In his seven NFL starts, former Pittsburgh Steelers C J.C. Hassenauer snapped the ball to QB Ben Roethlisberger. For both, Week 17 of the 2021 season proved to be their final start at home. Everybody knew that was Roethlisberger’s farewell to Heinz Field, though, and Hassenauer recalls it fondly.
“My best memory with Ben is I was fortunate enough [to be] his center for the last home game at Heinz Field that he played in”, he told the Bolt City podcast. “We were beating them by two or three scores. It was enough for fans to start leaving. Not a single fan left”.
The Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 that night, the score 19-7 with under two minutes to go. The Browns did pull to within five points with a last-minute touchdown, but RB Najee Harris slammed the door shut.
Roethlisberger completed 24-of 46 passes that night for just 123 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He didn’t exactly dominate, but he didn’t exactly have to. He got the scoring going with a five-yard touchdown pass to WR Diontae Johnson and built the lead from there.
Most of you probably recall the game. Hassenauer described the emotional scene after the game with Roethlisberger circumnavigating the stadium saying goodbye to the fans. “That just goes to show the impact he had not only on the Steelers but also on the city of Pittsburgh”, he said.
The Steelers first signed Hassenauer in April 2019 coming off a stint in the AAF. He spent time on the practice squad later that season but only made the roster a year later. In my estimation, he developed into a solid backup, but the Steelers didn’t retain him this past offseason.
Hassenauer lost his backup starting role to Nate Herbig in 2023, eventually signing with the New York Giants. He tore his ACL in training camp, however, and is still recovering. He is an unrestricted free agent, but his injury is bound to keep him off the market until he heals.
One thing he knows is he’s not likely to have another shot to play with a quarterback like Roethlisberger. He spoke well of the relationship they shared, despite the fact Roethlisberger is more than a decade older.
“It’s the best combination because he’s almost like a coach because he knows so much”, he said in describing the former quarterback. “He’s very informative, but he’s also one of your teammates, so he’s able to relate to you and talk to you”.
Roethlisberger always loved his offensive linemen, that much we can say. I can’t recall any time at which he put any of them at fault for—basically anything. Not that I think quarterbacks should make it a habit of publicly passing the buck.
As for Roethlisberger, he continues to maintain he is happy in retirement. He briefly entertained the notion of filling in for an injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers team in 2022. But he doesn’t miss the bumps and bruises. He already had his farewell tour, after all. And Hassenauer cherishes the memory of being a part of it.
