As Browns fans know, Super Bowl rings are a rare commodity. On August 16, Lakewood High School hosted a special guest speaker who owns four such rings. Former Pittsburgh Steeler running back Rocky Bleier spoke to a large crowd of Lakewood and St. Edward high school athletes, coaches, parents and guests at Lakewood Civic Auditorium. Bleier, who has worked as a motivational speaker since his retirement from football in 1980, brought an entertaining message of hope. He spoke for over an hour and fielded questions for 40 minutes. The event was presented by the Dan and Sandy Donnelly Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships annually to Lakewood students.

Rocky Bleier is best known as the blocking back for Franco Harris on four Super Bowl championship teams during the 1970s. However, his football career began in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he was a star on the local high school team. Despite his small size (only 5 feet 9 inches) he earned a football scholarship to Notre Dame. In 1968 he was drafted in the 16th round by the lowly Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that had not won a playoff game in many decades.

He was drafted into the US Army to fight in Vietnam. There he was seriously wounded, and spent nine months in the hospital. His doctors said his football career was over. However, a series of events kept him on the path back to the NFL. During his recuperation, he met a triple amputee that lost both legs and an arm in battle. The amputee would regularly visit his fellow wounded soldiers, checking on their condition and helping keep their spirits up. Also during this time Bleier received a postcard from Steelers owner Art Rooney, who told him that the team needed him back.

Bleier explained to the audience that these positive gestures – modest as they might have been – had a major impact on his life. "My life was built on hope," he told the audience, "with hope comes faith and with faith comes belief." He encouraged those in attendance to positively impact other people in their lives, whether it be family, co-workers, neighbors or classmates. Bleier believes that today’s athletes are not different from earlier decades. "Kids want to have hope created, they want to have discipline," says Bleier.

Bleier returned to the NFL, mostly playing special teams and sitting on the bench for many years. However, he eventually earned a starting job with the Steelers, and played a key role in their four championships. He caught a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XIII, which was the highlight of his career. His years with the Steelers taught him the importance of teamwork. He told the audience that teamwork is not just for sports. A team is any group of people that come together for a common goal -- this can mean a family, a civic group or a business.

To learn more about the Dan and Sandy Scholarship Fund, visit their website www.donnellyscholarship.com

To learn more about Rocky Bleier, visit www.rockybleier.com