Ex-NFL star Bleier raises money for Perryville memorial

Robert "Rocky" Bleier, a U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who earned four Super Bowl rings while in the starting backfield for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, keynoted a recent fundraiser on behalf of Missouri's National Veterans Memorial in Perryville.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Robert "Rocky" Bleier speaks at a March 4 fundraiser for Missouri's National Veterans Memorial in Perryville. Bleier, a Vietnam veteran, keynoted the event, which netted the not-for-profit $250,000, according to memorial executive director Rae Lynn Munoz.Submitted

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Robert "Rocky" Bleier speaks at a March 4 fundraiser for Missouri's National Veterans Memorial in Perryville. Bleier, a Vietnam veteran, keynoted the event, which netted the not-for-profit $250,000, according to memorial executive director Rae Lynn Munoz.Submitted

Bleier's appearance at the gala, held at Hilton St. Louis Frontenac Hotel in Frontenac, Missouri, netted the memorial $250,000, according to the not-for-profit's executive director, Rae Lynn Munoz, herself a Marine Corps veteran.

The former football star also visited the Perryville memorial site at 1172 Veterans Memorial Parkway, which includes a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in the nation's capital,

Bleier was injured by enemy rifle fire and shrapnel from a grenade Aug. 20, 1969,

After several surgeries, Bleier — who had played in the NFL during the 1968 season before his military service — returned to the Steelers, helping them win Super Bowl championships in 1975, 1976, 1979 and 1980.

Bleier, 77, retired from pro football following the 1980 season.

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