1997-2000

Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger stars in three sports at Findlay High School in his native northwest Ohio hometown. He did not start at quarterback until his senior season, after the head coach’s son had graduated.

2000-03

In part because of his limited high school game exposure, big-time college programs bypass Roethlisberger. He ends up at Miami (Ohio) University, where he starts for three years and breaks school records. Roethlisberger leads the RedHawks to a No. 10 final national ranking in 2003.

April 24, 2004

With the 11th overall pick in the draft and coming off a season (6-10) that still matches their worst since the 1980s, the Steelers select the 6-foot-4, 240-pound Roethlisberger. It remains one of only five occasions they used a first-round pick on a quarterback.

Sept. 19, 2004

Roethlisberger enters his rookie season as the backup to Tommy Maddox, who suffers an elbow injury during the third quarter of a loss at the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger makes his NFL debut in relief, throwing two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

Sept. 26, 2004

In a game that had its kickoff delayed seven hours in the aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne, Roethlisberger is efficient in making his first NFL start. Playing during intermittent downpours, he passes for 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception in a 13-3 win against the Miami Dolphins.

January 2005

After a regular season in which he went 13-0 as a starter and became the first quarterback in 34 years to win the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Roethlisberger struggles in his first postseason. In all, he throws five interceptions during an overtime win against the nine-point underdog New York Jets and a blowout loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.

Sept. 25, 2005

Eleven months after Roethlisberger engineered a decisive win that ended the Patriots’ record 18-game regular-season winning streak, New England returns the favor. The Patriots score a 23-20 comeback win that breaks the Steelers’ 16-game regular-season winning streak and marks Roethlisberger’s first regular-season loss as a starter.

January 2006

Roethlisberger shows postseason acumen for the first time during a magnificent run through the AFC playoffs in which he has seven TDs and one INT with a 124.8 passer rating in leading the No. 6-seed Steelers to wins at Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver.

Feb. 5, 2006

Though his stat line was not pretty (9 for 21 for 123 yards, no TDs and 2 INTs) against the Seattle Seahawks, Roethlisberger has a rushing TD and guides the Steelers to their first Super Bowl win in 26 years. He becomes the youngest QB to win a Super Bowl.

June 12, 2006

Roethlisberger suffers a broken jaw and nose during a wreck at a Pittsburgh intersection. His motorcycle is left mangled, but after seven hours of surgery, Roethlisberger embarks on a full recovery. He misses the season opener because of an appendectomy but plays 15 games that season.

2007 season

Roethlisberger enjoys one of his best seasons, posting a career-high 104.1 passer rating and earning his first Pro Bowl honor in leading the Steelers back to the playoffs.

Feb. 1, 2009

Aided by the NFL’s top defense during the 2008 season, the Steelers advance to the Super Bowl, capped by the most iconic moment of Roethlisberger’s career. Roethlisberger finishes a two-minute drive for the win by hitting Santonio Holmes for a 6-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute remaining.

July 2009

A woman files a civil lawsuit against Roethlisberger, accusing him of rape during an alleged encounter a year earlier at the Lake Tahoe hotel where she worked. The parties agree to a settlement that was announced more than two years later.

March 5, 2010

A 20-year-old college student accuses Roethlisberger of sexual assault. Roethlisberger was in Milledgeville, Ga., celebrating his 28th birthday with friends. The district attorney ultimately does not file charges, saying at a news conference, “We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.”

2010 season

Roethlisberger serves a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, the penalty dropped from an initially announced six games. The Steelers go 3-1 without Roethlisberger and 9-3 with him, advancing to another Super Bowl but losing to the Green Bay Packers.

July 23, 2011

In perhaps the closest thing Pittsburgh has had to a royal wedding, Roethlisberger marries the former Ashley Harlan, a physician’s assistant and St. Francis University alumna. It is a turning point in the reputation and persona of Roethlisberger, who thereafter frequently references his faith and has avoided off-field incidents.

2014 season

In a tangible sign of Roethlisberger’s decade-long transformation from a “game manager” to an all-time great passer, he ties for the NFL lead in passing yards (4,952) in leading the Steelers to their first playoff berth in three years.

January 2017

Roethlisberger improves to 13-6 in the postseason with wins against the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. But the Steelers are blown out in the AFC championship game at New England. Roethlisberger would never win another playoff game. He lost in his final four playoff appearances.

2018 season

In arguably his final season-long showing as a top-level NFL QB, Roethlisberger leads the NFL in passing yards again with a career-high 5,129. He also has a career-high 34 TD passes — but also an NFL-leading 16 INTs, and the Steelers miss the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Sept. 15, 2019

After missing only five games because of injury over the previous six seasons, the 37-year-old Roethlisberger’s chronically affected right elbow finally gives out during a loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Roethlisberger undergoes season-ending surgery a week later.

2020 season

At 38, Roethlisberger is touted as an NFL MVP candidate through the first nine games as he sports a 22-to-4 TD-to-INT ratio. He leads the Steelers to an 11-0 start but appears to regress in December. The Steelers lose five of their final six games, including a humiliating home playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns.

2021 season

Age-induced limitations in mobility and arm strength become apparent, but Roethlisberger shows plenty of his old magic in repeatedly directing late-game comeback and winning drives, keeping the Steelers in contention for the AFC North title through the end of December.

Jan. 3, 2022

Roethlisberger makes his final start at Heinz Field in a Monday night game against the Browns. Roethlisberger’s stat line is middling, but the Steelers win with ease while the crowd gushes with chants and cheers. Roethlisberger lingers on the field after the game, savoring the moment with fans who stayed late.

Jan. 9, 2022

In one last hurrah, Roethlisberger guides go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter and overtime in a fitting final regular-season game played during intermittent cold rain against the bitter rival Ravens. The Steelers get improbable help to make the playoffs, extending Roethlisberger’s career another week, but the Steelers would lose to the Chiefs in the first round.

Jan. 27, 2022

Roethlisberger makes his retirement official in a 2-minute, 16-second video that shows snippets of him cleaning out his locker interspersed with highlights of his Steelers career. “I retire from football,” Roethlisberger says, “a truly grateful man.”

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