Benjamin “Big Ben” Roethlisberger is the quarterback for the National Football League team The Pittsburgh Steelers. Roethlisberger was selected as the 11th overall pick in the 2004 draft.  Pittsburgh was a close to home team, as he is from Ohio, that became his home for the last eighteen seasons. He has become one of the winningest quarterbacks in NFL history, despite having had more than 60 MRIs and 290 orthopedic notes.  He has played a total of 164 games, and completed all his wins with the same team. He is the only other quarterback to have all his wins with the same team, along with Tom Brady. He has also finished fifth on the league’s all-time passing yardage list, as well as in the top five on the all-time lists for pass completions and attempts and eighth on the all-time list for passing touchdowns. 

Roethlisberger has had a successful overall run with the team. His most outstanding career stat is that he has 40 fourth-quarter comebacks, the third-most in NFL history, sitting behind Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. His career accolades include: 

• Two-time Super Bowl Champion: He struggled in Super Bowl XL, with a completion of nine passes for 123 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions; however, he fared much better in Super Bowl XLIII, racking up 256 passing yards and nailing Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone, getting the game-winning touchdown. 
• Six-time Pro Bowler: In 2007, 2011, and 2014-17, he earned Pro Bowl nods. The 2007 and 2014 seasons were his best individual campaigns in terms of quarterback rating. 
• Two-time NFL passing yards leader: Roethlisberger threw for 4,952 yards in 2014 and 5,129 yards in 2018. He also led the league in passing completions and attempts in 2018. 
• NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year: Originally set to sit behind Tommy Maddox during Roethlisberger’s rookie season, Roethlisberger became the starter due to Maddox suffering an injury in the second game of the 2004 season. Roethlisberger finished 13-0 in the regular season, totaling 2, 261 yardsm 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. 

In December of 2021, Roethlisberger finally admitted that all signs were pointing to his retirement. 

“I’ll address the definitive answer at some point down the road,” he claimed. 

However, he let the fans know that they should be there for the Monday night game against the Browns to see him 

play in-person one more time. 

Following this, in January 2022, Roethlisberger faced the Cleveland Browns in his final home game. Pittsburgh fans gathered together and showed up, packing the stadium and tuning in to the live broadcast to show their support for the beloved Big Ben. With a winning score of 26-14, the crowd chanted “Thank you, Ben!” early and often throughout the game. Roethlisberger made his rounds, bidding farewell to those who have supported throughout his time in Pittsburgh, waving to fans, and savoring this moment with his family. 

“To see all the signs and hear the cheers coming out of the tunnel, that’s who I wanted to soak it in. I’m so thankful and blessed to be able to call this place home for almost half my life,” he stated in a post game interview. 

Roethlisberger’s career finally came to an end after a 42-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday January 16, 2022. Goodbye Big Ben!