Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

 
Charlie Batch was a starting quarterback at every level of football; high school, college, and pro, but fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers will forever remember him as an able back-up who kept their playoff hopes alive with a game-winning drive against the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. In what would be his last NFL start, Batch completed 25 of 36 passes for 276 yards. A two-year starter for Steel Valley High School in 1990 and 1991, Charlie led the Ironmen to a number one ranking and the WPIAL Class AA semifinals during his senior season. He was no stranger to comebacks even then. Trailing 21-0 and then 34-21 with two minutes left against Beth-Center, Batch led the Ironmen on an amazing rally that included the game-winning touchdown pass to Rick Walker with 17 seconds left. Fans said it may have been one of the best wins in school history up until that time. Batch went on to star at Eastern Michigan University, where he was named First Team All-Mid-America Conference in 1995, before being drafted in the second round by the NFL's Detroit Lions where he started for the better parts of the 1998 through 2001 seasons. He passed for over 2,000 yards in three of his four campaigns with the Lions. In 2002, the Homestead native signed with the Steelers and enjoyed 11 more years in the NFL winning rings in Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XL and XLIII victories. Batch retired having thrown 61 career touchdown passes. His tenure as a Pittsburgh quarterback was second only to Terry Bradshaw. Ben Roethlisberger has since moved into that spot. Today, Charlie serves as a studio analyst on the NFL Network, the Steeler Radio Network, and KDKA-TV and he works in the booth during Pittsburgh's preseason telecasts. Previously, he did color on WPIAL games on both the Champs Sports Network and the Xfinity High School Game of the Week on Comcast. Away from football, Charlie dedicates himself to his Best of the Batch Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to improving the lives of children and families in distressed communities by building character, self-esteem, and appreciation for education. Among the awards he has won for his humanitarian accomplishments are the first Jerome Bettis Award for Humanity and Community Service in 2006 and the 2012 "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award.