From 2004-2021, Ben Roethlisberger helped the Pittsburgh Steelers remain a consistent playoff contender. He’s arguably the best quarterback in franchise history, winning two Super Bowls with them. For years, the Steelers struggled to find a franchise quarterback. Roethlisberger elevated them almost instantly, though. He’s been retired for a few years, and he’s eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027. Now, Roethlisberger has revealed who he’d like to induct him.
“I probably would’ve picked my college football coach, Coach [Terry] Hoeppner, who has passed away,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin’ podcast. “Only problem is he probably would’ve gotten too fired up, but he would’ve went way over time.
“He would’ve just said, ‘I don’t care what’s going on. I’m gonna keep talking about Ben [Roethlisberger].’ Probably my agent Ryan [Tollner], just because we’re super close. He’s been with me since day one, and he’s one of my dear friends.”
Hoeppner was the head coach at the University of Miami of Ohio, Roethlisberger’s alma mater, from 1999-2004. Roethlisberger was there from 2000-2003, so Hoeppner was his head coach for his entire college career. Sadly, Hoeppner passed away in 2007. While he won’t be there to see Roethlisberger get inducted, he clearly made a significant impact on the quarterback.
Tollner was Roethlisberger’s agent for most of his NFL career, and he’s talked about how close he is to his client in the past. He’s successful in his field, still representing players today. If things stay the same, then in a few years, Tollner will be able to induct Roethlisberger into the Hall of Fame.
It’s not guaranteed that Roethlisberger will get into the Hall of Fame, especially on his first year of eligibility, but it seems likely. He’s got one of the most decorated resumés of any quarterback in NFL history. Roethlisberger won two championships and made six Pro Bowls. He’s also currently fifth all-time in passing yards and eighth in passing touchdowns.
We’ll see how long, if at all, Roethlisberger will have to wait to get inducted. He had many influential people around him in his career, so it says a lot that he’d like Tollner to induct him. It should be a special moment, and hopefully, Roethlisberger gets in sooner rather than later.
