The Pittsburgh Steelers were extremely lucky to draft legendary quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. The two-time Super Bowl champion played in the city for 18 years and will be a fan favorite for decades. He has enjoyed his retirement life and even started an interesting podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger that he co-hosts with his friend, Spencer Te'o. The two are usually drinking beers and the former signal-caller tells stories about his playing days. The duo has also had an awesome guest list over since the 2022 NFL season.
Steelers legendary quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger (#7) holds his hands up prior to a play during a game in his final season as Pittsburgh's quarterback in 2021 at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The latest episode of the podcast dropped on Thursday evening and Roethlisberger told an interesting story about his college recruitment process. He, of course, ended up at Miami of Ohio, but natives of Ohio typically have one dream: to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes. Roethlisberger also mentioned that Duke University was at the top of his list.
He started talking about his first few collegiate visits and the first came as an unofficial trip to Ohio State.
"The week before [visiting] Duke, I took an unofficial visit to Ohio State. My high school coach and myself went down there and there was a coach there, I don't need to mention any names, but people will figure it out. Went and visited him, sat in his office and I was the greatest thing since sliced bread."
Roethlisberger then quoted the mysterious coach and tried, to the best of his memory as this was over 20 years ago, say what he was told when visiting Columbus.
"You are everything we want. We can't wait to have you. This is gonna be great. You're going to come in here. You're going to dominate. You're gonna play right away."
It's not hard to believe that some of these top schools tell players what they want to hear. The former Steelers quarterback admitted he left the meeting blown away and was extremely excited about the potential at Ohio State, but noted that he now knows that's what these bigger schools sell everybody on.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger prepares to throw a pass against the Raiders during a 2021 regular season contest. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter/ X: JSKO_PHOTO)
The signal-caller left the visit looking towards the one at Duke as more of a formality. He was set on the fact that he would be playing quarterback at the great Ohio State.
"I was like 'I'm gonna go to Duke then come back then go to Ohio State. This will be really cool.'"
The tables turned quickly, however. Roethlisberger told an insane story about what happened at the Columbus airport when he was getting ready to travel to North Carolina for the visit at Duke.
"I actually went to the Columbus airport to fly to Duke. I saw the coach [from Ohio State] that I had just saw less than a week [prior]. I saw him [at the airport] where I was like 'hey, hey coach, how you doing?' And he just kept walking."
Steelers Legend Roethilisberger Slams The Door On Attending Ohio State University
There had to be an explanation to Roethlisberger at the time. He was sure that the coach did not see him, even though the two passed and the recruit (at the time) went out of his way to say hello. The unofficial visit that he had with the coach clearly didn't stand out. The individual was not very familiar with Roethlisberger despite just meeting with him.
"I saw him again and he just had no idea who I was. I was crushed. So I was like, you know what, okay. I did what probably no Ohio-born kid would ever do. I cancelled my [official] Ohio State visit the next week. Why would I go visit you, when you don't even know who I am?"
That was the end of the signal-caller Ohio State dreams. He recognized the lack of genuineness from the coach and decided he would be better off somewhere else instead. Roethlisberger has always been known to have a little bit of an ego and this time was no different. He knew is value and was not going to be treated in such a disrespectful manner, even as a young kid.
Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger runs a drill during 2021 training camp at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Roethlisberger ended up going on the Duke visit, but when he went on his third to Miami (OH), the decision-making process was all over for him. He knew that he wanted to be in Oxford, OH, playing for the Redhawks. The rest is history as he went on to be selected by the Steelers in 2004 and it can be argued that he is a top 10 quarterback of all time. The story speaks volumes about how big-time college coaches will sell any and all players however they can, but not truly blink an eye if they never seen them again.
What are your thoughts on this crazy story from the Steelers two-time Super Bowl champ? Let us know in the comments below!
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