Rocky Bleier

Rocky Bleier Profile

The extraordinary life story of Rocky Bleier is an inspirational one of a man who overcame terrible adversity to achieve his dreams. From the football fields of the NFL to the battlefields of Vietnam, he has shown incredible resilience, both as a man and an athlete.

Rocky Bleier was determined to become a pro footballer, even though he didn’t fit into the classical image of what a running back should be. He compensated for this by running harder and playing smarter than anyone else, and managed to make it onto the Pittsburgh Steelers roster as a late round draft pick. Before he had even completed his rookie season, he was drafted to serve in Vietnam, where he received wounds in his legs from rifle fire and grenade fragments in an ambush that left him hardly able to walk.

In a position where many might have given up, Rocky Bleier drove himself onwards and within two years had made it back onto the Pittsburgh Steelers team; a team which eventually won four Super Bowls with Rocky Bleier as their starting running back.

Rocky Bleier’s inspiring achievements have been the subject of an ABC-TV movie of the week, the title of which was taken from his well-received autobiography, Fighting Back.

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  Rocky Bleier′s life story – a gripping tale of courage on both the football fields of America and the battle fields of Vietnam – has held audiences in rapt attention for years. Yet, the motivational message behind it, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, defines success in the new American century.

  With the same optimism, sense of humor and steadfast determination that were his trademarks as a Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Rocky Bleier takes audiences from his early years through his professional career and talks about the lessons he learned along the way….lessons that we all can benefit from.

  Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again…this time by the United States Army. At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began.

  For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little he overcame obstacles and fought his back. He not only made the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century.

  The hard lessons Rocky Bleier learned early in his life that helped him overcome adversity and reach his goals, have paid off after football. Some of those lessons are seen between the lines in the popular book on his life, Fighting Back, and an ABC-TV movie of the week by the same name.

  But what makes Bleier so popular as a speaker is his ability to translate core values in his speech, “Be the Best You Can Be.” With real-world practicality, he points out ways to reach new levels of inner-confidence.