To speak of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 21st century is to speak of Ben Roethlisberger, who faces his last moments against one of the most popular teams in the NFL, by facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round.
At 1.96 meters tall and 109 kilograms, the graduate of the University of Miami in Ohio earned the nickname of Big Ben, with which he has been known practically his entire career, which will come to an end this year, regardless of whether the forecasts come true and the Chiefs give them a quick start or until one of those dream stories in sports materializes and the Steelers break pools in the postseason and go far.
Regardless of what happens against Patrick Mahomes and company (who are 12.5-point betting favorites), The truth is that Roethlisberger has already established himself as the last great offensive figure of the Steelers, a quarterback who has his place assured in the Hall of Fame in Canton and that he established himself as one of the legends of the franchise, to which he returned the shine with two Vince Lombardi trophies.
Two Super Bowl Rings
With Roethlisberger’s retirement, there will no longer be any active players from the roster that won Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals (27-23). It was that night on February 1, 2009 when the quarterback threw a pass to Santonio Holmes, who made a photo catch and flipped him for Pittsburgh’s sixth and final title, in a good performance with 21 of 30 completions, 256 yards, a touchdown and a delivery, with a 93.2 rating.
Three years earlier, in 2006, Ben quarterbacked the Steelers in a 21-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XL. the institution’s fifth and first since 1979. Although he had unspectacular numbers (9 of 22 completed for 123 yards and two interceptions), Roethlisberger, almost 24 years old, excelled on the ground, with seven carries, 25 yards and the first touchdown, with which Pittsburgh took the lead and never let go.
The third ring was close, but the Steelers fell to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV (25-31), even as they bounced back from a poor start and cut a 21-3 deficit to within 25-28 with 7:34 left in the fourth quarter, but Mason Crosby kicked a field goal for Green Bay and Pittsburgh couldn’t reply. that occasion, Big Ben completed 25 of 40 passes for 263 yards, two touchdowns and the same number of deliveries.
‘Big Ben’, eternally steel
Today it is difficult to remain in a team for the entire professional career and be a benchmark. Players like Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady –the latter still active– did not succeed, while some like Andrew Luck did (2012-2018), but well below the expectations that were had about their careers.
Roethlisberger’s case is a particular one, one of those stories that are rarer in the world of sports, in which loyalty to a single team is possible. Originally from Lima (Ohio), Ben was born on March 2, 1982 and spent practically all of his youth in his homeland, where he studied at the University of Miami in Ohio and was chosen by the Steelers in the 2004 Draft with the eleventh pick.
That first year was spectacular, since Big Ben showed great talent and won all 13 games in which he started.. With a record of 15-1, Pittsburgh was overwhelming and got into the American Conference Championship Game, where they fell to the New England Patriots, later champions.
It was in his second year when the team took the next step and won Super Bowl XL, where he was far from being the main reference (Hines Ward was recognized as the MVP of the match). But three years later, against Arizona, Roethlisberger proved his worth and led the Steelers on a decisive drive with a minute to play. He connected that six-yard pass with Santonio and signed one of the most emblematic plays in NFL history.
As the years passed, injuries began to plague him, but his longevity allowed him to capture many franchise records. Now, after 18 years, Ben knows that this year will end his career, but the Steelers will try to make the final goodbye beyond the game against Kansas City.
your numbers
regular season
Matches 249
headline 247
Record 165-81-1
Complete 5,440
Released 8,443
Yards 64,088
TD 418
INT 211
postseason
Matches 22
headline 22
record 13-9
Complete 469
Launched 744
Yards 64,088
TD 34
INT 28
figure in schoolboy
Holds 21 records with the University of Miami in Ohio (2001-2003), including two at the NCAA level: most games in a season with 200+ passing yards (14) and consecutive games in a season with more than 200 passing yards (14), which are current since 2003. Also, no quarterback from his alma mater has thrown more passes (1,304), passing yards (10,829) and touchdowns (84) than him.
MGC
.
