My recent interview with Rocky Bleier on Off the Rak revealed two major themes in his amazing life, and I found our conversation a great reminder that neither of these factors should ever overshadow the other.
First, there’s the hard work, humility and grit that helped Rocky go from a marginal professional football prospect and wounded Vietnam veteran to a four-time Super Bowl champion. His persistence in the face of extreme adversities should inspire us to rise to the challenges in our lives.
Second, and perhaps less obvious, there’s the role other people played by encouraging and supporting him along the way. Rocky did his part, but he didn’t do it alone.
Rocky’s high school team in Appleton, Wisc., never lost a game, and he was a star running back for Notre Dame. They won a national championship during his junior year, and he was a team captain as a senior.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made him a late-round draft choice in 1968, but he played sparingly as a rookie, was drafted into the army, and left football for the war in Vietnam. When the enemy ambushed his platoon on Aug. 20, 1969, Rocky took a bullet in his left thigh and shrapnel from a grenade in his lower right leg.
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