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Quarterbacking Runs in the Family
Quarterbacking Runs in the Family

Georgia Tech alumnus Ken Roethlisberger, Mgt 78, couldn't quite believe what he was seeing on his television last September. His boy, Ben, a rookie playing his second game in the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, was taking the field as quarterback.

"My wife wasn't even watching the game," he recalled. "I said, 'Honey, you might want to come in here and watch this.'"

No one planned it that way but when veteran quarterbacks Charlie Batch and Tommy Maddox went down to early-season injuries, Roethlisberger stepped into the huddle and never looked back. The Steelers won the next 13 games with him at the helm, a record unmatched by any quarterback in NFL history.

Quarterbacking runs in the Roethlisberger family — Ken was the third-string signal caller for the Yellow Jackets in 1974-75.

"I was recruited by Jerry Glanville and Pepper Rodgers," he said. "I hurt my knee and had to switch over to baseball. I pitched for Tech my last two years." Roethlisberger said the best part of Ben’s success has been all the good things people say about him off the field.

"When you hear good things said about your son's character, that's what really makes you feel good as a father," he said.

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