Rocky Bleier at DRT
Like children going to a Hana Montana concert, the DRT was all abuzz about Rocky Bleier’s Tuesday appearance at DRT. For those of you too young to remember, Rocky was a war hero in Vietnam and a running back for the Steelers with four superbowl rings. Rocky and Franco Harris are considers one of the most successful running back pairs of all time.
What makes Rocky’s story so interesting is how his early life evolved. After graduation from Notre Dame he played 1 season with the Steelers before being drafted to the Army. In Vietnam he won several medals include the Silver Star and Purple Heart for very serious injuries he sustained in combat. His doctors never thought he would play football again.
After leaving the Army he re-joined the Steelers, but never really had the playing time he wanted. Depressed he quit the Steelers but re-joined after a friend on the team convinced him to return. When Franco Harris became injured and the backup to Franco became injured, Rocky got play time. Yet to his surprise when Franco returned Rocky was not sidelined but became a starting back. From this point on Rocky’s career flourished with the Steelers.
His discussion at DRT focused on the idea of HOPE. Given all the events of his early life and the difficulty he had as a 5′9″ running back on an NFL team, it is easy to see how one can become discouraged. Much of Rocky’s point is that we ourselves choose to succeed or fail in life. Yes life can be hard and many things that are outside your control can create major barriers, but it is how we respond to those barriers that matters the most. Hope is a powerful emotion that helps you overcome those barriers.
For Rocky his hope became his reality. He wanted to be a hero…and he was! He inspired millions through his play on the field and how he overcame the extreme difficulties of his was injuries. In many ways Rocky is an inspiration. Yes he had doubts, yes he was told by “experts” he could not play football, yes he had major physical injuries…and yes he was able to achieve great success.
We all face major barriers in our life. How we respond to them determine who we are and what we become. Hope for the future, for one’s life and for one’s destiny can and is the cornerstone of how one can achieve anything, regardless of the circumstance.
April 10th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
[…] Dallas Roundtable wrote an interesting post today on Rocky Bleier at DRTHere’s a quick excerpt … running back on an NFL team, it is easy to see how one can become discouraged…. […]