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Revision as of 22:21, 31 October 2004 by RadicalBender (talk | contribs) (+ External links)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Ben Roethlisberger (born March 2, 1982 in Findlay, Ohio) is an American football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. A quarterback, Roethlisberger was taken 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. In college, he played for the RedHawks of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Roethlisberger holds every major passing record at the school and a number of passing records in the Mid-American Conference despite the fact that he only played for three years.
In high school, Roethlisberger was captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. His accomplishments as a quarterback in college are even more impressive in light of the fact that he didn't play quarterback in high school until his senior year; previously, he had played wide receiver so that the coach's son could start at quarterback.
On August 4 2004 Roethlisberger signed his first contract with the Steelers, a six-year, $14 million USD contract with an $8 million 2009 roster bonus, and was touted by his coach in a press conference as a franchise quarterback.
He took over from Steelers starting quarterback Tommy Maddox after Maddox was lost during a game. As of October 18, 2004, he is 4-0 as a rookie starting quarterback, tying Phil Simms for the rookie record. Rothlisberger has received much praise from coaches in the NFL including Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells who compared him to NFL legend Dan Marino.