2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Rankings
The Panthers found themselves in the "others receiving votes" category of the major polls throughout the first half of the season, and they officially moved into the Top 25 rankings in all four of the major polls following their October 16 victory at Rutgers. The Panthers climbed several move positions in each poll the following week as a result of their victory over South Florida.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Schedule
The official Big East schedule was released on March 6, and the Panthers' schedule includes five nationally televised games. The times of the two weeknight games on the schedule, at Louisville and at Rutgers, were announced with the initial release schedule. The Panthers' home intraconference games include Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida, and Syracuse; the away games include West Virginia, Louisville, and Rutgers.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Schedule
The Panthers nonconference games had been scheduled well in advance of the 2009 season, but the conference games took longer to schedule due to the difficulty some Big East teams had when trying to schedule their own nonconference opponents. The scheduled times for Pitt's first three games of the season were announced on July 7. A month later, on August 7, it was announced that the game against NC State was scheduled for 3:30 pm and to be broadcast nationally by ESPNU.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Schedule
On October 26, the Syracuse game was announced as a noon kickoff for ESPNU, and on November 2, the Notre Dame game was announced as an 8:00 p.m. prime time telecast on ABC.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Youngstown State
The 2009 season opener against Youngstown State was the Penguins' first trip to Pittsburgh since 2005, when they were defeated by the Panthers by a score of 41–0 in the first-ever meeting between the schools. In this, the second matchup between the schools, the Panthers again won handily, this time by a score of 38–3. The Panthers were led by true freshman running back Dion Lewis, who had fifteen carries for 132 yards in the first half. Their Panthers played both of their top two quarterbacks.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Youngstown State
Bill Stull, a fifth‑year senior and the returning starter, played for the entire first half and a portion of the third quarter and was booed by the home fans on several occasions, likely because of his on‑field struggles dating back to the previous season. Redshirt freshman Tino Sunseri played the remainder of the game. The Panthers outgained the Penguins 390–159 on the day.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Buffalo
The Panthers traveled to Buffalo to take on the Bulls, who were coming off a 23–17 Week 1 win at UTEP, in a game that was both the Panthers' first-ever trip to Buffalo and first road game of the season. The Panthers defeated the Bulls 54–27 and took advantage of four Bulls turnovers, which led to 27 Panther points, with linebacker Greg Williams returning one fumble 50 yards for a touchdown. The Panther offense gained 381 yards and committed no turnovers.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Buffalo
Dion Lewis had his second straight 100-yard rushing game, gaining 236 total yards and scoring two touchdowns, including an 85-yard touchdown run, and Dorin Dickerson finished with eight catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns. The Panthers' 54 points was the highest offensive output during Dave Wannstedt's tenure at Pitt, which began in 2005; it was Pitt's highest output since scoring 55 points against Temple in 1999.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Buffalo
However, the Bulls gained 500 yards of total offense on the day, and Buffalo quarterback Zach Maynard, who was making only his second career start, threw for 400 yards, a Buffalo record dating back to their re-ascension to Division I-A/FBS in 1999, and four touchdowns, which tied a Buffalo record during the same time, connecting with wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt on touchdowns of 67 and 54 yards. Pitt was penalized 11 times for 119 yards. Panthers starting free safety Andrew Taglianetti, who recovered a fumble in the first quarter, left the game with a torn ACL in his left knee and is taking a medical redshirt for the season.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Navy
The Panthers and Midshipmen face one another for the third consecutive season and have traded road victories over the previous two meetings, the Panthers winning 42–21 in Annapolis in 2008 and the Midshipmen winning 48–45 in overtime in Pittsburgh in 2007. The 2009 meeting was much lower scoring, the Panthers coming out on top 27–14. The win saw the Panthers improve their record to 3–0, the team's best start since 2000. The Midshipmen were expected to pass the ball with greater effectiveness under new quarterback Ricky Dobbs, but Navy was held to 89 passing yards.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Navy
Navy led the nation in rushing yards per game during the previous four seasons as well as through the first three weeks of 2009, but were held to only 129 rushing yards against the Panthers, significantly lower than their 240-yard average coming into the game. The Pitt offense was much more effective than the Midshipmen, outgaining them 369–218.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Navy
Bill Stull, who saw limited action in the second half, finished the day 17-for-24 with 245 yards through the air, including 20 to himself when he caught his own tipped pass out of the air and scrambled downfield, almost scoring a touchdown; he almost scored a touchdown on the play but turned the ball over when he fumbled and Navy recovered at their own one yard line. Stull was 12-for-14 with 189 yards and one touchdown in the first half.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Navy
Dion Lewis didn't quite have the same strong statistical performance, compiling 79 yards and one touchdown on the ground, but Navy linebacker Ross Pospisil complimented Lewis after the game, saying that he "thought Dion Lewis was almost as a good as McCoy", referring to LeSean McCoy's 156-yard, three-touchdown game against Navy in 2008. True freshman middle linebacker Dan Mason made his first start and made 11 tackles, including two sacks, which earned him Big East Defensive Player of the Week honors.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, NC State
Pitt's trip to NC State was the Panthers' first trip to Raleigh since 1988 when the Panthers lost to the Wolfpack, 14–3, and the first overall matchup between the schools since the 2001 Tangerine Bowl, where the Panthers defeated the Wolfpack 34–19. Coming into the game, Pitt held a 5–2–1 advantage over NC State, dating back to the schools' first matchup in 1952.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, NC State
The Panthers seized an early advantage in the game, jumping out to a 10–0 lead within the first six minutes of the game. The Panthers received the opening kickoff and were set up just across midfield after a Cameron Saddler return; the Panthers then scored the opening touchdown after only a four-play drive that was aided by a 15-yard personal foul penalty against NC State. The Wolfpack went three-and-out, and the Panthers second possession ended with a 35-yard field goal by Dan Hutchins.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, NC State
Going forward through the third quarter, both teams moved the ball on offense with relative ease and at which point the Panthers offense would fail to continue to produce. The teams ultimately combined for 830 total yards by the end of the game. NC State's Russell Wilson led the way, throwing for 322 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 91 yards. Wilson came into the game holding the NCAA record for pass attempts without an interception, and he increased his record by not throwing an interception against the Panthers.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, NC State
The Panthers had built a 14-point lead near the end of the third quarter after Bill Stull connected with Jon Baldwin for a 79-yard pass, but the Panthers never scored again as NC State scored three consecutive touchdowns for the 38–31 win. The Wolfpack's come-from-behind scores came on drives of 45, 83, and 71 yards.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, South Florida
The October 24 game against South Florida was Pitt's homecoming, and the Panthers were seeking their first 7–1 start since 1982. The game was expected to be close and competitive, but the Panthers dominated throughout, winning 41–14. Pitt jumped out to a 31–7 lead by the end of the first half, in which Pitt scored on all five of its offensive possessions – four touchdowns and one field goal. Bill Stull, who finished 18 of 25 for 245 yards and two touchdown passes, wasn't sacked on the day and completed his first 11 passes of the game. Following the game, Stull gave the credit for the team's success on offense to his teammates, citing their ability to both block Bulls defenders as well as get open for passes.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, South Florida
Dion Lewis continued his strong freshman campaign by adding yards and two touchdowns, topping 1,000 for the season in the process.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Game summaries, Cincinnati
The winner of the 2009 River City Rivalry, the Cincinnati Bearcats won the Big East Conference and earned the conference berth in the Bowl Championship Series, while Pitt's loss dropped the team to tie third in the conference with West Virginia after West Virginia defeated Rutgers that same day. After the loss, Pitt lead the all-time series against Cincinnati, 7–2, with the Bearcats winning the previous year.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Postseason, Awards
Several Panthers earned accolades following the close of the regular season with ten players earning first- or second-team honors in the Big East Conference. Additionally, tight end Dorin Dickerson was one of three finalists for the Mackey Award, which was won by Aaron Hernandez of Florida. Offensive line coach Tony Wise was also named the Offensive Line Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.com.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Postseason, Awards, All-Americans
Dickerson was also named as a first team 2009 College Football All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and CBS Sports. Dickerson was the third All-American from Pitt in four seasons and the first All-American tight end from Pitt since Mike Ditka in 1960. CBS Sports also named Dion Lewis as their Freshman of the Year and a second-team All-American. Dickerson and several other teammates were also named to various other All-America teams.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Postseason, Awards, Big East Conference awards
The Big East Conference awards were awarded by vote among conference coaches and were announced on December 9. True freshman Dion Lewis won two major conference awards, Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, the first player to win two Big East awards since Michael Vick of Virginia Tech in 1999. Additionally, voting for the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award finished in a tie between the Panther duo of Mick Williams and Greg Romeus, who shared the award.


2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team, Postseason, Awards, Big East Conference awards
The Panthers on the all-Big East first and second teams are:


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 128th season of the franchise and the 123rd in the National League. This was their ninth season at PNC Park. The season is the franchise's second season under the management of John Russell. With this season, the Pirates became the first franchise in professional sports to have a losing record in 17 consecutive seasons, passing the Philadelphia Phillies of 1933–1948 with 16. The Pirates finished sixth and last in the National League Central with a record of 62–99.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The Pirates were attempting to improve on their 2008 record, and conquer a winning record and make it to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. However, after going 11-10 in April, the Pirates suffered losing streaks. After an 8 game losing streak on May 3–10, the Pirates never reached above the .500 mark again, and failed to reach their goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Off-season
The organization fired pitching coach Jeff Andrews and first-base coach Lou Frazier the day after the 2008 season concluded, but are expected to retain the rest of the staff through 2009. In October 2008, Joe Kerrigan—previously of the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies—was hired as the new pitching coach, while Perry Hill became the first base coach. On November 24, the Pirates signed Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh of India. The pair participated in the Million Dollar Arm, a contest held in their home country to discover who out of the 30,000 contestants had the strongest, most accurate arm. Having never heard of baseball prior to 2007, both Patel and Singh can throw over 90 mph. The pair will participate at spring training. Management plans to keep closer observations of players' off-season workouts.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Off-season
Pirates' radio announcer of 33 years, Lanny Frattare, retired prior to the season. Tim Neverett, formerly of Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, was selected to replace him after a search of approximately 200 candidates. In January 2009, the team held its sixth PirateFest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The three-day event was attended by 15,127 people, and increased the number of season ticket packages purchased from the 2008 season.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Off-season
President Frank Coonelly stated that the team had fallen behind the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Penguins from a "marketing and business perspective", but are "...working hard to get ourselves back up to where we belong both in Major League Baseball and Pittsburgh." The Pirates added sleeves to their uniform, and added an alternate uniform with a gold-colored P on the chest which will be worn during select games.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Spring training
The Pirates pre-season schedule consisted of 35 games in Bradenton, Florida, including two evening games and a game against the Netherlands national baseball team. When pitchers and catchers reported on February 13, three of twelve pitching positions were set: starter Paul Maholm, set-up man John Grabow, and closer Matt Capps. The Pirates entered spring training with 21 of 40 different players from 2008 spring training; among those were Eric Hinske, Ramón Vázquez, and Jason Jaramillo who were acquired during the off-season. Beginning March 5, Ian Snell, Ramón Vázquez, and John Grabow represented their countries in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Spring training
The Pirates finished spring training with a 17–15 record. "It gives us some confidence", said John Russell, "We worked hard all spring." The Pirates opening day salary was US$50,984,000. The Pirates finalized their opening day roster two days prior to the season opener (asterisk noting new players for the 2009 season):


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, April
The Pirates opened the season with a 6–4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, scoring four runs in the final inning to win their third consecutive come-from-behind opening day game. The Pirates had 17 hits two games later to beat the Cardinals 7–4, but were held to one hit the next day and split their opening series two games to two. Rain shortened the Pirates' series in Cincinnati to two games; Pittsburgh won the first game 10–2 after Ryan Doumit hit his first career grand slam in the final inning.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, April
On April 13, the Pirates completed the league's first triple play of the season and the Pirates' first in 16 years; however, they lost the game 2–0. In the team's home opener on April 13, Zach Duke pitched a complete game shutout, as the Pirates defeated the Houston Astros, 7–0. In the game, both the Pirates and the Astros wore Pittsburgh Police hats in honor of three officers who were shot and killed on April 4.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, April
The pre-game ceremonies honored the officers, as well as former Pirates pitcher and current broadcaster Steve Blass for this 50th season with the team, and included a flyover by four Apache helicopters from the 1/104th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. In the first Saturday afternoon game in Pittsburgh since 2005, Craig Monroe hit two three-run home runs in consecutive innings to give the Pirates their first back-to-back victories of the season.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, April
On April 21, catcher Ryan Doumit announced that surgery was needed to fix a broken bone in his wrist, and that he would miss eight to ten weeks. Later in the day, the Pirates beat the Florida Marlins 3–2, taking them two games above .500 since the first series of the 2007 season. The following day the Pirates swept the Marlins for the first time since 2005, giving Pittsburgh their best start through 15 games since 2002. The Pirates took two games out of three against the San Diego Padres, before closing April by getting swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. Andy LaRoche hit safely in a career high 11 games during the later part of the month.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, April
Pittsburgh finished the month with an 11–10 record—the first time since 2002 that the team was over .500 at April's end. The team was tied for third place in the NL Central division, four games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the month with the league's best record. The pitching staff posted a league-low 3.41 earned run average (ERA), due in part to first-year pitching coach Joe Kerrigan teaching pitchers to base pitches on hitters' tendencies.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, May
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Pirates in two games out of three at PNC Park to open May. The concluding two games of the homestand saw the Pirates lose their 16 and 17th consecutive games to the Milwaukee Brewers—the second longest streak of any team over another in MLB history. The Pirates were swept during a two-game series in St. Louis—the losses extended Pittsburgh's losing streak to five consecutive road games and nine out of their past ten overall.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, May
The Pirates were swept by the New York Mets in their first series at New York's Citi Field, extending their losing streak to eight consecutive games. The Pirates returned home to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in two out of three games. On May 13, Adam LaRoche became the first player in MLB history to have a home run taken away due to instant replay, during a procedure put into effect in August 2008. The Pirates concluded their homestand by taking two games out of three against the Colorado Rockies—finishing their homestand with a 4–2 record.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, May
In the final game of the Rockies's series Pittsburgh scored ten runs in one inning for the first time since August 2003. The Pirates won three out of four games against the Washington Nationals, extending their winning streak to five games. The Pirates continued their road trip with six games in Chicago—becoming the first team in MLB history to play the Cubs and White Sox in back-to-back series since interleague play began in 1997.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, May
After losing their first two games of the first interleague series of the season against the White Sox, Jack Wilson hit his first home run of the year to tie the final game of the series with two outs in the final inning; Nyjer Morgan scored the winning run later in the inning. On May 25, Freddy Sanchez became the first Pirate to acquire six hits in one game since Wally Backman in 1990, as the Pirates defeated the Cubs. The Pirates lost two out of three games against the Cubs, scoring a total of three runs in their losses.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, May
The Pirates concluded the month by losing two games out of three to the Houston Astros. Nate McLouth hit a home run to lead off the final game of the month, but the Pirates score any other runs, losing 2–1. Throughout May the Pirates accumulated an 11–17 record, finishing 20–28 overall for the season. The team was in fifth place in the National League Central division.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, June
The Pirates began the month with a four-game series against the New York Mets, although it was shortened to three games when the June 3 game was postponed. The Pirates won all three games that were played. On June 4, the Pirates traded All Star Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves for three minor league players, including future starting pitcher Charlie Morton. Later in the day, the team promoted outfielder Andrew McCutchen from AAA Indianapolis, who became the team's regular starting center fielder.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, June
The Pirates then dropped two of three to the Astros in Houston, and two of four to the Atlanta Braves before returning home for the start of Interleague play. They took two games from the Tigers before going on another road series, first to Minnesota (where they only won one game), and then to Colorado (where they were swept). They then came back home to win two of three against both the Cleveland Indians and the Kansas City Royals.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, June
In the game against the Royals on June 26, starting pitcher Virgil Vasquez earned his first win in his major league debut. The Pirates then played a three-game series against Chicago which stretched into July, which they lost two games to three. On June 30, starting center fielder Nyjer Morgan and relief pitcher Sean Burnett were traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan. Hanrahan was put on the starting roster immediately, but Milledge was forced to go through a series of rehab-starts in AAA Indianapolis before being called up, due to an existing injury.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, June
During this month, the city's National Hockey League team, the Penguins, won the Stanley Cup, which coupled with the team's struggles and the National Football League's Steelers winning the Super Bowl back in February, led to a running joke that dubbed the city to be the "City of Champions. And the Pirates".


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, July
The Pirates lost the first game of the month against the Cubs, then played the Mets in the make-up of the postponed June 3 game. They lost 9–8 in 10 innings, despite having tied up the game off of All-Star closer Francisco Rodríguez. The Pirates then went to Florida to face the Marlins, and lost two games to three. They fared no better on their trip to Houston, where they also won only one game, and then they were swept by the Phillies in their next series.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, July
On July 17, in the first of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, reliever Evan Meek picked up his first win of the season in a 14-inning game. They also won the next game, though they would lose the series finale. On July 20, in the first of a three-game series against the Brewers, the benches were cleared in the eighth inning when Milwaukee pitcher Chris Smith hit Pittsburgh reliever Jeff Karstens with a pitch. The Pirates won that game 8–5, and the series 2–1.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, July
Their next road trip took them to Atlanta, where they dropped three of five, and then to San Francisco, where they were swept. Before the final game of the series on July 29, the Pirates traded veteran shortstop Jack Wilson to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for future starting shortstop Ronny Cedeño and four Minor League players. After the game, the Pirates traded three-time All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez to the Giants for minor league pitcher Tim Alderson. On July 31, the Pirates returned home for a four-game series against the Nationals which stretched into August.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, August
Though they won the games on both July 31 and August 1, the Pirates lost the next two games to split the series 2–2. This started an eight-game losing streak, against the Nationals, the Diamondbacks, and the Cardinals, which ended August 11 when the Pirates defeated the Rockies in Colorado. They lost the next two against the Rockies, and the next two against the Cubs. The August 16 game in Chicago was postponed because of rain. Returning home, the Pirates swept the Brewers and took two of three from the Reds and Phillies. The Pirates didn't win a game the rest of the month, being swept by the Brewers and the Reds in a series stretching into September.


2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season, Regular season, September
The Pirates opened the month of September losing both games in a doubleheader against the Reds. They then returned home to play the Cardinals, against whom they won one game out of three. They then lost the first game of a three-game series against the Cubs, giving them their 82nd loss, and setting the record for most consecutive losing seasons in any sport since the 1933–1948 Philadelphia Phillies.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 77th season in the National Football League (NFL). They were coming off a season in which they compiled a 12–4 regular season record and capped the season by winning the franchise's record sixth Super Bowl. The team's coaching staff remained the same for the third consecutive year.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season
As the defending champions, the Steelers opened the season by hosting the NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday, September 10, 2009, which was an overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans. The team compiled a 6–2 record over the season's first half, but then began a five-game losing streak which included losses to all three division opponents. Three late wins led to a 9–7 record, but the team failed to qualify for the playoffs. This was the third straight time the team has missed the playoffs following a Super Bowl victory; 1980 and 2006 being the previous two.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity
The front office's major goals coming into the off-season were to retain the bulk of the team's own free agents and to look to add talent primarily through the draft rather than free agent acquisitions. This has been the team's primary philosophy since Chuck Noll took over as head coach in 1969.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity
The other major item on the team's agenda was to extend the contracts of a few of the players who were coming into the final year of their contracts – chief among these were linebacker and 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison, tight end Heath Miller, and tackle Max Starks.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity
Management completed the highest-priority item on its off-season checklist by reaching agreement with Harrison on a six-year, $51.175 million contract, which includes $20 million in guaranteed money. The team was also successful in extending the contracts of Starks (four years, $26.3 million) and Miller (six years, $35.3 million) both of whom were potential free agents after the season. Additionally, contract extension were completed with receiver Hines Ward (five years, $22.1 million), guard Chris Kemoeatu (five years, $20 million), center Justin Hartwig (4 years, $10 million) and defensive end Brett Kiesel (5 years, $18.885 million).


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity
The team's primary needs coming into the 2009 season were considered to be shoring up the offensive line and improving performance on special teams, primarily at kick returner. In addition, they were forced to address the loss through free agency of two key contributors: starting cornerback Bryant McFadden and number three wide receiver Nate Washington. The front office and coaching staff also had to focus on uncovering for eventual replacements for some aging cogs: defensive end Aaron Smith and cornerback Deshea Townsend, who were 33 and 34 respectively at the start of the season. ESPN's Matt Williamson ranked the team's pre-draft needs as (in order), defensive end, offensive tackle, wide receiver and cornerback.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity, Free agents signed
Players from the 2008 team who have signed new contracts with the Steelers:


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity, Free agents signed
Players not with the 2008 team who have been signed for 2009


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity, Free agents signed
Players who signed with the team in 2009, but did not make the 53-man roster


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Off season activity, Practice squad players
2008 practice squad players who signed new reserve contracts, but didn't make final 53-man roster:


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, 2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was held on April 25 and 26, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. In addition to their own draft picks, the team also had the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seventh-round selection (#226 overall) which they received in a trade prior to the 2008 season for offensive lineman Sean Mahan  and a compensatory pick at the end of the 5th round.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, 2009 NFL Draft
During the draft, the Steelers traded their second-round (#64 overall) and fourth-round (#132) picks to the Denver Broncos in exchange for Denver's third-round (#79) and Chicago's third-round (#84) picks.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Schedule, Preseason
The Steelers opened their preseason schedule on August 13 with a re-match of Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Schedule, Regular season
The Steelers' opponents for the 2009 season are based on the NFL's predetermined scheduling formula. The combined 2008 record of the Steelers' 2009 opponents was 110–144–2 (.434 winning percentage). By this measure the Steelers have the fourth easiest schedule in the league – only the Packers, Vikings and Bears opponents have a worse cumulative 2008 winning percentage. The Packers, Vikings and Bears play two games each against the Lions, who finished 0–16 in 2008.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Schedule, Regular season
As the defending Super Bowl champion, the Steelers hosted the kickoff game for the 2009 season on Thursday, September 10, at 8:30 p.m. EDT. Their opponent for the kickoff game was the Tennessee Titans.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Schedule, Regular season
The Pittsburgh Steelers won the first game of the 2009 season in overtime over the Tennessee Titans on September 10, 2009 at 11:48 pm EDT with a field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Standings
The 2009 season was the Steelers' eighth as members of the AFC North Division.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans
With their Super Bowl title to defend, the Steelers began their season at home in the annual kickoff game against the Tennessee Titans. After a scoreless first quarter, Pittsburgh would get their first score of the season as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Super Bowl XLIII MVP wide receiver Santonio Holmes near the end of the second quarter. The Titans would respond with quarterback Kerry Collins completing a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Justin Gage. Just prior to halftime, pro-bowl safety Troy Polamalu went to the locker room after suffering a knee injury. He would not return to the field and it would later be revealed that he strained his MCL.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans
After a scoreless third quarter, Tennessee would take the lead in the fourth quarter as kicker Rob Bironas got a 45-yard field goal. Pittsburgh would tie the game as kicker Jeff Reed made a 32-yard field goal. With time running out, the Steelers drove down the field again, and lost the ball to a rare Hines Ward fumble, allowing the Titans to run the game into overtime.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans
In overtime, the Steelers won the cointoss and never relinquished the ball. In the end, Pittsburgh emerged victorious as Reed nailed the game-winning 33-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans
With the win, the Steelers began their season at 1–0.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 1: vs. Tennessee Titans
This also marked the first time that the Steelers were able to win against Collins.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 2: at Chicago Bears
Coming off their season-opening win over the Titans, the Steelers flew to Soldier Field for a Week 2 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears. In the first quarter, Pittsburgh struck first as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Spaeth. However, in the second quarter, the Bears answered with quarterback Jay Cutler completing a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 2: at Chicago Bears
Pittsburgh would regain their lead in the third quarter as Roethlisberger got a 2-yard touchdown run, but in the fourth quarter, two missed field goals from kicker Jeff Reed would lead to Cutler's 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Johnny Knox and kicker Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 3: at Cincinnati Bengals
Following a tough road loss against the Bears, the Steelers flew to Paul Brown Stadium for a Week 3 AFC North duel with the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh would strike first in the first quarter with kicker Jeff Reed's 19-yard field goal and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 27-yard touchdown pass to running back Willie Parker. The Steelers would add onto their lead in the second quarter as Reed made a 34-yard field goal. The Bengals would close out the half with kicker Shayne Graham's 34-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 3: at Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati would creep closer in the third quarter as cornerback Johnathan Joseph returned an interception 30 yards for a touchdown (with a failed PAT), yet Pittsburgh answered with Roethlisberger's 1-yard touchdown run. However, in the fourth quarter, the Bengals took the lead with running back Cedric Benson's 23-yard touchdown run (with a failed 2-point conversion) and quarterback Carson Palmer's 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Andre Caldwell (with a successful 2-point conversion pass to running back Brian Leonard). The Steelers tried to rally, but Roethlisberger's last-second hail mary pass was incomplete, preserving the defeat.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 3: at Cincinnati Bengals
With the loss, Pittsburgh fell to 1–2 and 3rd place in the AFC North. This would also become the team's first 1–2 start since 2006.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 3: at Cincinnati Bengals
Wide receiver Hines Ward (4 receptions, 82 yards) would become the 21st player in NFL history to surpass 800 career receptions and 10,000 receiving yards.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers
Hoping to snap a two-game losing skid, the Steelers went home, donned their throwback uniforms, and prepared for a Week 4 Sunday night duel with the San Diego Chargers. Pittsburgh got off to a fast start in the opening half with running back Rashard Mendenhall (filling in for the injured Willie Parker) helping out the cause on a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, followed by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Mewelde Moore. The Steelers would carry their fast start into the second quarter as Mendenhall got a 2-yard touchdown run.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers
In the third quarter, Pittsburgh picked up where they left off, with Roethlisberger completing a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller. The Chargers would get on the board with quarterback Philip Rivers' 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates. In the fourth quarter, San Diego began to play catch-up with a special teams play. Fullback Jacob Hester would strip return specialist Stefan Logan of the ball and go 41 yards for a touchdown. The Steelers came right back with a trick play, as Moore completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Miller.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers
However, the Chargers would slash away at the Steelers' lead, with Rivers completing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gates and a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Chambers. Pittsburgh would answer the call with kicker Jeff Reed booting a 46-yard field goal, followed by linebacker James Harrison causing a sack and a fumble. It would allow linebacker James Farrior to recover the fumble and secure the victory.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers
With the win, not only did the Steelers improve to 2–2, but they also extended their regular-season home-game winning streak over San Diego to 13-straight.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 4: vs. San Diego Chargers
Mendenhall would have a career night, with 29 carries for 165 yards, in addition to his two rushing touchdowns.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 5: at Detroit Lions
Following a close victory over the Chargers, the Steelers traveled to Ford Field for a Week 5 interconference duel with the 1–3 Detroit Lions. Despite the Lions getting the opening score of the first quarter with a 46-yard field goal from kicker  Jason Hanson, Pittsburgh would answer with running back Rashard Mendenhall's 7-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, Detroit closed out the opening period with Hanson making another 46-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the Steelers would deliver a big strike with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller. Even though the Lions came right back with cornerback Williams James returning an interception 38 yards for a touchdown, Pittsburgh effectively replied with Roethlisberger's 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 5: at Detroit Lions
In the third quarter, the Steelers would add onto their lead as Roethlisberger threw to rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace on a 47-yard touchdown pass. Detroit tried to rally in the fourth quarter as quarterback Daunte Culpepper found wide receiver Dennis Northcutt on a 25-yard touchdown pass, but Pittsburgh's defense made a crucial stand with three-straight sacks (courtesy of linebacker LaMarr Woodley, cornerback William Gay, and linebacker Lawrence Timmons), followed by cornerback Ike Taylor swatting away the Lions' last hope from a hail-mary pass.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns
Coming off their road win over the Lions, the Steelers went home for a divisional match with the Cleveland Browns. After a scoreless first quarter, Pittsburgh came out striking in the second quarter as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller and a 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward. The Browns immediately struck back as wide receiver Joshua Cribbs returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Pittsburgh would close out the half with a 32-yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland tried to catch up as quarterback Derek Anderson completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to fullback Lawrence Vickers, yet the Steelers answered with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Rashard Mendenhall. Pittsburgh would then close the game out in the fourth quarter with Reed kicking a 39-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns
With their 12th-straight win over the Browns, the Steelers improved to 4–2. With the Ravens' loss to the Vikings, and the Bengals' loss to the Texans that same week, the Steelers are now tied with the Bengals at the top of the AFC North.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Coming off their divisional win over the Browns, the Steelers stayed at home for a Week 7 interconference duel with the 6–0 Minnesota Vikings. Pittsburgh got the game's opening score late in the first quarter with kicker Jeff Reed nailing a 39-yard field goal. The Vikings would answer in the second quarter with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Adrian Peterson, yet the Steelers struck back with Ben Roethlisberger completing a 40-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Both teams would swap field goals in the third quarter, with Reed booting a 27-yard field goal and Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell making an 18-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh defense came up with a huge play as defensive end Brett Keisel forced a fumble off of Vikings quarterback Brett Favre, allowing linebacker LaMarr Woodley to return the fumble 77 yards for a touchdown. However, Minnesota immediately struck back as wide receiver Percy Harvin returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown. The Steelers' defense came up big again as linebacker Keyaron Fox returned a Favre interception 82 yards for a touchdown.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With the win, Pittsburgh went into their bye week at 5–2 while Minnesota dropped to 6–1.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 9: at Denver Broncos
Coming off their bye week, the Steelers flew to INVESCO Field at Mile High for a Week 9 Monday night duel with the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh would trail in the first quarter as the Broncos closed out the game's opening drive with kicker Matt Prater booting a 40-yard field goal, yet the Steelers would answer in the second quarter as safety Tyrone Carter (who filled in for safety Ryan Clark) returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 9: at Denver Broncos
Denver would answer in the third quarter as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked by defensive end Kenny Peterson, which caused a fumble. The ball would be picked up by linebacker Robert Ayers and returned 54 yards for a touchdown. Afterwards, Pittsburgh would answer with Roethlisberger completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hines Ward. In the fourth quarter, the Steelers would pull away as Roethlisberger connected with rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace on a 25-yard touchdown pass, followed completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Ward.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Coming off their impressive Monday night road win over the Broncos, the Steelers went home for a divisional rematch with the Cincinnati Bengals with first place in the division on the line.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
In the first quarter, Pittsburgh would deliver the game's first strike with a 28-yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed. However, the Bengals would immediately answer as running back Bernard Scott returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown (with a failed PAT). The Steelers would regain the lead in the second quarter as Reed got a 33-yard and a 35-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 10: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati would respond in the third quarter as kicker Shayne Graham made a 23-yard and a 32-yard field goal. Pittsburgh would tie the game in the fourth quarter with Reed nailing a 34-yard field goal. However, the Bengals would pull away as Graham booted a 32-yard and a 43-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
After the loss to the Bengals, the Pittsburgh Steelers journeyed to Arrowhead Stadium for a match with the Chiefs.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
At the start of the first quarter Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles returned a kickoff from their own 3-yard line to the Steelers' endzone for a touchdown. In the second quarter Pittsburgh rallied as PK Jeff Reed made a 36-yard field goal, then QB Ben Roethlisberger made an 8-yard touchdown pass to WR Hines Ward, and then Roethlisberger passed to TE Heath Miller 10 yards for a touchdown.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 11: at Kansas City Chiefs
In the third quarter the Chiefs tied the game when QB Matt Cassel made a 21-yard touchdown pass to TE Leonard Pope, and then kicker Ryan Succop made a 22-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter Pittsburgh took the lead as QB Ben Roethlisberger made an 8-yard touchdown pass to RB Rashard Mendenhall, until the Chiefs came back to tie the game as QB Matt Cassel made a two-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Charles to put the game in overtime. Afterwards, it was Kansas City that took the win when kicker Ryan Succop made a 22-yard field goal.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens
Following a shocking loss to the 3–7 Kansas City Chiefs the previous week, the Steelers traveled to M&T Bank Stadium for another divisional game. Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered a concussion in the previous week's overtime loss, was the designated 3rd (emergency) quarterback. Backup Charlie Batch also was hurt in that game, which left 2nd-year QB Dennis Dixon, who previously had one pass in his NFL career, to start.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens
The Steelers received the opening kickoff, but went three-and-out. On the ensuing possession, the Ravens drove down the field with ease, capping off their drive with a touchdown run by Willis McGahee. In the second quarter, Dixon hit WR Santonio Holmes on a play-action pass for a 33-yard TD, tying the game. The Ravens answered on the following drive, with a 52-yard strike from Joe Flacco to Mark Clayton, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens
In the third quarter, on the Ravens opening possession, Mark Clayton made a 9-yard reception but fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Tyrone Carter. The Steelers drove, but were held to a field goal by Jeff Reed. Later in the 4th quarter, Joe Flacco was sacked by Lawrence Timmons and fumbled the ball, recovered by the Steelers near midfield. The drive resulted in a 24-yard run on a QB option by Dixon, giving the Steelers their first lead of the night.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens
On the Ravens next possession Joe Flacco completed a pass to Derrick Mason for 17 yards, and then found Ray Rice for a 44-yard reception, setting the Ravens up inside the Steeler 10 yard line with less than 2 minutes left. Billy Cundiff tied the game with a 24-yard field goal. On the following Steeler possession, Dennis Dixon was nearly intercepted by Lardarius Webb. The Steelers were forced to punt, giving the ball back to the Ravens with about 1:30 left in the game. The Ravens managed to drive to the Steeler 40 yard line, where their drive stalled. With the clock counting inside 10 seconds left and no timeouts, the field goal team managed to get into formation, and get the kick off. The 56 yard attempt by Billy Cundiff was dead center, but about 2 yards short, sending the game into overtime.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens
In overtime, the Steelers won the coin toss and got the ball, but were forced to punt. The Ravens, also forced to punt deep in their own territory, gave the ball to Pittsburgh around the Steeler 40 yard line. On a 3rd and 5, Dennis Dixon threw an interception to LB Paul Kruger, who returned the ball 26 yards to the Steeler 28 yard line. Already in field goal range, the Ravens ran the ball down to the Pittsburgh 11 yard line where Billy Cundiff made a 29-yard field goal to win the game.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens
With their second consecutive overtime loss, the Steelers fell to 6–5.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
Coming off back-to-back losses in overtime, the Steelers looked to turn things around. With the return of Ben Roethlisberger to action, the Steelers hosted the 3–8 Oakland Raiders.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
The Steelers would open with a 33-yard field goal by Jeff Reed. Oakland responded with a 48-yarder by Sebastian Janikowski, and both teams were tied 3–3 as the 2nd quarter began. Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes for a 34-yard TD pass to begin the 2nd quarter. Oakland would put 3 points on the board after a 43-yard field goal halfway through the quarter, and the Steelers headed to Halftime with a 10–6 lead.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
There followed a scoreless third quarter, and in the fourth Pittsburgh's defensive struggles were exploited by the Raiders, who were able to find the end zone three times. Bruce Gradkowski would find Chaz Schilens for a 17-yard TD pass with 8:21 remaining in the game, giving Oakland their first lead of the game, 13–10. Pittsburgh responded just one minute later with a 3-yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall. But Oakland would not be stopped. Gradkowski hit Louis Murphy for a 75-yard TD pass with 5:28 remaining, and the Raiders went up 20–17.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
Roethlisberger would make an 11-yard TD pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 remaining and the Steelers would regain the lead 24–20. All that was needed was for the Steelers' defense to keep Oakland out of the end zone and they would win. But with nine seconds remaining, Gradkowski would once again find Louis Murphy open in the end zone for an 11-yard TD pass and the Raiders would win 27–24.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders
The game would mark the fifth time in six games that the Steelers suffered a 4th quarter collapse, and the second time in three weeks Pittsburgh had fallen to an opponent with a losing record. At the conclusion of the game, the Steelers had allowed seven plays of 40 yards or longer in their last four games (they only gave up two such plays in 2008).


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Cleveland Browns
After losing four games in a row, the Steelers went to Cleveland for a Thursday Night divisional match.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Cleveland Browns
In windy, below-freezing conditions, Browns kicker Phil Dawson hit a 29-yard field goal in the 1st quarter to give the Brown's an early 3–0 lead. He would kick another 29-yarder in the 2nd quarter, and Chris Jennings had a 10-yard touchdown run to put the Browns up 13–0. Jeff Reed kicked a field goal before the half to put the Steelers on the board. They would go into halftime down 13–3.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Cleveland Browns
Jeff Reed would kick another field goal in the 3rd quarter to bring them within a touchdown. However, a scoreless 4th quarter by both teams led the Browns to their first win against the Steelers since 2003, becoming only the fourth team in NFL history to be at least 10 games under .500 and defeat the defending Super Bowl champions.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 14: at Cleveland Browns
With the loss, the Steelers fell to 6–7. It was the first time since the 1987 New York Giants that a defending Super Bowl Champion team suffered five consecutive losses.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
The Steelers would come into the game riding a five-game losing streak. They also no longer controlled their playoff destiny, needing to win their final three games of the season, and also losses by other AFC teams to have a chance for a wild card.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
Pittsburgh would strike on their first play of the game when Ben Roethlisberger hit a wide-open Mike Wallace for a 60-yard TD pass. Green Bay would answer with an 83-yard strike from Aaron Rodgers to Greg Jennings for a TD. The Steelers would cap the 1st quarter with a 2-yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall. In the 2nd quarter, QB Aaron Rodgers was able to scramble out of the pocket for a 14-yard TD run. Ben Roethlisberger would hit Mewelde Moore for a 10-yard TD pass in the final seconds of the 1st Half and the Steelers would take a 21–14 lead into halftime with them.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
The 2nd half got off to a slow start for both teams. Jeff Reed would kick a 37-yard field goal, the only scoring of the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter, it became a shootout between both quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers would hit Jermichael Finley for an 11-yard TD pass. The Steelers answered with a 34-yard field goal, but would lose the lead for the first time in the game when Ryan Grant rushed for a 24-yard score, putting Green Bay up 28–27.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
The Steelers would once again answer with a 43-yard field goal, but Aaron Rodgers would complete a 24-yard TD pass to James Jones and follow it with a successful 2-point conversion attempt. The Steelers, down 36–30, would get the ball back with just 2 minutes left in the game. With just 3 seconds remaining, Ben Roethlisberger would hit Mike Wallace in the left sideline of the endzone (in a TD pass that resembled the Super Bowl-winning catch by Santonio Holmes back in February) and the extra point was good, giving the Steelers a last-second 37–36 win over the Packers.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
Ben Roethlisberger would finish with a record-setting game, going 29/46 for 503 yards and 3 TD passes. He would become the first quarterback in Steelers' franchise history to have a 500-yard game.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
With the last second win, the Steelers would move to 7–7.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Coming off a win over the Green Bay Packers, the Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens in their second matchup of the season. There was much at stake, as the Ravens needed to win to get into the playoffs, and the Steelers needed to win in order to keep their faint playoff hopes alive as well.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Jeff Reed booted 26-yard and 39-yard field goals and Billy Cundiff kicked a 27-yarder to give the Steelers a 6–3 lead as they started the second quarter. The Steelers offense would start rolling, scoring on a 4-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall. Joe Flacco responded with a 30-yard TD pass to Todd Heap. But in the final seconds of the first half, Ben Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes for a 24-yard TD pass, and the Steelers carried a 20–10 lead with them into halftime.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore controlled the third quarter. Flacco hit Heaps for a seven-yard TD pass and Cundiff kicked a 35-yard field goal to tie the game. The fourth quarter saw both defenses step up. Jeff Reed kicked a 38-yard field goal with 5:25 remaining to give the Steelers a 23–20 lead. Baltimore had one more chance to score, but rookie defensive end Ziggy Hood recorded his first career sack and then recovered Flacco's fumble on a fourth and 10 play from the Steelers' 39 with 2:27 remaining. An apparent interception thrown by Roethlisberger was negated by an "illegal block in the back" penalty and the Steelers ran out the clock, securing the win.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens
The win not only prevented Baltimore from clinching a wild card, but kept Pittsburgh's playoff hopes alive as well. They would need to win at Miami in their season finale and also need other teams to lose.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Miami Dolphins
The Steelers' defense averted a fourth-quarter collapse while sending two of Miami's quarterbacks to the sideline, including third-string Pat White, who was hit in the head and carried off the field on a stretcher.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Miami Dolphins
In the first quarter, Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a five-yard TD on their opening possession. Miami responded quickly, when Chad Henne threw an 11-yard pass to Lex Hilliard. A few minutes later, Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace wide open for a 54-yard TD. In the second quarter, Miami's Dan Carpenter kicked a 25-yard field goal and Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 17–10 halftime lead.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Miami Dolphins
The Steelers put the only points on the board in the third quarter, scoring on a three-yard TD pass to Heath Miller. The Steelers carried a 20–10 lead into the fourth quarter, but that would not be enough to allow them to play conservatively. Following Reed's 21-yard field goal to start the final quarter, Miami rallied back with the help of fourth-string quarterback Tyler Thigpen. Brian Hartline rushed for a 16-yard TD run and Thigpen threw a 34-yard TD pass to Davone Bess, drawing the Dolphins back within a field goal of tying the game. Former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter recovered a fumble by Roethlisberger at the Steelers' 13-yard line with 6 minutes remaining, but Thigpen was intercepted at the two-yard line. The Steelers drove 83 yards in the final minutes, ending the game with a 33-yard field goal, and a 30–24 win.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Miami Dolphins
The Steelers' win brought their season-ending winning record to 9–7. The injury-ridden Dolphins had been eliminated from post-season contention minutes earlier when the Texans defeated the Patriots (ensuring that the Dolphins would not play Super Bowl XLIV in their own home). For four hours, the Steelers waited for the Ravens–Raiders game to end, but Baltimore won and got the No. 6 AFC seed, thus preventing the Steelers from attempting to repeat their world title.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
The Pittsburgh Steelers battled many injuries throughout the year. Troy Polamalu only played in five games the entire season, Ben Roethlisberger missed a critical divisional game against the Ravens due to a concussion, Chris Kemoeatu missed four games, Travis Kirschke missed five games, and Aaron Smith missed 10 games.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
The Steelers beat four eventual playoff-bound teams: the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings, the Baltimore Ravens, and the San Diego Chargers. The Steelers' offense gained 369.2 yards a game (263.1 coming through the air, and 106.1 coming on the ground). The Steelers' defense allowed their opponents to compile 305.5 average yards per game, and allowed only an average of 89.3 yards a game on the ground. Ben Roethlisberger was able to set team passing records in the following categories: completion percentage, completions, attempts, and yards. The Steelers defense compiled 47 sacks, and the team finished with 41 total touchdowns and 3 defensive touchdowns.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
However, five of the Steelers seven losses came from blowing leads in the fourth quarter. Had they won those games, they would have finished with a 14–2 record. Five of their losses came consecutively, losing to the Bengals, Chiefs, Ravens, Raiders, and Browns. They finished 2–4 against teams with losing records. Pittsburgh’s special team allowed eight straight kickoff/punt returns for touchdowns. The Steelers also allowed for a 100-yard rusher in Week 16 against Baltimore (Ray Rice, 141-yards), snapping their 33-game streak of not allowing one.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
Ben Roethlisberger was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year. He was the first quarterback in Steelers’ franchise history to throw for 4,000 yards in a season, throwing 26 touchdowns. Rookie of the Year honors went to receiver Mike Wallace, who had 39 receptions for 756-yards and 6 touchdowns. Rashard Mendenhall was awarded Most Improved Player, finishing with 1,108 yards rushing and 8 touchdowns. Defensive Player of the Year went to James Harrison, who finished the season with 79 tackles, 11 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
James Harrison and Casey Hampton were voted to the Pro Bowl, Harrison as a starter and Hampton as a reserve. Lamar Woodley and Heath Miller were added to the Pro Bowl roster as replacements for players who couldn't attend. Ben Roethlisberger, was the first alternate among AFC QBs, but due to a shoulder injury he turned down the opportunity to replace Tom Brady.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
Lamar Woodley was named to the Associated Press (AP) All-Pro second team. James Harrison received the 5th-most votes among outside linebackers in the AP balloting, leaving him just off the second team. However, it was later discovered that Brian Cushing of the Houston Texans, who was named to the AP's second-team at outside linebacker, had tested positive for a banned drug during the season. The AP chose to re-open balloting and Harrison and Lance Briggs of the Chicago Bears leapfrogged Cushing and made the second-team.


2009 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Post-season summary
Other Steelers receiving AP All-pro votes were tackle Willie Colon (1 vote, thirteenth among offensive tackles), nose tackle Casey Hampton (1 vote, sixth among defensive tackles), tight end Heath Miller (1 vote, fifth among tight ends) and placekicker Jeff Reed (1 vote, fourth among kickers). Harrison was named a second team All-Pro by the Sporting News.


2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election
Pittsburgh held a mayoral election on November 3, 2009. Incumbent mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a Democrat, defeated his two independent challengers by a wide margin. The 2009 election was the first regular-cycle election in which Ravenstahl participated; he was originally appointed as an interim mayor to succeed Bob O'Connor and subsequently won a special election in 2007.


2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election, Primary
The primary election was held on May 19, 2009. In the Democratic primary, incumbent Mayor Ravenstahl defeated challengers Patrick Dowd, a Pittsburgh city councilman, and Carmen Robinson, an attorney and former police officer.


2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election, Primary
The Republican primary had no names on the ballot for the office of mayor. Ravenstahl, a Democrat, won the Republican mayoral nomination with 607 write-in votes; no other candidate had the 250 write-in votes required to become the Republican nominee.


2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election, General
Ravenstahl, having been nominated by both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, appeared on the general-election ballot with both affiliations. He was joined by two other candidates: businessman Franco 'Dok' Harris (the son of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris), who ran under the Franco Dok Harris Party, and attorney Kevin Acklin, who ran as an independent. Ravenstahl's relationship with lobbyist John Verbanac became a campaign issue.


2009 Pittsburgh mayoral election, General
Ravenstahl defeated both Harris and Acklin by a wide margin, winning over 55 percent of the vote.


2009 Players Championship
The 2009 Players Championship was a golf tournament in Florida on the PGA Tour, held May 7–10 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, southeast of Jacksonville. It was the 36th Players Championship.


2009 Players Championship
Henrik Stenson shot a bogey-free 66 in the final round to win at 276 (−12), four strokes ahead of Ian Poulter. Alex Čejka led by five strokes after the third round, but went out in 42 and finished in a tie for ninth. Stenson was the third European to win the title, after Sergio García the previous year and Sandy Lyle in 1987.


2009 Players Championship
Due to 83 players making the halfway cut (top 70 and ties), a second cut was initiated after the third round.


2009 Players Championship
Defending champion Sergio García finished ten strokes back, in a tie for 22nd place.


2009 Players Championship, Venue
This was the 28th Players Championship held at the TPC at Sawgrass Stadium Course and it remained at 7,215 yards (6,597 m).


2009 Players Championship, Field
Brad Adamonis, Michael Allen, Robert Allenby, Stephen Ames, Stuart Appleby, Tommy Armour III, Woody Austin, Eric Axley, Aaron Baddeley, Briny Baird, Cameron Beckman, Matt Bettencourt, Jason Bohn, Michael Bradley, Bart Bryant, Jonathan Byrd, Ángel Cabrera, Chad Campbell, Michael Campbell, Paul Casey, Alex Čejka, K. J. Choi, Daniel Chopra, Stewart Cink, Tim Clark, Fred Couples, Ben Crane, Ben Curtis, Brian Davis, Luke Donald, Jason Dufner, Ken Duke, Steve Elkington, Ernie Els, Bob Estes, Ross Fisher, Steve Flesch, Fred Funk, Jim Furyk, Sergio García, Brian Gay, Lucas Glover, Mathew Goggin, Retief Goosen, Paul Goydos, Nathan Green, Bill Haas, Todd Hamilton, Pádraig Harrington, Dudley Hart, J. J. Henry, Tim Herron, Charley Hoffman, J. B. Holmes, Charles Howell III, Ryuji Imada, Trevor Immelman, Freddie Jacobson, Thongchai Jaidee, Dustin Johnson, Richard S. Johnson, Zach Johnson, Robert Karlsson, Martin Kaymer, Jerry Kelly, Anthony Kim, Søren Kjeldsen, Jeff Klauk, Greg Kraft, Cliff Kresge, Matt Kuchar, Martin Laird, Justin Leonard, Michael Letzig, Peter Lonard, Davis Love III, Steve Lowery, Will MacKenzie, Hunter Mahan, John Mallinger, Steve Marino, Troy Matteson, Billy Mayfair, Scott McCarron, Graeme McDowell, Rory McIlroy, Parker McLachlin, George McNeill, Rocco Mediate, John Merrick, Phil Mickelson, Ryan Moore, Kevin Na, Sean O'Hair, Nick O'Hern, Joe Ogilvie, Geoff Ogilvy, Jeff Overton, Ryan Palmer, Rod Pampling, Corey Pavin, Pat Perez, Tom Pernice Jr., Kenny Perry, Tim Petrovic, Carl Pettersson, Scott Piercy, Ian Poulter, Brett Quigley, Jeff Quinney, Chez Reavie, John Rollins, Andrés Romero, Justin Rose, Rory Sabbatini, Adam Scott, John Senden, Webb Simpson, Jeev Milkha Singh, Vijay Singh, Heath Slocum, Henrik Stenson, Kevin Streelman, Steve Stricker, Kevin Sutherland, Vaughn Taylor, Nicholas Thompson, David Toms, D. J. Trahan, Marc Turnesa, Bo Van Pelt, Scott Verplank, Camilo Villegas, Johnson Wagner, Nick Watney, Bubba Watson, Boo Weekley, D. A. Weibring, Mike Weir, Charlie Wi, Tim Wilkinson, Dean Wilson, Mark Wilson, Tiger Woods, Yang Yong-eun


2009 Players Championship, Round summaries, Final leaderboard
Alex Čejka held a five-shot lead entering the final round, but quickly faltered with a six-over front nine and slumped to a closing 79. This opened the door for many, and Henrik Stenson pulled clear with a bogey-free 66 for a four-stroke victory.


2009 Players Championship Finals
The 2009 coral.co.uk Players Championship Finals was the inaugural edition of the PDC tournament, the Players Championship Finals, which saw the top 32 players from the 2008 PDC Players Championship Order of Merit taking part. The tournament took place between 30 January–1 February 2009 and was held at the Circus Tavern, Purfleet, England – the former venue of the PDC World Darts Championship.


2009 Players Championship Finals, Prize money
The 2009 Players Championship Finals featured a prize fund of £200,000.


2009 Players Championship Finals, Qualification
The top 32 players from the PDC Players Championship Order of Merit after the last Players Championship of 2008 qualified for the event.


2009 Players Championship Finals, Draw
Scores after player's names are three-dart averages (total points scored divided by darts thrown and multiplied by 3)


2009 Players Championship Finals, Television Coverage
ITV4 screened live coverage of the tournament, becoming ITV's third televised tournament after the Grand Slam of Darts and the European Championship. Also, there was nightly highlights shown on ITV1. Again, Matt Smith presented the coverage, with analysis from Chris Mason (once he had lost to van der Voort) and Alan Warriner-Little, commentary from Mason, Stuart Pyke, John Rawling and Warriner-Little, and reports from Ned Boulting.


2009 Players' Championship
The 2009 Grey Power Players' Championship was the last Grand Slam event of both the World Curling Tour and Women's World Curling Tour for the 2008-09 season. This was the seventeenth time the event has taken place, and the fourth time since it was switched to joint men's/women's format. The event was held in Grande Prairie, Alberta April 14-19. Since the event was a part of the Olympic qualifying process in Canada, only Canadian teams were invited. The total purse for each event is $100,000.


2009 Players' Championship
Edmonton's Randy Ferbey won the men's event securing a spot for his rink at the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. On the women's side, Winnipeg's Jennifer Jones rink won their third Players' title.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case
The 2009 Plymouth child abuse case was a child abuse and paedophile ring involving at least five adults from different parts of England. The case centred on photographs taken of up to 64 children by Vanessa George, a nursery worker in Plymouth. It highlighted the issue of child molestation by women, as all but one of the members of the ring were female.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, History
Vanessa George, a mother of two, worked for Little Teds Nursery in Plymouth, an unincorporated not-for-profit association. Between late 2008 and early 2009, Vanessa George, Colin Blanchard, and Angela Allen met on Facebook, and then started to email and text message each other. The messages were often of a sexual nature, and moved on to child abuse. The police believed that the three were having a contest to see who could produce the most depraved picture. George started taking indecent pictures of children between the ages of two and five at the nursery where she worked, and also a picture of her then 14-year-old daughter. George would often send Blanchard material captured during her working hours, and Blanchard would share them on to Allen.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, History
A fourth member of the ring, Tracy Lyons, a mother of nine from Portsmouth, Hampshire, pleaded guilty in March 2010 to assault of a child by penetration, sexual assault of a child under 13, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and three offences of distributing indecent photographs of a child.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, History
A fifth member of the ring, Tracy Dawber, a care worker from Southport, in Merseyside, was found guilty of one count of sexually abusing a baby in October 2010.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, The investigation and arrests
In June 2009, a colleague of Colin Blanchard turned on Blanchard's laptop computer to research Blanchard's business dealings whilst Blanchard was abroad. The colleague found images of sexual abuse of babies and toddlers, which he reported to Greater Manchester Police. Police searched Blanchard's computer, and arrested him upon his return to England. Police found indecent images on his computer, and emails and texts between himself, Vanessa George and Angela Allen.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, The investigation and arrests
On the evening of 8 June, police arrested George, a worker at Little Teds Nursery in Plymouth. George appeared in court on 11 June on charges of sexual assault and making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children. George admitted to making 124 indecent images of children, targeting the young children of the nursery. George did not include the faces of these victims in her photographs, which made it difficult for the police to identify specific victims.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Sentencing
The trial was presided over by Mr Justice Royce. George pleaded guilty to seven counts of sexual assault, and six of making and distributing indecent pictures of children. On 15 December 2009 George was given an indeterminate sentence, and told that she would serve at least seven years, with the proviso that she must prove she is safe to society before being released.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Sentencing
Allen pleaded guilty to distributing an indecent image, and four counts of sexual assault; all of the offences involved children. On 15 December she was also given an indeterminate sentence, with a minimum tariff of five years.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Sentencing
On 10 January 2011, Blanchard was given an indeterminate sentence of at least nine years, and two other members of the paedophile ring, Tracy Dawber and Tracy Lyons, were sentenced to four and seven years respectively.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Book controversy
In March 2010, a book written by Wensley Clarkson, Vanessa: A Portrait of Evil caused controversy when parents of the victims railed against it, calling it 'sick' and saying they were 'horrified'. The author defended his position on the book, claiming it was written as a genuine attempt to understand what George did and why she did it.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Release of Lyons from prison
Lyons was released from prison in October 2011, nine months after her conviction, having spent two years in prison. Her release was condemned by child protection charity Kidscape, with a spokesperson Claude Knights stating: "This early release is a betrayal of the victims and their families whose suffering will continue for years."


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Legacy
The case prompted an increased recognition of the problem of female paedophiles, sex offenders, and the scale of their offending, with one estimate suggesting that at least 10% of sex offenders are female. The case also challenged the false stereotype that only men sexually abuse children. Previously some had attempted to blame the behaviour of female child sexual abusers on men, suggesting that the female child sex abusers were usually acting under duress or coercion. The case showed that the perpetrators were acting of their own free will and for their own sexual gratification.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Legacy
Michele Elliott of child protection charity Kidscape stated "the reality is women abuse, women abuse without men telling them to abuse, and I think we have to acknowledge it for the sake of the children who are being abused." The case also promoted calls for more research into the offending of female paedophiles.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Legacy
The case prompted Plymouth City Council to launch a serious case review, the report of which was published on 4 November 2010. It concluded that while ultimate responsibility for the abuse rested with George and that no "professional could have reasonably predicted that George might be a risk to children", there were several failings in nursery's management, recruitment, staff reporting and other arrangements, which had "provided an ideal environment" for her to abuse. It also speculated that either a 2008 Ofsted inspection of the nursery just months before, which rated the nursery "good" for child protection, had not been adequate, or that Ofsted's "framework for inspection is not adequate".


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Legacy
Little Ted's, the private nursery where the abuse took place, was situated in the grounds of Laira Green Primary School. The nursery closed at the time of the first arrests, in June 2009. In September 2010 a new facility opened in its place, a pre-school unit named Greenshoots, which was to be managed jointly with the school, with the school head teacher on its board of trustees.


2009 Plymouth child abuse case, Release
Vanessa George was released from prison in September 2019 after serving ten years in prison. The parole board approved her release in July 2019. George must adhere to a number of conditions including not owning a device which can access the internet. Any break in these conditions will result in her release being revoked and additional jail time.


2009 Pocono 500
The 2009 Pocono 500 was the fourteenth points race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season for 2009, and was run on Sunday, June 7, at the 2.5 miles (4.0 km) Pocono Raceway outside the hamlet of Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race marked the first of six races in the "Summer Season" schedule for TNT, with pre-race coverage starting at 12:30 pm EDT and radio coverage over MRN (over-the-air) and Sirius XM Radio (satellite) beginning at 1 pm US EDT.


2009 Pocono 500, Qualifying
Because of an all-day rain on June 5, qualification was canceled. As a result, the field was set by the rule book.


2009 Pocono 500, Qualifying
Failed to make race due to qualifying canceled due to rain: Derrike Cope (#75), Tony Raines (#37), Mike Wallace (#64, was a late entry missing the deadline.)


2009 Pocono 500, Recap
After wrecking his primary car in the first practice Saturday, Tony Stewart was sent to the back of the field as a result of bringing out his back-up car. However, he overcame that and used the old fuel mileage strategy trick (as many races in Long Pond usually do) to become the first owner/driver to win since Ricky Rudd won in September of 1998 at Martinsville Speedway. Geoff Bodine was the last owner driver to win at Pocono Raceway. Kevin Harvick made his 300th start in this race, finishing in 24th position.


2009 Pohang Steelers season
The 2009 season is Pohang Steelers' 27th season in the K-League in South Korea. Pohang Steelers competed in K-League, League Cup, Korean FA Cup, AFC Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup as winners of the 2009 AFC Champions League.


2009 Pohang Steelers season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 Pohang Steelers season, Squad, On loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 Pohang Steelers season, K-League, Regular season
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points


2009 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2009 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the fifth edition of the college football bowl game and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game started at 5 PM US PST on Wednesday, December 23, 2009 on ESPN. The Utah Utes defeated the California Golden Bears by a score of 37–27 to win their ninth straight bowl game. The Bears lost their first bowl game since 2004, snapping a winning streak of four post-season victories.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Pre-game buildup
The Utes from the Mountain West Conference had won eight straight bowl appearances, including the last season's Sugar Bowl against Alabama. The Utes also faced their former offensive coordinator, Andy Ludwig, who had helped guide them the previous year to a 13–0 record and #2 ranking.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Pre-game buildup
Cal played its third bowl game in San Diego in six years, having made two previous trips to the Holiday Bowl in 2004 and 2006. The Bears had not lost a bowl game since 2004. It was the seventh straight year that Cal head coach Jeff Tedford had guided Cal to a bowl appearance, the longest streak in school history. The game was Cal's first appearance in the Poinsettia Bowl, while Utah was playing in its second. The Utes defeated Navy by a score of 35–32 in the 2007 game. It was the seventh overall meeting between the two schools and their first in post-season. Cal held a 4–2 advantage in the series, the first game of which took place in 1920. The last matchup between them was in 2003, a game won by Utah 31–24.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game summary
Cal wore their home navy blue jerseys and Utah wore their away white jerseys.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Cal won the coin toss and elected to defer until the second half. The game started promisingly for the Bears, who were able to hold the Utes on their first two possessions. Midway through the first quarter, Cal scored first on a 36-yard run by Shane Vereen. The Bears quickly struck again when linebacker Eddie Young intercepted Jordan Wynn for a 30-yard touchdown return on the ensuing possession. From this point on however, the game belonged to the Utes. Utah's comeback began with a 61-yard kickoff return by Shaky Smithson that helped set up the first touchdown pass of the night for Wynn on a 6-yard strike to Kendrick Moeai.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Cal struggled offensively in the second quarter and could not get past midfield. Utah scored on all three of its possessions with a field goal, 15-yard touchdown reception by Moeai, and 21-yard touchdown reception by Jereme Brooks. The Utes led 24–14 at the half and had scored 24 unanswered points.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
The second half saw the game seesaw back and forth defensively until Kevin Riley was sacked, resulting in a fumble which the Utes recovered late in the third quarter. Cal was able to hold Utah to a field goal and responded on the next possession by driving downfield, allowing Vereen to score his second touchdown of the night on a 1-yard run.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Utah put up the first points of the fourth quarter on a field goal, and Stevenson Sylvester intercepted Riley on a tipped pass that he was able to return for a 27-yard touchdown. Riley threw a second straight interception, but the defense was able to hold the Utes. The final score of the game came late in the quarter on a 24-yard touchdown reception by Jeremy Ross to make the score 37–27 Utah. Cal attempted a two-point conversion, which failed. An attempt at an onside kick was recovered by Utah, allowing Wynn to take three straight knees.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game notes
Utah's true freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn, who grew up less than an hour from San Diego, returned home and threw for a career-high 338 yards and three touchdowns on his way to being named the game's offensive MVP. Linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, who had an interception return for a touchdown, was the game's defensive MVP. Wide receiver David Reed set school records for catches (81) and receiving yards (1,188) in a season. Both records came on a 39-yard catch in the fourth quarter.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game notes
The Utes scored 27 straight points to win their ninth straight bowl game, which tied them (with USC's 1923-1945 teams) for the second longest bowl winning streak in history. Shane Vereen, who scored twice, was the seventh Cal running back to gain more than 100 yards in a bowl, finishing with 122 yards on 20 carries. Vereen had been filling in for star running back Jahvid Best, who was sitting out his fourth straight game after sustaining a concussion on November 7.


2009 Poinsettia Bowl, Game notes
The attendance of 32,665 was the second-lowest in the bowl's history.


2009 Polaris Music Prize
The 2009 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on September 21, 2009 in Toronto at the Masonic Temple and broadcast live online for the first time in its short history. The award's eligibility period for 2009 covered albums released between June 1, 2008 and May 31, 2009.


2009 Polaris Music Prize
Initial coverage of the award's shortlist noted that six of the ten finalists were repeat nominees. K'naan, Malajube and Metric were all finalists in the 2006 shortlist, while Joel Plaskett, Chad VanGaalen and Patrick Watson were all part of the 2007 award, which Watson won. It was the first time in the award's four-year history that any artist was named to the shortlist for a second time.


2009 Polaris Music Prize, Winner
Toronto hardcore punk band Fucked Up won with their second album, The Chemistry of Common Life, which despite being controversial, received a great deal of acclaim when it was released in October 2008.


2009 Polaris Music Prize, Shortlist
The prize's 10-album shortlist was announced on July 7, 2009.


2009 Polaris Music Prize, Longlist
The prize's preliminary 40-album longlist was announced on June 15, 2009.


2009 Polaris Music Prize, Sponsors
Sirius Satellite Radio, which had been a supporting sponsor and broadcaster of the awards since their inception, became a primary presenting sponsor of the awards in 2009.


2009 Polaris Music Prize, Media
In addition to being broadcast live on CBC Radio 3, the 2009 ceremony was also webcast on MuchMusic's website, as well as produced for later broadcast on MuchMusic.


2009 Polaris Music Prize, Jury
The Polaris Music Prize blog began announcing the 2009 jurors one by one in late June 2009. Announced jurors included Corus Entertainment radio programmer Alan Cross, music blogger Bryan Acker (Herohill) and newspaper music critics Sue Carter Flinn (The Coast), Peter Hemminger (FFWD), Serge Paradis (Ici), Stuart Derdeyn (Vancouver Province) and Brendan Murphy (Hour).


2009 Polish Figure Skating Championships
The 2009 Polish Figure Skating Championships (Polish: Mistrzostwa Polski w łyżwiarstwie figurowym 2008/2009) were held in three parts:


2009 Polish Figure Skating Championships
Younger than Senior Polish skaters also started in the Czech Republic but the competition did not have the character of National Championships for them.


2009 Polish Figure Skating Championships, Senior results
The Three National Championships were held simultaneously and the results were then split by country. The top three skaters from each country formed their national podiums.


2009 Polish Pairs Speedway Championship
The 2008 Polish Pairs Speedway Championship (Polish: Mistrzostwa Polski Parl Klubowych, MPPK) is the 2009 version of Polish Pairs Speedway Championship organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM). The Final took place on 10 September 2009 in Leszno, because Unia Leszno was second in 2008 Team Speedway Polish Championship. The championships was won by Falubaz Zielona Góra; former Grand Prix riders Rafał Dobrucki, Grzegorz Walasek and junior Grzegorz Zengota.


2009 Polish Pairs Speedway Championship, Results, The Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fellns - non-starter • nc - non-classify


2009 Polish Pairs Speedway Junior Championship
The 2008 Polish Pairs Speedway Junior Championship (Polish: Młodzieżowe Mistrzostwa Polski Parl Klubowych, MMPPK) is the 2009 version of Polish Pairs Speedway Junior Championship organized by the Polish Motor Union (PZM). The Final took place on 14 August 2009 in Rybnik. The championships was won by Unia Leszno's riders: Sławomir Musielak and Przemysław Pawlicki.


2009 Polish Pairs Speedway Junior Championship, Results, The Final
m - exclusion for exceeding two minute time allowance • t - exclusion for touching the tapes • x - other exclusion • e - retired or mechanical failure • f - fellns - non-starter • nc - non-classify


2009 Polish Speedway First League
The 2009 Team Speedway Polish Championship of First League (Polish: Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski - I ligi) is the 10th First League season, the second division of Team Speedway Polish Championship. The First League have eight teams competing (five teams from 2008 season, two teams from 2008 Ekstraliga and two the top team from 2008 Second League. The first fixtures of the season are scheduled for April 5, 2009, and the season will end on September 27, 2009.


2009 Polish Speedway Second League
The 2009 Team Speedway Polish Championship of Second League (Polish: Drużynowe Mistrzostwa Polski - II ligi) is the 10th Second League season, the third division of Team Speedway Polish Championship. The Second League have eight teams competing. The first fixtures of the season are scheduled for April 5, 2009, and the season will end on September 27, 2009.


2009 Polish Super Cup
The 2009 Polish Super Cup was held on 27 July 2009 between the 2008–09 Ekstraklasa winners Wisła Kraków and the 2008–09 Polish Cup winners Lech Poznań. Lech Poznań won the match on penalties after the match finished 1–1, winning the trophy for the fourth time in their history.


2009 Polska Energia Open
The 2009 Polska Energia Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor red clay courts. It was part of the 2009 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Bytom, Poland between 15 and 21 June 2009.


2009 Polska Energia Open, Singles entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2009 Polska Energia Open, Champions, Doubles
Pablo Santos /  Gabriel Trujillo-Soler def. Jan Hájek /  Dušan Karol, 6–3, 7–6(3)


2009 Polska Energia Open – Doubles
Marcin Gawron and Mateusz Kowalczyk were the defenders of title, but they chose to not compete together. Gawron partnered up with Jerzy Janowicz. However, they lost to Jan Hájek and Dušan Karol in the first round. Kowalczyk played with Grzegorz Panfil, but they were eliminated by Rubén Ramírez Hidalgo and Santiago Ventura in the quarterfinals. Pablo Santos and Gabriel Trujillo-Soler became the new champions, after their won 6–3, 7–6(3), against Hájek and Karol in the final.


2009 Polska Energia Open – Singles
Laurent Recouderc was the defending champion and he won this edition too. He defeated 6–3, 6–4 Jan Hájek in the final.


2009 Polynesian Championships in Athletics
The 2009 Polynesian Championships in Athletics took place between August 4–8, 2009. The event was held at the Griffith University in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, jointly with the OAA Grand Prix Series, and the OAA sub-regional Melanesian and Micronesian Championships. Many athletes utilised the competitions preparing for the upcoming IAAF World Championships in Berlin, Germany. Detailed reports were given for the OAA.


2009 Polynesian Championships in Athletics
A total of 32 events were contested, 18 by men and 14 by women.


2009 Polynesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
Complete results can be found on the Oceania Athletics Association webpage, and at sportfieber.pytalhost.com.


2009 Polynesian Championships in Athletics, Medal summary
In 100 metres, long jump and triple jump, as well as in shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw, there were separate open competitions for the Polynesian championships and the OAA Grand Prix Series held on different days.


2009 Polynesian Championships in Athletics, Participation
According to an unofficial count, 53 athletes from 8 countries participated.


2009 Porsche 250
The 2009 Porsche 250 Presented by Bradley Arant was the eighth round of the 2009 Rolex Sports Car Series season. It took place at Barber Motorsports Park on July 19, 2009.


2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany
The 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland season was the 24th German Porsche Carrera Cup season. It began on 17 May at Hockenheim and finished on 25 October at the same circuit, after nine races. It ran as a support championship for the 2009 DTM season. Thomas Jäger won the championship with 5 points more than Jeroen Bleekemolen.


2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany, Championship standings, Drivers' championship
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain
The 2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain was the seventh Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain season. The season consisted of twenty rounds, beginning on 5 April at Brands Hatch's Indy circuit and ending on 4 October at the circuit's Grand Prix layout. The series supported the British Touring Car Championship throughout the season. Tim Bridgman took his first title, holding off the challenges of reigning champion Tim Harvey, James Sutton and Michael Caine. In the other classes, Glynn Geddie took home the Pro-Am 1 title, while Glenn McMenamin won Pro- Am 2.


2009 Porsche Carrera Cup Great Britain, Driver's Standings
Bold – Pole (1 point)Italics – Fastest Lap (1 point)


2009 Porsche Supercup
The 2009 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season was the 17th Porsche Supercup season. The races were all supporting races in the 2009 Formula One season. The calendar went across Europe and to Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in Asia. Jeroen Bleekemolen won the title, finishing every single race on the podium.


2009 Porsche Supercup, Teams and drivers
In the Porsche Supercup the 911 GT3 Cup type 997 is deployed - a car based on the Porsche 911 Carrera. All vehicles are technically identical: 450 hp, sequential six-speed gearbox, aero pack, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB), 1,200 kg. The PCCB is deployed exclusively in Porsche Supercup.


2009 Porsche Supercup, Championship standings
† — Drivers did not finish the race, but were classified as they completed over 90% of the race distance.


2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
The 2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix was a women's tennis tournament, for the first time played on indoor clay courts. It was the 32nd edition of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, and was part of the Premier tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, from 27 April through 3 May 2009. Svetlana Kuznetsova won the singles title.


2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Finals, Doubles
Bethanie Mattek-Sands /  Nadia Petrova defeated  Gisela Dulko /  Flavia Pennetta, 5–7, 6–3, 10–7


2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Doubles
Anna-Lena Grönefeld and Patty Schnyder were the defending champions, but lost in the first round to Iveta Benešová and Barbora Záhlavová-Strýcová.


2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Singles
Jelena Janković was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Flavia Pennetta.


2009 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Singles
Svetlana Kuznetsova won the title, defeating Dinara Safina in the final, 6–4, 6–3. This was the first edition of the tournament played on clay courts, as opposed to hard courts.


2009 Portimão Superbike World Championship round
The 2009 Portimão Superbike World Championship round was the last round of the 2009 Superbike World Championship. It took place on the weekend of October 23–25, 2009 at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.


2009 Portland LumberJax season
The Portland LumberJax are a lacrosse team based in Portland, Oregon playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2009 season will be the 4th in franchise history.


2009 Portland LumberJax season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2009 Portland LumberJax season, Player stats, Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes


2009 Portland LumberJax season, Player stats, Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average


2009 Portland LumberJax season, Transactions, Entry draft
The 2008 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 7, 2008. The LumberJax selected the following players:


2009 Portland Timbers season
The 2009 Portland Timbers season was the ninth season for the club in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1), the second tier of the United States soccer pyramid. The first competitive game of the 2009 season was played on April 25 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC versus Vancouver Whitecaps FC which the Timbers lost 1–0. Following that loss the Timbers went on a 24-game unbeaten streak in the league on their way to securing the Commissioner's Cup for finishing the regular season atop the table.


2009 Portland Timbers season
In a hard-fought, two-legged series, Vancouver Whitecaps FC knocked Portland out of the playoffs in the semifinals by an aggregate score of 5–4. In the U.S. Open Cup the Timbers hosted Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer in the third round but were eliminated by their bitter rivals 2–1 in front of 16,382 spectators at PGE Park in Portland, Oregon.


2009 Portland Timbers season, Competitions, USL First Division, League standings
Commissioner's Cup, bye to semifinal round of playoffs  Quarterfinal round of playoffs


2009 Portland Timbers season, Competitions, USL First Division, League standings
† Austin deducted two points for fielding an ineligible player on July 25, 2009


2009 Portland Timbers season, Competitions, USL First Division, Results summary
Last updated: April 26, 2010Source: Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won;  T = Matches tied;  L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference


2009 Portland Timbers season, Competitions, U.S. Open Cup, Cup bracket
Second Round winners advance to play one of 8 MLS clubs in 16-team knockout tournamentHome teams listed on top of bracket


2009 Portland Timbers season, Squad, Final roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 Portland Timbers season, Squad, Statistics, Appearances and goals
All players contracted to the club during the season included.