Vietnam War Hero ~ Rocky Bleier ~ Signed Steelers Football 8x10 Photo (Beckett)

Description: Welcome to our Store and Thank You for your Business FUJIFILM Photo Paper measures 8" x 10" in size.Comes with the pictured 8x10 Top Loader. Hand-signed by Rocky Bleier (Pittsburgh Steelers). The autograph includes an official Beckett Authentication Servicesserially numbered hologram for authenticity purposes.Authentication: Beckett Hologram #BG97599 Robert Patrick "Rocky" Bleier (/ˈblaɪər/ BLY-ər, born March 5, 1946) is an American former professional football player and a veteran of the United States Army. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1968 and from 1970 to 1980. Nicknamed "Rocky" as a baby, Bleier said, "As the first born of the family, my dad was proud, as all parents are. And the guys would come into the bar and say 'Bob, how's that new kid of yours?' And my dad would go, 'Aw, you should see him, guys, looks like a little rock sitting in that crib. He's got all these muscles.' So they'd come back in the bar and they'd say, 'Hey Bob, how's that little rock of yours?' So after that, that's how I got it. It stuck." Bleier played college football at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, and graduated in 1968 with a degree in business management. During his junior season in 1966, the Fighting Irish won the national championship and he was a team captain as a senior in 1967. He was selected in the 16th round of the 1968 NFL/AFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 417th overall. After his rookie season with the Steelers, Bleier was drafted into the U.S. Army on December 4, 1968, during the Vietnam War. He volunteered for duty in South Vietnam and shipped out for Vietnam in May 1969 assigned to Company C, 4th Battalion (Light), 31st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade and assigned as a squad grenadier operating a 40mm M79 grenade launcher. On August 20, while on patrol in Hiep Duc, Bleier was wounded in the left thigh by an enemy rifle bullet when his platoon was ambushed in a rice paddy. While he was down, an enemy grenade landed nearby after bouncing off a fellow soldier, he tried to leap over it and it exploded sending shrapnel into his lower right leg. His right foot was severely damaged in the blast as well. He was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star and Purple Heart. His rank was Specialist 4. While he was recovering in a hospital in Tokyo, doctors told him that he could not play football again. Soon after, he received a postcard from Steelers owner Art Rooney which simply read "Rock - the team's not doing well. We need you. Art Rooney". Bleier later said, "When you have somebody take the time and interest to send you a postcard, something that they didn't have to do, you have a special place for those kinds of people". After several surgeries, he was discharged from the Army in July 1970, and began informal workouts with Steeler teammates. Bleier rejoined the Steelers in camp in 1970. Upon his return, he couldn't walk without being in pain, and weighed only 180 pounds (82 kg). He was put on injured reserve for the season, but returned in 1971 and played on special teams. He spent several seasons trying to get increased playing time, and was waived on two occasions. But Bleier never gave up, and said that he worked hard so that "some time in the future you didn't have to ask yourself 'what if?'". An offseason training regimen brought Bleier back to 212 lb (96 kg) in the summer of 1974, and he earned a spot in the Steelers' starting lineup. In addition to being a great lead blocker, Bleier was the second of the Steelers' rushing weapons (Franco Harris was the primary back), but was effective nonetheless at both blocking and rushing. In 1976, both Harris and Bleier rushed for over 1,000 yards, making this the second NFL team to accomplish this feat, after Mercury Morris and Larry Csonka of the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Bleier played in the first four Steeler Super Bowl victories, and caught the touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw that gave Pittsburgh a lead it would never relinquish in Super Bowl XIII. He also recovered Dallas's onside kick in the closing seconds, sealing the Steelers' victory. Bleier retired after the 1980 season, with 3,865 rushing yards, 136 receptions for 1,294 yards, and 25 touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, he was the Steelers' fourth all-time leading rusher. Bleier wrote a book of his struggle to recover from his war wounds called Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story, and it was made into a television movie in 1980, with Robert Urich starring as Bleier, Richard Herd as Steelers coach Chuck Noll, Art Carney as team owner Art Rooney, and many of Bleier's teammates (including Matt Bahr and "Mean Joe" Greene) as themselves. Bleier is featured in the 2014 feature documentary "Project 22", which chronicles the cross-country motorcycle journey of two young veterans exploring alternative treatments for PTSD and TBI. Due to the uniqueness of each item, please refer to the photos provided in this listing. We offer high resolution images of each item rather than a written description of condition. Yes, we do combine shipping for multiple items. If you are considering more than one item to combine shipping please let us know, so, we can prepare appropriately. Thanks Shipping Policy is as follows: We try to quote as close as possible to the actual shipping costs. We do not charge handling fees. Any excess shipping funds go to International Servants as does all proceeds excluding eBay fees. Under 1lb. are shipped First Class (USPS Ground Advantage®). Over 1lb. But still on the smaller packaging size / within size requirements, are shipped USPS Priority Mail. Larger items are shipped FedEx. Please check out our Store and our Sunday Auctions for many more treasures. All net proceeds from your purchase will support International Servants. They are a group of medical professionals who have been Reaching Belize for Jesus and helping children overcome poverty - since 1990. Please feel free to research them for yourself, there is no doubt your heart will be touched. Your purchase will be a blessing that helps make a difference in the lives of these special people.

Price: 31.99 USD

Location: Springfield, Oregon

End Time: 2024-12-28T23:57:16.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD