Charlie Batch

In the process, Batch became the first Pittsburgh-area native to start for the team at quarterback since Terry Hanratty, a native of Butler, Pennsylvania, started for a few games during his rookie season in 1969 before becoming a backup the following season to Terry Bradshaw.

He backed up Ben Roethlisberger during Super Bowl XL, and the Steelers' 21–10 victory made Batch a Super Bowl champion.

Charles D'Donte Batch (born December 5, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons in the NFL, most of it as a backup with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers, with whom he earned two Super Bowl rings (Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII).

Batch currently works for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh as a pre-game analyst for the Steelers as well as a color commentator for their preseason games.

In addition, he co-hosts the Steeler Post-Game Show on WDVE Radio.

Batch also works with Champs Sports Network as a color analyst for WPIAL high school football and basketball broadcasts.

Batch is the son of Lynne Settles, a former school teacher.

Batch had a remarkable career at Eastern Michigan University, owning almost every passing record.

He also earned a degree in criminal justice.

He was a local favorite when he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft.

He pledged the Zeta Epsilon Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Charlie Batch was the Detroit Lions' starter through better parts of the 1998–2001 seasons.

After the surprising retirement of running back Barry Sanders in 1999, Detroit struggled to find consistency in its running game, and Batch was asked to assume a "hybrid" quarterback role and assist in the Lions' running game by using various quarterback sweeps, bootlegs, and quarterback draws in an attempt to keep defenders off balance.

He proved to be effective, but injury prone, in his years with Detroit.

In 1999, the year Sanders retired, Batch helped rally Detroit to a surprising wildcard playoff game against the Washington Redskins.

Batch did not play in the game, giving way to Gus Frerotte due to injury, and Detroit lost 27–13.

The 2000 season proved to be Batch's last full season as an NFL starter.

He was injured (leaving the Week 17 matchup against Chicago with a shoulder injury) in a pivotal game in which Detroit lost on a last-second field goal by Paul Edinger.

The game cost the Lions a playoff berth and set into motion a radical turn of events in the Lions' front office, resulting in the hiring of Fox Sports color commentator Matt Millen as the new CEO and general manager.

Millen's arrival ultimately resulted in an extreme makeover in Detroit's roster, and Batch became one of the more visible casualties.

He started the 2001 season as Detroit's starter under new head coach Marty Mornhinweg, but was injured late in 2001.

Batch was replaced mid-season by Ty Detmer for whom the Cleveland Browns received a fourth round pick, but had already planned to cut him.

Detmer immediately came in as a starter only to throw seven interceptions against his former team.

Batch was eventually released by the Lions that offseason for stated salary cap reasons.

Batch had been deemed expendable due in part to the team's drafting of Joey Harrington with their first-round pick, and Millen had gone on record in his desire to find a starting quarterback other than Batch earlier that year.

Still, Batch passed for over 9,000 yards with Detroit, reaching sixth on the Lions' all-time list.

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed him to a one-year contract for 2002 as a backup, but he did not play.

The move to initially sign Batch was not a surprise, given that Batch was from Pittsburgh and the Steelers' current Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert initially drafted Batch in Detroit.

Despite not playing in 2002 (being third string behind Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox, who split the year as the starters), Batch became popular with Steeler fans, partly due to having grown up in nearby Homestead, Pennsylvania but also because of his charity work.

His contract was renewed by the Steelers, and Batch saw some action in 2003.

In 2004, Batch spent the season on injured reserve after offseason knee surgery.

In 2005, he became the second-string quarterback for the Steelers, playing behind Ben Roethlisberger.

During 2005, an injury to Roethlisberger gave Batch two starting opportunities, yielding two victories.

On March 14, 2006, Charlie Batch signed a 3-year deal, through the 2008 season.

He was also one of several Pittsburgh Steelers players that visited Ben Roethlisberger in the hospital to hear of his condition after his motorcycle accident on June 12, 2006.

Batch was again tapped to fill in for Roethlisberger to start the Steelers 2006 season when Roethlisberger had to have an emergency appendectomy the week before the season started.

Batch had his best game in over four years, throwing for 209 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Ironically, Batch would ultimately last longer in the NFL than Harrington, who would prove to be a draft bust and was out of the NFL by 2009.