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If you don't recognize the names Ricardo Colclough, Nathaniel Adibi, Bo Lacy, Matt Kranchick, Drew Caylie or Eric Taylor, that's OK. It's likely most football fans don't.
All were chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2004 National Football League draft, as was Max Starks, an offensive lineman who had a 10-year career in the NFL.
That class featured several guys who went on to have successful stints at quarterback-- Eli Manning and Philip Rivers -- as well as a receiver with area ties who had a pretty good career as well -- Larry Fitzgerald, who played his college football at the University of Pittsburgh.
But when fans in our area think about that draft, and the quarterbacks it produced, one name stands out: Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger is putting the finishing touches on an 18-year career, one that certainly will earn him a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and one that has far eclipsed the league average of 3.3 years. Going into Sunday's regular-season finale in Baltimore, he has played in 248 games -- the most by any member of the Steelers -- and completed 5,410 of his 8,399 passes for 63,844 yards -- that's 64.41 percent -- and 417 touchdowns. Never afraid to get hit, either inside or outside of the pocket, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Roethlisberger has gained 1,377 yards rushing on 512 carries and scored 20 touchdowns.
He's also directed the Steelers to three Super Bowls, winning XL over Detroit and XLIII over Arizona, while losing XLV to Green Bay.
Along the way he's set numerous league and team records. His 164 wins as a starting quarterback are fifth highest in league history and tops for a quarterback with one team. Of those wins, 92 came at Heinz Field, including Monday's 26-14 victory over Cleveland.
That his final home win came against the Browns made it all the more special for the 63,624 fans who packed into the stadium and the millions who either watched the telecast or listened on the radio, not only in the Tri-State Area but across the country and around the world, such is the reach of Steelers Nation.
He's been involved in helping others. Through his foundation, Roethlisberger has donated millions of dollars, a great deal of which has gone to K-9 units in police and fire departments. In addition to the purchase of first-responder dogs, the foundation has helped to cover the cost of safety vests and other K-9-specific needs, as well as service dogs. He works closely with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, through his foundation and personal involvement.
While much has gone right for Roethlisberger on the football field, things have not always gone smoothly off the field. He was involved in a motorcycle accident in June 2006 in which he suffered serious injuries, and he faced two allegations of sexual assault, one which ended in a settlement and one where the charges were dropped but led to a four-game suspension from the league.
It's likely Roethlisberger's NFL career will come to an end around 4 p.m. today. For the Steelers to get into the playoffs, they will need to beat the Ravens, have Jacksonville stop Indianapolis (an unlikely scenario -- the issues Urban Myer left when he was fired as head coach of the Jaguars, plus other concerns, leave them with 2-14 record, while the Colts will enter the game at 9-7) and a winner emerge from the Chargers-Raiders game (in other words, their game today can't end in a tie.)
Football fans in our region have been blessed to have been able to see some of the game's all-time greats play with the Steelers during the last 50 years, from Franco Harris to Terry Bradshaw, from Mike Webster to Jack Ham, from Jerome Bettis to Troy Polamalu and Cameron Heyward, the list of present or future hall of famers can seem nearly endless.
Roethlisberger's performance as a player certainly places him among the NFL's elite, and has made watching football exciting for fans in our region during the past two decades. If today turns out to be his last game, he will have earned his retirement -- and a spot in the fast lane to Canton.