Born on March 2, 1982 in Findlay, Ohio, Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best young quarterbacks in the world. This is saying a lot for a guy that did not receive nearly as much attention as other players of his caliber during high school and college. Despite being overlooked for much of his career, Roethlisberger has proven to be one of the best of the best thanks to his love of the game, athletic body, and strong arm.
After playing high school football in Ohio, Roethlisberger took his game to Miami University located in Oxford, Ohio. During his time at Miami he took the college football world by storm. Although he did not play in a top level conference, Roethlisberger still managed to garner the attention of NFL scouts. This was due in large part to the fact that he passed for 84 touchdowns in college; a Miami University school record.
Roethlisberger was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 11th overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. In August of the same year he signed a six year contract with the team worth a little more than $22 million.
During Roethlisberger’s first season he was thrust into action due to an injury to starting quarterback Tommy Maddox. In what was one of the best rookie performances of all time, Roethlisberger went on to win all 14 of the regular season games that he started. This led to his selection as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
With everybody wondering how Roethlisberger would fair the next season, he once again put up big numbers. While the team did not win nearly as many regular season games, Roethlisberger did lead them to the Super Bowl where they would eventually beat the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.
Although Ben Roethlisberger had a down year in 2006, he is poised to come back better than ever.
