crowd begin to chant, “Ben, Ben, Ben….”

• 2:02PM: Just off stage, Ben does a press conference for television reporters and then disappears from the public room to do a few interviews with the Pittsburgh media.

• 2:43PM: Ben emerges from the players’ party room where a press conference with print media is set up. An ESPN media […]

at the Arise with the Guys event in Minnesota today:




And congratulations to Ben, ‘2022 Uncommon Man of the Year’ Award:

Love seeing Ben Roethlisberger win the Uncommon Award. Future Hall of Famer. Great story about his spiritual growth. pic.twitter.com/03GyrGa45S

— Jon Gordon (@JonGordon11) April 23, 2022

#FamilyTime

“Our Baylee’s birthday tradition picture.” — Ben & Ashley.

Snorkelbergers.


Oh, and the Sunset Disco Cruise was grooovy, man!!! 🕺

From Jeff Hathhorn, Sports Director at 93.7 The Fan:

Seven steps off the bus from the airport, I sat one of our bags down in the hotel lobby. Quickly a 35-to-40-year-old employee comes over to grab our luggage. We had arrived in Mexico just minutes earlier.

As he was putting a tag on our suitcases, Ernesto asked. “Where are you from?”

“Pittsburgh,” I replied.

A smile grew on his face like running into an old friend. He said ‘ah yes’ and started pumping his fist.

“I love the Steelers,” Ernesto said. “What are we going to do about no Roethlisberger?”

Thousands of miles from Pittsburgh in a country where you would think football means soccer, here is Ernesto. A quick reminder of how international the Steelers brand is.

It appeared as though a lot of the English Ernesto knew revolved around the NFL and specifically the Steelers. He would go on to tell me how he watches every game, either requesting off or for a later shift on Sundays, unless of course, there is a night game.

He said he knew many people in Mexico that adored the black-and-gold. The impression he had of our entire region, if not our country, formed by his viewing 53 football players.

Three days later, at a family-style dinner, we start talking to the couple next to us. The man, 55-years-old or so, works for the University of Zurich. Yeah, the one in Switzerland. After discussing his job and beautiful country he asked where we were from.

“Pittsburgh,” I said as Leslie added, “it’s in the United States” just in case. There was no descriptor needed. Much like Ernesto, a smile grew on his face.

“I’m from Switzerland,” he repeated. “Ben Roethlisberger is Swiss. We (pointing to his wife) love the Steelers. Did you know Roethlisberger visited our country after one of his championships?”

I did remember his trip there as he went on to explain how he watches all the Steelers game. The one o’clock starts are seven pm starts in Zurich, 10:15p for the later afternoon games. He even watches the night games, but laughed he may go into work a little late. The university employee also noted he’s not the only Steelers fan in Switzerland. […]