INDIANAPOLIS — One of the more famous plays of Ben Roethlisberger’s career came in Indianapolis. Nineteen years later, Roethlisberger was back on field level for a Colts home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Roethlisberger took in Sunday’s game from a field-level box beyond an end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium. The former Steelers quarterback — who retired 2 1/2 years ago — was a guest of Plum’s Pat McAfee in McAfee’s suite.
McAfee, a former Colts punter who punted and kicked in college for West Virginia, has become one of the most famous personalities in national sports media. He hosts the daily “Pat McAfee Show,” which is simulcast on ESPN.
Joining McAfee and Roethlisberger for the game — a 27-24 Indianapolis victory — were some of McAfee’s co-hosts, some of whom also are Plum alumni.
At one point before the game began, McAfee addressed the stadium with a microphone by in part saying: “Hey Yinzers. The drive back on I-70 is gonna be a miserable one.”
Much of the 5 1/2-hour drive from Indianapolis to Pittsburgh is via interstate 70. Thousands of Steelers fans were in attendance Sunday.
Roethlisberger’s tackle of Colts defensive back Nick Harper after Harper had scooped up Jerome Bettis’ fumble was a pivotal play during the Steelers’ divisional-round playoff upset win against the Colts in January 2006. The Steelers won Super Bowl XL three weeks later.
#ddfp: In front of #PITvsIND,: @Ike_SwagginU recalls Big Ben's tackle of Nick Harper at the end of the '05 Div Rd. pic.twitter.com/6ppWSSZdIj
— Dave Dameshek (@Dameshek) November 11, 2017
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.