Pittsburgh Review

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch will be recognized this summer with his induction into the National High School Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025. Batch, who joined the Steelers in 2002 and spent 11 seasons with the team, was a member of their Super Bowl XL and XLIII championship teams.

Batch's high school football career began at Steel Valley in Homestead, Pennsylvania. He started for Steel Valley in 1990 and 1991, leading them to a No. 1 ranking and reaching the WPIAL Class AA semifinals during his senior year. In recognition of his contributions, he was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2019.

Reflecting on his induction news, Batch expressed surprise: "I was definitely shocked when I received the news," he said. "I was like, wow. You just never think about that, especially the further removed you are from high school." He added that being nominated and accepted is "definitely humbling."

After high school, Batch played college football at Eastern Michigan before being drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons with them before joining his hometown Steelers.

Batch emphasized how important those formative years were for him: "When you're young, you just want to be around your friends and sports allows you to do that," he noted. Recalling playing at Three Rivers Stadium as a youth, he described it as a significant experience: "To ultimately play there was really cool."

The Class of 2025 will be officially enshrined in Canton, Ohio on June 14.