Rocky Bleier was not very big and not very fast, but he was an incredibly determined athlete when the Steelers picked him late in the 1968 draft. Before he could prove himself as a rookie, he was drafted again -- this time for combat duty in Vietnam. A few months later, crippled by enemy rifle fire and grenade wounds in both legs, Bleier faced his biggest challenge. He could barely walk ... he certainly couldn't run. To ever play professional football seemed impossible.
But Rocky Bleier did the impossible. The story of Bleier's agonizing two year battle to overcome his injuries and return to the Pittsburgh Steelers is described in the book Fighting Back and recreated in the 1980 ABC-TV movie of the same name. The rest of his exciting 12-year career is history ... how he pressed on to become one of the Steelers' top leading ground gainers ... how he passed the 1,000 yard rushing mark in one season ... how he contributed to four Super Bowl victories ... how he consistently made the big play during important games with uncanny predictability.
Bleier's special qualities have been recognized by colleagues as well as others who have honored him with awards too numerous to list in detail. Among them are the Whizzer White Humanitarian Award, the Vince Lombardi Award, and the Most Courageous Athlete of the Decade Award. He was also chosen as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year by the U.S. Jaycees.
Rocky Bleier is in demand as a speaker, motivating audiences in a wide variety of organizations, corporations and universities. His speech, "Be the Best You Can Be" motivates audiences to keep on striving for greater accomplishments. He employs a dynamic style with real life stories and brings it together with a warm, self-reflective humor that audiences can relate to.
Rocky Bleier