Bowie, Md. - The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has announced that Rocky Bleier will be the motivational speaker at the 2017 OTR Conference. Bleier’s motivational address will take place on Friday, February 17 and is sponsored by BKT USA, Inc. Bleier’s life story, a gripping tale of courage on both the football fields of America and the battle fields of Vietnam, has held audiences in rapt attention for years. Yet, the motivational message behind it, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, defines success in the new American century.
Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again…this time by the United States Army. At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began.
For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little, he overcame obstacles and fought his back. He not only made the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century.
The OTR Conference will be held February 15-18, 2017 at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu’s North Shore in Hawaii. Conference information and registration forms are available at www.tireindustry.org.