Born – March 5th, 1946 in Appleton, Wisconsin
Died – Still with us
When I hear the word courage, the name Rocky Bleier comes to mind. A lot of people go through their life asking “what if?” How many people, though, actually ask that of themselves and then do something about it? Bleier looked in the mirror after being injured in the Vietnam War and asked himself “what if?.” Then he did something about it.
Luckily, his injuries didn’t curtail his life, but at the time, it did endanger his livelihood. Rocky had dreams of being a football player in the National Football League. The doctors told Bleier that his days of football were now over. However, Robert Patrick Bleier asked of himself “what if?” What if I agree with the evaluation of the doctors? Is the dream over? “What if” I don’t give it my best shot? How will I feel down the road – 20, 30 years from now?
Bleier then thought “what if” I at least try and give it my best shot? Then, many years down the road, I can at least look in this mirror and know that I gave it my best attempt to accomplish a dream.
His father owned a bar in Appleton, Wisconsin, and when the patrons would come in, they would inquire of the father, “How’s that baby? How’s the little rock?” Thus his nickname was born.
Growing up, Bleier attended Xavier High School in Appleton and excelled in both football and basketball. He was a two-time All State running back. He wound up attending the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 1968 with a degree in business management. He also found a little time for his passion – playing football. He was a member of the 1966 National Championship team. During his football career with the Irish, his stats really didn’t stand out. For his collegiate career, he rushed for 357 yards, scored 42 points and was an effective punter. What did stand out, though, was his leadership ability. He had the ability to rally his teammates. He was a natural born leader. This quality wasn’t lost on head football coach Ara Parseghian, and it helped elevate him to the position of team captain for the 1968 season.
In the 1968 NFL draft, Rocky was a sixteenth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overall, he was the 417th pick, even despite his small stature. He was 5’10″ and weighed all of 190 pounds. He made the team as a backup running back and excelled on special teams.
Upon completion of his rookie season, Bleier was drafted into the U.S. Army. In May of 1969 he wound up serving in Vietnam. More precisely, he was stationed in Hiep Douc in South Vietnam with the C Company of the 196th Light Infantry Brigade. On August 20th of 1969, his Company was called upon to help rescue B Company which was under fire from the North Vietnamese. Every member of his Company was either killed or wounded. Bleier was first shot in the left thigh, with an entry and exit wound that did not hit bone. His day of bad luck was not over yet though. A grenade exploded near his right foot, doing extensive damage and leaving shrapnel in the lower leg.
A third platoon was sent in to help rescue the wounded and retrieve the dead. Bleier was eventually shipped off to a medical hospital in Tokyo. Surgery and treatment was performed by doctors Andy Laorr and John Baughman. The doctors wound up removing more than 100 pieces of shrapnel from his right foot. He was informed that his football playing days were over and that he should concentrate on ever being able to walk normally again. He later would be awarded both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for his valor during wartime. Rocky underwent a second surgery in January of 1970 to remove bone spurs and cut scar tissue out of a ligament.
Courage – the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.
Having made up his mind that he would “what if” and give football a shot before giving up his dream, Bleier put himself through two years of extensive weight training and rehabilitation. His determination and grit were just phenomenal. He ingested every possible vitamin and supplement that he could think of. He underwent shock therapy treatments. He was up at the crack of every dawn, running, running, running.
He would spend his days working out at the campus of Kansas State University and doing stretching exercises on that leg constantly. He often ran the stadium steps with a 10 pound weight attached to his leg. He did whatever it took to get himself back into condition in order to resume his NFL playing career. Twice, the Steelers’ head football coach, Chuck Noll, placed Bleier on the waiver wire. However, legendary Steeler owner Art Rooney had compassion for what Bleier had given to his country. Rooney had Rocky placed on the Injury Reserved list instead of actually being cut loose.
Eventually, in 1974 Bleier worked his weight up to 212 pounds. He was bench pressing 440 pounds. He was in the best shape of his life. More importantly, Rocky was ready. He was ready to not only make the Steelers, but ready to start for them. In 1974 he was now starting in the backfield with fellow running back Franco Harris.
This running back tandem, along with quarterback Terry Bradshaw, would help lead the Pittsburgh Steelers into back-to-back victories in the Super Bowl during the 1975 and 1976 seasons. Of course it didn’t hurt that the Steelers were loaded with stars. Lynn Swann was a very talented receiver on those teams. The offensive line was awesome, but the Steelers were known for their defense. The Steel Curtain as it was called. Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Ernie Holmes, Dwight White and a host of others helped to lead that defense. The Steelers had been woeful for many, many years in the NFL. However, coach Noll had drafted well over those lean years, picking and choosing players that would help the franchise to become a powerhouse in the National Football League.
Rocky Bleier epitomized the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans – The Steel City, the Steel Curtain – and nowhere was it more clear than from the grit and determination of a man that doctors had said would have trouble ever walking again. In 1976 Bleier rushed for 1,036 yards. Both he and Franco Harris in that championship season rushed for over 1,000 yards, becoming just the second pair of NFL running backs on the same team to ever accomplish that feat. Rocky played on Steeler teams that wound up winning four Super Bowls. Not only did the team win back to back in 1975 and 1976, but they repeated that accomplishment during 1979 and 1980.
Rocky Bleier retired after the 1980 season. At the time, he was the fourth leading rusher in Pittsburgh Steeler history. For his career, he rushed for 3,865 yards, had 136 receptions for 1,294 yards, and scored 25 touchdowns. He can proudly look in the mirror and say “What If!”
Rocky Bleier penned a book about his will and gumption in coming back from his wartime injuries: Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story
These days Bleier works as a motivational speaker, speaking to audiences about his grit and determination that helped him through the dark days from that fateful day in Vietnam to his accomplishments on the gridiron, not only with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the war, but going back to his days at the University of Notre Dame.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Bleier
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