 The change ended up paying dividends later, as Miami earned a 48–25 overall record in six seasons under Hoeppner and finished among the top three in the Mid-American Conference East in each of his six years at the helm.While at Miami, Hoeppner recruited and signed Ben Roethlisberger by promising to play him at quarterback, whereas other programs were recruiting Roethlisberger as a wide receiver or a tight end.Roethlisberger went on to achieve great success in the NFL as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, despite being considered too overweight to be a quarterback.