Bleier showed up at training camp a year after he was wounded, weighing only 180 pounds and walking with a limp and intense pain from some shrapnel that was still lodged in his foot.  He spent another 2 years getting himself back in playing shape, despite being cut twice in that span.  In ‘73, he found his way onto the roster blocking and tackling on the special teams.  By 1974, he had earned himself a permanent spot in the Steelers starting lineup.  The next year, Rocky ran for 1,000 yards and the Steelers won the Superbowl, the first of four in the next six years.

Kick-Ass Fact: Bleier retired after the last of his championship victories, and now spends his time as a motivational speaker telling people to quit crying, rub some dirt on it, walk it off, and man up.  I imagine, after hearing his life story, his audiences are pretty motivated after those speeches.