Ben Rothlesberger makes it official. 2000 Member of Big 33 Ohio team retires after 18 years with Steelers

Written by: Billy Splain on January 27, 2022. Ben ready to hand the Big 33 trophy to the winner

Ben Rothlesberger has retired after spending 18 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ben played for Team Ohio in the 2000 Big 33 classic game held at Hersheypark Stadium. That team lost to PA by a score of 31-14, with Ben throwing an 11-yard pass to James Fisher for a td. Ben also served as Honorary Chairman at the 2012 Big 33 Classic.

Ben made his official announcement via a video posted on Twitter.

A message from Ben:@steelers #NFL #SteelersNation #ThankYou #HereWeGo #LoveAndHonor pic.twitter.com/pUbKGO1nUs

— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) January 27, 2022

Following high school, Ben attended Miami of Ohio before being selected 11th in the 2004 NFL draft. In his first season, Rothlesberger spent 13 games as a starter due to injuries, claiming Offensive Rookie of the Year and led Pittsburgh to a 15-1 record, falling in the AFC championship game.

The next season, Ben led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks (he also helped extend the Big 33/Super Bowl streak that year). And in 2008 he created one of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history when he found wide receiver Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone for a toe-tapping touchdown in the final minute.

Roethlisberger finishes his career ranked fifth in NFL history with 64,088 passing yards and eighth in touchdown passes with 418.