Though he hasn't been a Pittsburgh Steeler for 30 years, Terry Hanratty can identify with the current Super Bowl squad.

The Butler graduate is a longtime friend of Jerome Bettis, a fellow Notre Dame alumnus.

The former Steelers quarterback also has tremendous respect for Ben Roethlisberger and the immediate success and impact he's had on the team.

Roethlisberger was 13-0 as a starter for the 15-1 Steelers in his first year. Hanratty was 1-13 in his rookie year with the club.

"I'm not envious of Ben at all. I'm happy for the guy," Hanratty said. "I wouldn't wish 1-13 on anybody."

Hanratty was with the Steelers during their first two Super Bowl runs and compares the 2005 Pittsburgh team to those squads.

"The key to football at any level is having a strong offensive line and a great defense," he said. "If you have those two things, you can control the game, and that's the way we won those Super Bowls.

"That's also the way the Steelers are winning now."

Hanratty said life is all about timing.

"When I came in and Terry (Bradshaw) came in, there was no tradition," he said. "There were 40 years of losing. Ben joined a team that was accustomed to winning and whose emphasis was on the run.

"Those two things really helped him succeed. But he's also had a lot to do with his own success. I'm impressed by his presence in the pocket. He handles pressure so well and doesn't panic like other young quarterbacks.

"Ben Roethlisberger will take a hit to make a play. That's what you have to do because the game moves so fast at that level," Hanratty added.

Hanratty and Bettis met through their connection to Notre Dame. Mike Kelly, a Butler graduate, resident and longtime friend of Hanratty, was a teammate of his at Notre Dame.

Kelly has never met Bettis, however.

"I've heard nothing but good things about him," Kelly said. "He left school early to join the pros, then came back to get his degree.

"People tell me he's so down-to-earth. He doesn't have that air about him like so many other professional athletes today."

Hanratty concurred.

"Jerome Bettis might be the nicest human being ever," he said. "My 12-year-old son, Conor, adores the guy. And Jerome has always been great with him.

"When Bettis lost that fumble in Indianapolis, Conor's face turned white. Neither one of us could believe that might be his last carry in the NFL."

Hanratty brings his son to one Steelers game each season, usually late in the campaign.

Conor is a lineman on the youth football team that his father coaches.

At 5-foot-7, 165 pounds, Hanratty's son plays basketball as well and can pitch a baseball 70 miles per hour.

"He's a Jerome Bettis himself, as big as he is," Hanratty said. "Between Conor's football and basketball season is the only time we can come down for a game.

"We go over to practice that week, the whole bit. Jerome always spends time with us. … He's one of those guys who recognizes it doesn't take much time to simply be a nice person."

While Hanratty said it's a virtual guarantee Bettis will retire if the Steelers win the Super Bowl, he's not so sure otherwise.

"The average career of a NFL running back is three and a half years and Bettis has lasted 13 years," he said. "And he's either inflicting contact or taking contact every time he carries the ball.

"I know he's tired, but a lot of guys just don't want to give it up. Football is still a kid's game and we all want to be a kid as long as we can."