Steelers fans relish, celebrate Ben Roethlisberger in final weeks of quarterback’s era – Pittsburgh Steelers Blog

PITTSBURGH — An hour and a half before the Steelers’ penultimate regular-season home game on Dec. 19, Ryan Smith held a glass bottle of Redd’s Angry Ale in a parking lot outside Heinz Field. With yellow, black and gray camouflage pants, a white No. 7 Ben Roethlisberger jersey and a gold beanie with “Big 7 Ben” stitched across the crown, Smith blended into the crowd of pregame revelers.

A schoolteacher in Fremont, Ohio, Smith, who is a few years older than Roethlisberger, still remembers seeing the quarterback play at nearby Findlay (Ohio) High School. As a senior, Roethlisberger torched Smith’s alma mater for seven touchdowns.

A lifelong Steelers fan, Smith bought the first of four Roethlisberger jerseys the week in 2004 when his high school’s former nemesis was drafted by his favorite NFL team.

“Wasn’t a big fan then,” Smith said. “But as soon as he went black and gold, 11th pick, I became, obviously, a Big Ben fan.

“I give him props every week. No matter who disses him, people talk crap about him in my hometown, but I stick up for him. To me, he still does a good job. He can’t run, but he can sure throw. That’s all we need. Block for him and he’ll get the pass off. That’s all that matters.”

Throughout what’s almost guaranteed to be Roethlisberger’s final season, the dedicated Steelers faithful have made pilgrimages to see Roethlisberger play in person one final time.

In recent weeks, those trips have become more urgent, the significance of the moment not lost on those who secured tickets to his final games.

Monday night, more than 63,000 fans turned out at Heinz Field to bid…