Charlie Batch

Charlie Batch is a former NFL quarterback whose 15-season professional football career is noted for resilience, adaptability, and consistent performance. Batch was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Lions after a collegiate career at Eastern Michigan University, where he set multiple school and Mid-American Conference records. He earned First Team All-MAC honors and continues to hold Eastern Michigan career records for total plays, total offensive yards, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and touchdown passes.

Batch served as the Lions' starting quarterback for much of four seasons, taking on a hybrid role that included quarterback sweeps, bootlegs, and draws. He passed for more than 9,000 yards with Detroit, ranking sixth on the franchise's all-time list. After his time with the Lions, Batch joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he became a key backup quarterback. He contributed to the Steelers' victories in Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII and held the second-longest quarterback tenure in team history at the time of his departure. Among his notable moments was leading the Steelers to a win over the Baltimore Ravens, orchestrating a game-tying touchdown and a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

Off the field, Batch has held leadership roles within the NFL, including Vice President of the Executive Committee for the NFL Players Association and NFL spokesperson for the United Way. He was named the Pittsburgh Steelers' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as the NFLPA Byron Whizzer White Man of the Year Award. Batch has also been honored with the Pittsburgh Urban League Ronald H. Brown Leadership Award and induction into the National High School Football Hall of Fame.

Batch is the founder of the Best of the Batch Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing educational programming to more than 4,000 children ages 5 to 18 across nine western Pennsylvania counties. The foundation's initiatives include BatchPacks, a Thanksgiving meal program, a holiday toy drive, an emergency response program, and scholarship opportunities. Batch also serves as a player advisor on the Football Players Health Study at Harvard University and as an advisory council member for the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute.

In retirement, Batch has worked as a football analyst and commentator for national sports outlets including CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. He is KDKA-TV's color commentator for Steelers preseason games and the main studio analyst for Steelers pre-game coverage. Batch holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Eastern Michigan University and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Robert Morris University. As a professional speaker, he delivers presentations on teamwork, leadership, and entrepreneurship to corporate and nonprofit audiences, with speeches such as "Expect Your Best" and "From Sweat Suit to Business Suit: It's Never Too Early to Plan Your Next Success." Batch's career spans professional football, philanthropy, sports broadcasting, and community leadership.