Much of Ben Roethlisberger's history has yet to be written. However, if history is truly an indication of the future, then Ben and his fans are in for one exciting ride.
What will the future hold? One only needs to look at Ben's past.

Born on March 2, 1982, Ben grew up in the small Ohio town of Findlay. Surrounded by the love and support of his family, Ben became very active in sports at a young age, focusing primarily on basketball and football.

"Some kids just rise above the rest, and Ben was one of them," said Findlay Mayor Tony Iriti, who was Ben's fifth and sixth grade football coach and a volunteer assistant at Findlay High School (FHS). "You usually don't expect a kid to make every play, but Ben always seemed to make things work. He has a lot of God-given talent and natural ability."

Before becoming a nationally known phenomenon, Ben was a thin, lanky wideout at FHS. It wasn’t until the fall of 1999, his final high school season, that Ben earned a chance to be a No. 1 quarterback after the graduation of the starting QB one grade ahead of him.

But Ben's talents weren’t a secret to the Miami (Ohio) University staff, which invited him to its summer camp before his senior season. Ben performed well but left with no scholarship offer.

"We waited until he played a game," Miami head coach Terry Hoeppner said. "I didn’t want to be the genius to offer this guy who never played quarterback a scholarship."

In that first game, Ben threw six touchdowns. "I said, ‘That’s good enough for me,’" Hoeppner said.

The Ohio State University also went after Ben, who set state high school records for yards (4,041) and touchdowns (54) playing in a high-powered offense similar to Miami’s.

In the end, Miami won. Ben saw a shot at being a four-year starter after then-No. 1 QB Mike Bath’s eligibility expired. "It came down to what would be comfortable for me and what felt right," Ben said. "I prayed a lot about it, talked to my family about it, and it seemed like the right fit."

Ben took a redshirt season in 2000, but won the starting job in 2001. After struggling in his first two games - trips to Michigan and Iowa - he fared better in his first home game, completing 20-of-25 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns as the RedHawks beat rival Cincinnati.

"It might have helped to be thrown into the fire that early vs. Michigan and Iowa," Miami offensive coordinator and QB coach Shane Montgomery said, "because really, the light turned on."

Ben threw for 3,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He followed that with a solid second season as a starter in '02, throwing for 3,238 yards and 22 TD's. It was as a redshirt sophomore that he said he "started to feel comfortable with the way things were going in the offensive system and everything that was unfolding at Miami."

Ben's junior season represented a "quantum leap forward" with regard to his comfort and command of the offense, according to Hoeppner.

After a season-opening loss at Iowa, Ben was dominant. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and set just about every Miami passing record, some of which he had broken before. The RedHawks rolled to the Mid-American Conference championship.

Next stop, the NFL.

"My No. 1 goal was to win a championship," he said. "And after we won the championship, it was (like), ‘I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish at Miami,’ so that’s when it was a reality that I’m going to get a chance to hopefully make it to the NFL."

Ben announced he would file for the draft after the RedHawks dispatched Louisville in the GMAC Bowl on Dec. 18.

The now 6-foot-5, 240-pound QB is blessed with a strong arm and athleticism that is rare for his size. Seeing such a prize, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Ben in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft with the 11th pick.

On drafting Ben, Steelers Coach Bill Cowher said, "If you have an opportunity to get a good, young quarterback who has a tremendous upside, it's too golden of an opportunity to pass."

Ben's fans couldn't agree more.

On August 4, 2004 Ben signed his first contract with the Steelers, a 6-year, $40 million contract, and was touted by Steelers coach Bill Cowher in a press conference as a franchise quarterback.

Upon an injury to quarterback Tommy Maddox in the second game of the season, Roethlisberger stepped into the starting role and became unquestionably the best rookie quarterback to ever play the game. He led the Steelers to a 15-1 record as a starter, losing only in the AFC Championship game, and set many rookie passing records, including best passer rating (98.1), and highest completion percentage (66.4%). Ben received much praise from coaches in the NFL, including Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, who compared him to legendary QB Dan Marino. On January 5, 2005 Roethlisberger was unanimously selected as The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press (AP), the second quarterback to achieve the honor.

Following his rookie season, Ben's shining accomplishment was convincing runningback Jerome Bettis to return for one final season. Ben's promise: Give me one more season and I guarantee you a Super Bowl ring. Despite injuries to his knee and thumb, almost ending Ben's season, he was able to rally the team to six straight wins to finish the season and earn a wildcard birth in the playoffs. Ben and the Steelers continued the run in the playoffs, defeating Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver all on the road. Ben elevated his game during this run, even making a game-saving tackle in Indianapolis to keep Jerome's hope alive for a championship.

On February 5, 2006 in Detroit, MI (Jerome's hometown, and coincidentally, where Ben played his first pre-season NFL game in 2004), the Pittsburgh Steelers earned the elusive "One for the Thumb!" They defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10, allowing Ben to deliver on his promise to Jerome, and making Ben Roethlisberger... from Findlay, OH, and Miami University... the youngest quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl!