Recently, several Pittsburgh Steelers legends like Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, John Stallworth, and Joey Porter came together for the 2026 Mel Blount Youth Home All-Star Celebrity Roast on Friday, April 17. Every year, the organization honors an individual or a team. In 2024, it was former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, and lastly, it was the 1974 Super Bowl-winning Steelers team. Following the trend, the organization also honored a former Super Bowl winner this year. It was former quarterback Charlie Batch, whom the organization deemed fit for the honor.

“I wanted to show Charlie how much I respect and appreciate who he is, what he represents as a former Steelers player, as a man, especially as a Black athlete,” said Mel Blount. “I’ve always watched him. I thought this was the time for the Pittsburgh community to really see this person for who he is and how valuable he is to the community, and also the Steelers, even though he’s not a player anymore.”

Each year, the organization honors an individual who has made a positive impact, often through their own foundation work or community service. This year, they decided to honor Batch for all the work he has done to help others. Batch has been extensively involved in community work, especially through his foundation, Best of Batch.

He founded the organization in 1999 to fulfill a promise to his younger sister, Danyl Settles. Settles lost her life after coming under crossfire between rival gangs in Homestead. Batch has spent more than 25 years looking after the community, especially the youth. Batch and his wife, Latasha, have helped the foundation chart a path that has brought educational and athletic programming to more than 3,800 children.

These children fall under the age group of 4 to 18 across 22 school districts in nine Southwestern Pennsylvania counties. The foundation also provides scholarships for better education facilities. With the number of children increasing since the foundation’s inception, the foundation has also expanded to include a state-of-the-art 33,000 square-foot facility. With such achievements, it was hard to overlook Batch for the honor.

The two-time Super Bowl winner has attended the event several times. He has seen several notable personalities getting honored during the event. But he never imagined that he would be an honoree and stand beside all the legendary figures of the Steelers. As a result, he was pretty excited about getting honored.

“It’s humbling to be honored by Mel because I know the amount of work that he puts into what he’s doing with the youth home and the programs they have,” said Charlie Batch. “I’ve seen it first-hand… I have been at his event so many times, but being the honoree, it’s an honor.”

Batch has thanked all the old-generation Steelers for setting a path for younger generations. He himself grew up watching Blount, Bradshaw, and Jerome Bettis. So, getting honored in their presence is a huge achievement for him. On top of that, he got to experience Bradshaw as the Master of Ceremonies for the second year in a row. Despite the star-studded lineup at the event, Batch was still a bit worried.

Charlie Batch was worried that his wife might take the stage

Not everyone can claim that Mel Blount’s foundation has honored them. Following the 2026 event, Mel Blount’s foundation honored Charlie Batch, who can claim to be one of those individuals. But despite being the guest of honor, he was also to be roasted at the event. But neither of those facts worried him as much as his wife getting on stage.

“Probably my wife,” Batch said. “I hope they don’t call her up here. They kept everything tight on how they are going to do the pecking order.”

With Batch being the honoree, it was his time to get roasted. He is not new to getting roasted, as he experienced it multiple times during his school years. But he was worried his wife might take the stage at the Wyndham Grand Hotel last Friday. She is the closest to him and could have spilled a few embarrassing incidents in front of the crowd. Thankfully, it did not come to that. It turned out to be a pretty fun, glamorous, and star-studded night in Pittsburgh.

While it was a great event, the roast was not the main point. Each year, the Mel Blount Youth Home All-Star Celebrity Roast raises funds for the Mel Blount Youth Leadership Initiative, which provides mentorship and programs for youth. Similar to Batch, Blount also regularly gives back to the community through his organization. But unlike Batch, he founded it after retirement.

Charlie Batch is a Steel City legend, like the others. Although he is a Pennsylvania native, the Detroit Lions drafted him out of Eastern Michigan in 1998. But it was not long before he returned to Pittsburgh. In 2002, he signed with the Steelers and spent the rest of his career with them. Although retired, the former quarterback and his wife are quite active with Best of Batch, which ultimately earned them this honor. It will surely motivate them to continue their good work.