The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement from NFL on Thursday after playing for Steelers 18 long seasons.
Members of the NFL community and Steelers organization, both past and present, took to social media to pay their respect to the future Hall of Famer’s legacy and longevity as one of the more successful signal-callers of his era.
“I don’t know how to put into words what the game of football has meant to me and what a blessing it has been,” Roethlisberger said. “While I know with confidence I have given my all to the game, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all it has given me. A boy from Finley, Ohio with NFL dreams, developed at Oxford at Miami University, blessed with the honor of 18 seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler and a place to call home. The journey has been exhilarating, defined by relationships and fueled by a spirit of competition. Yet, the time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats, and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children. I retire from football a truly grateful man.”
In his time with the Steelers, one of the league’s most storied franchises, Roethlisberger reached an NFL-record 18 seasons without ever having a losing campaign. With Roethlisberger at the helm, the Steelers were always in the mix, culminating with a Super Bowl XL win with head coach Bill Cowher and a Super Bowl XLIII triumph alongside Mike Tomlin.
He led the Steelers to three Super Bowl appearances in all (Pittsburgh lost Super Bowl XLV to Green Bay), 12 postseason berths and eight division titles.
Statistically speaking, Roethlisberger’s career is among the all-time greats. He finishes his career ranked eighth in passing touchdowns (418), and fifth in passing yards (64,088), completions (5,440) and attempts (8,443).
In terms of the Steelers, Roethlisberger is the franchise standard in QB wins, passing yards, passing TDs, completions, attempts, 300-yard passing games, game-winning drives and fourth-quarter comebacks.
Roethlisberger’s 165 wins are the second-most behind Tom Brady with New England for most QB wins in a career with a single team.
Though the great Terry Bradshaw owns four Super Bowl titles with the Steelers, Roethlisberger’s dominance in every other category makes an argument for being the best quarterback in the history of one of the league’s best franchises.
“Ben was an integral part of our success since we drafted him in 2004 in the first round, Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “He helped us win two Super Bowls during his career, and we are forever grateful for all the success he has helped bring to the organization the past 18 years. Ben will always be viewed as one of the all-time greats in our team history, and his determination, toughness and competitiveness will be remembered by everyone in the organization as well as Steeler Nation throughout the world.”
