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Rocky Bleier, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a decorated Vietnam War veteran, will be the headliner at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce’s third annual Thought Leadership Speaker Series this fall.
Bleier’s story of battling his way back to the NFL after sustaining serious injuries during his mid-career military service has become the centerpiece of his messaging as an inspirational speaker in the decades after his playing days ended.
“I have heard him speak in the past,” Dublin Chamber Chair Kyle Wichelmann said in a press release. “When I heard we could get him to speak, I knew that his message of overcoming adversity and reaching for your goals would be perfect for Thought Leadership. Rocky Bleier’s message resonates with everyone whether in business, athletics or your personal life.”
An alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, Bleier was drafted into the U.S. Army after his rookie season with the Steelers in 1968. The next year, he would be seriously injured in combat when his platoon was ambushed. Bleier received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his military service, but his injuries left his football career in doubt.
“For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little he overcame obstacles and fought his way back,” chamber officials said. “The hard lessons Rocky Bleier learned early in his life that helped him overcome adversity and reach his goals have paid off after football.”
Bleier, a running back and special teams standout, won Super Bowls with Pittsburgh in the 1974, 1975, 1978 and 1979 seasons and eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 1976. He also authored a book about his experience, “Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story”, which was turned into a TV movie in 1980 – and a prelude to his successful second career as a motivational speaker.
Bleier is set as third keynote speaker in what has become an eclectic roster for the Dublin chamber’s burgeoning annual series, joining civil rights educator Harry Edwards from 2023 and former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, now the U.S. director of national intelligence, last year.
The 2025 Thought Leadership event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. Tickets are on sale now at the Bankhead website, livermorearts.org.
