Ranking the 10 best small school college football QBs of all time
By Zach Bigalke
Before he burst onto the NFL scene with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was carving out a legend at Miami of Ohio. After a redshirt season, Roethlisberger completed 63.3 percent of his passes in each of his first two years as a starter. Both years the RedHawks went 7-5. He threw for 47 touchdown passes and 6,100 yards between 2001 and 2002.
His redshirt junior season was the point where Roethlisberger really burst onto the national scene. Completing just under 70 percent of his passes, Roethlisberger led Miami to a 12-1 regular season and the MAC title. But the RedHawks lost their season opener 21-3 at Iowa, and that loss was enough to prevent them from getting an invitation to a BCS bowl game.
Over his college career, Roethlisberger averaged 285 passing yards per game. He was drafted 11th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2004 NFL Draft. He won AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after going 13-0 in his first season as a starter. In his second pro season, Roethlisberger became the youngest player to quarterback a Super Bowl-winning team. He added a second Super Bowl three years later.