June 25, 2012 - Smiling for the camera in Scotland971 viewsBen poses with Chris McLaughlin, an avid Tennessee Titans fan who couldn't pass up the opportunity to pose with the Steelers' #7.
Chris’ story:
My day started like any other day. It was a beautiful day, much different than the previous 4 days of torrential rain. As I was standing at the front of the restaurant waiting to seat guests, I noticed four very tall gentlemen approaching. I greeted them, they asked for a table.
From this point onwards, my whole day changed, and even now, I cannot quite believe it.
I’m 24 years old, and for as long as I can remember, I have loved Titans Football. I’ve lived in the UK all my life and only visited the United States once a year. Living in the UK, football isn’t a very big thing. It’s gaining a big reputation, but it will never be as big as soccer. At work, I am the only person who knows anything to do with football. So for my day to take the path it took, well it’s almost unbelievable.
As I turned to lead the gentlemen to their table, I was thinking, “That man looks so familiar. It can’t be him can it? Ben Roethlisberger, here, at my work? thousands of miles away from Pittsburgh? Nah, it can’t be!â€
It was. My legs were like jelly and my heart was going so fast, it would have given Usain Bolt a run for his money (no pun intended). As Ben and his companions were taking their seats, I couldn’t help but mention that he looked so familiar.
His response? “I get that a lotâ€. Right there I knew it was him.
“You wouldn’t happen to live in Pittsburgh would you?â€, I asked.
“Yeah, we all doâ€, replied Ben. He extended his hand and I shook it. It completely engulfed my hand, but I didn’t care. I was so starstruck, you wouldn’t believe.
“I’m Ben, nice to meet youâ€, he continued.
Now, I’m not 100% sure exactly what I said next but my mind said I know exactly who you areâ€. He must have been a little surprised that I recognized him straight away. I would imagine he thought he would not encounter anyone who recognizes him in Scotland.
For the rest of the afternoon, I was beside myself. I couldn’t believe it at all. I met him after his round of golf and asked how it went and congratulated him on graduating a month prior. I don’t know what I was expecting, but both he and his group were very friendly, and surprisingly easy to talk to.
Meeting Ben really made my day worth remembering. I don’t know how many times my colleagues had been told that he is a 2-time Super Bowl champion and 2-time Pro Bowler. I must have driven them crazy. Put it this way: If they didn’t know who Ben Roethlisberger is, they know a lot more about Ben Roethlisberger now than they used to.
Thank you for sharing your story, Chris!
|
|
December 24, 2016 - Merry Christmas835 viewsBenjamin Jr., Baylee, Bodie & Remy await Santa's arrival!
Photo: The Roethlisbergers
*Click on the photo for a larger version.
|
|
Black & Ghoul Halloween - 2014623 viewsMeghan Kamlowsky tells us her two-year old son loves Ben! “He watches him play every game! He pointed at Ben when I asked him what he wanted to be when he got big!â€, said Meghan.
|
|
September 2019 - Lil' Fans307 viewsJody_Wendel @wendelbrothers
@_BigBen7 you made my second grader’s English story. He was so excited to get your autograph!
|
|
1644 viewsBen and Matt Hasselbeck
|
|
2012 Ben Roethlisberger Football Camp1111 views#16 in your playbook, #1 in your hearts!
Photo: William Dupray
|
|
2008 Training Camp - July 31, 2008 1126 views
|
|
Black & Ghoul Halloween - 2014608 viewsRyan and Kayla Dinkheller as Troy and a very pretty referee!
|
|
Air-7 Quarterbacks Mini-Camp, April 21-22, 20071434 viewshttp://www.air7qbu.com
|
|
1427 views
|
|
March 23, 2019 - Saturday Night is Family Night1424 viewsThe kids' first concert. We love TobyMac. Thanks buddy - for the show & the love! -- Ben.
|
|
Serenaded by the Steelers and more...1887 viewsThis story comes from Madeline Robinson, Kids Wish Network (December, 2009):
A teen with a life-threatening illness had her wish to meet the Pittsburgh Steelers granted through Kids Wish Network and the generosity of the Steelers.
At 6-years-old, Cynthia was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the gastrointestinal tract. Because of this, she has endured multiple traumatic surgeries and dealt with both respiratory and kidney failures. Cynthia is on a strict daily medication regimen and must visit her doctor frequently.
Through another wish granting organization, Cindy's mother Darlene was referred to national children's charity Kids Wish Network. Darlene called the charity and told them about her daughter. They agreed that Cindy more than deserved a wish.
Kids Wish Network Wish Coordinator Vanessa talked to Cindy about her favorite things and the teen went on and on about how much of a Pittsburgh Steelers fan she was; it came as no surprise to Vanessa that when she asked Cindy what she wanted for her wish, Cindy said she wanted to meet her favorite NFL team on their home turf.
With the help of Wish Funding Specialist Donna and some outstanding local sponsors, Vanessa set out to organize a wish worthy of the Steelers’ number one teen fan.
"It was all just awesome," said Cindy of her wish. "Vanessa did an awesome job!"
In addition to organizing accommodations, a trip to the spa and dinners for Cindy and her family in Pittsburgh, Vanessa worked closely with the Pittsburgh Steelers to arrange a weekend that Cindy would never forget: the first day in Pittsburgh, Cindy was escorted to Steelers’ practice field where she watched the team run plays and then had the chance to meet the whole team followed by a personal tour of the Steelers' facilities; the next day, Cindy and her family got to experience the thrill of attending a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders.
"It was all so great! [It was] amazing!" said Cindy. "I thought I'd only meet one player and I was OK with that, but I met everyone! They all came up after [practice] and someone said "Merry Christmas" to me, and then they all burst into song! I was in shock!"
In addition to getting serenaded by the entire team, Cindy was also given an official Steelers football that every team member signed for her, including her favorite players: Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu.
Watching the game the next day was simply an amazing experience for the teen, especially after having watched the team practice the day before.
"Everything was amazing. It wasn’t like it was just one thing," said Cindy of her wish. "You know, like [they'd] send you to the game and then home and that's it. There were so many thing...it was all wonderful."
Now that she's home, Cindy has likened her wish experience to being treated like a princess and then having to get back to the rigors of everyday normal life.
"Thank you so much, everyone. It was great," said Cindy.
*Story and photo used with permission, Madeline Robinson, Kids Wish Network!
To learn more about the Kids Wish Network, please visit their website at:
http://www.kidswishnetwork.org/
|
|
10336 files on 862 page(s) |
|
|
|
|
|
275 | |
|
|
|
|