Ben Roethlisberger

"Roethlisberger" redirects here. For the surname, see Roethlisberger (surname).

Ben Roethlisberger
refer to caption
Roethlisberger with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021
No. 7
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1982-03-02) March 2, 1982 (age 42)
Lima, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Findlay
(Findlay, Ohio)
College:Miami (OH) (2000–2003)
NFL draft:2004 / round: 1 / pick: 11
Career history
Career highlights and awards
NFL records
  • Career 500-yard passing games: 4
  • Completions in a game: 47
  • Wins in a season by a rookie quarterback: 13 (tied)
  • Games with a perfect passer rating: 4 (tied)
Career NFL statistics
Passing attempts:8,443
Passing completions:5,440
Completion percentage:64.4%
TD–INT:418–211
Passing yards:64,088
Passer rating:93.5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (/ˈrɒθlɪsbɜːrɡər/; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Miami RedHawks, and was selected by the Steelers in the first round (11th overall) of the 2004 NFL draft.

Roethlisberger earned the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2004 and his first Pro Bowl selection in 2007. In 2006, he became the youngest Super Bowl–winning quarterback in NFL history, leading the Steelers, in his second season, to a 21–10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at the age of 23. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a second Super Bowl title in four seasons as they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 27–23, after completing a game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left in the game. He appeared in his third Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLV, but the team lost by a score of 31–25 to the Green Bay Packers.

Roethlisberger was one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Upon retirement, he ranked 5th all-time in NFL career passing yards (64,088),[2] 8th all-time in touchdowns (418), and 5th in completions (5,440) among quarterbacks with a minimum of 1,500 career attempts. He also had the fourth-highest career winning percentage (.710) as a starter in the regular season among quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 starts and was one of six quarterbacks in NFL history to have beaten at least 31 of the current 32 NFL teams.[3]

Known for playing outside the passing pocket in what he calls "backyard football",[4] Roethlisberger grew up idolizing John Elway and has often been compared to him, wearing number 7 in his honor.[5][6]

  1. ^ Campbell, David (October 11, 2007). "Miami University retired Ben Roethlisberger's number". cleveland.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Pryor, Brooke (January 27, 2022). "'Grateful' Roethlisberger retires after 18 seasons". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  3. ^ Bryan, Dave (December 24, 2014). "Roethlisberger Sets New Franchise Passing Yardage Record, Joins 31-Club With Sunday Win". Steelers Depot. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  4. ^ Hartman, Jeff (November 9, 2017). "For Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, it is 'Dome sweet Dome'". Behind the Steel Curtain. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  5. ^ Cook, Ron (October 12, 2009). "Steelers' Roethlisberger shows flashes of Elway". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  6. ^ Villani, Jared (November 22, 2018). "Ben Roethlisberger Reveals Why He Wears No. 7". ClutchPoints. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.