Veterans’ Day tribute to the real Rocky

Updated Nov 16, 2012

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Sports Illustrated cover from 1975. Rocky Bleier wasn’t any kind of movie star. But he was the real deal. I met him once, at ConExpo in 1999. He gave an inspirational speech for at an event put on by a manufacturer. He’d actually shown up early and we had a chance to talk. Nicest and most unpretentious shredder of defenses I’ve ever met.

It’s worth remembering tonight, when Monday Night Football goes over the top with its Veterans’ Day tributes, that it’s the quiet guys who get it done.