NFL's All-American Team

The United States, when it was first organized, was young, scrappy, and willing to take on the biggest and most powerful country in the world, Great Britain.

The Americans bravely fought for their independence and once they got it people from all over the world came to enjoy the freedoms of living in America.

This gave birth to the oldest and most unique truth of American life and that is the “American Dream.”

The dream is different for everyone but its roots are sunk into the fact that regardless of background, economic status, race, or location any American through hard work and determination can succeed. The dream is an important part of American culture.

No three men in the history of the National Football League embodied the American Dream more than the NFL’s First Team All-Americans.

Humble beginnings, determination, pride and courage to achieve a level of success exceeding their god-given ability and potential; these are the men we cheer for on Sundays after a long week of work.

These men are the real heroes who do more than score touchdowns and make tackles, but inspire us through our television sets by the way they played and how the conducted themselves off the field.

Offense: Rocky Bleier

Rocky Bleier was born in the small town of Appleton, Wisc. He grew up playing football and basketball, and in high school, he gained all-state honors at running back.

He then went on to have a great career in the backfield at the University of Notre Dame, where he helped lead them to a National Championship in 1966 and was captain of the squad in 1967.

After graduation, Bleier was drafted in the 14th-round (417 overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In August 1968 Bleier was drafted to the US Army and headed to Vietnam to serve his country. He was not given special treatment for being an athlete since a 14th-round pick was not guaranteed to even make the team.

In 1969 his company was ambushed in South Vietnam and he was shot in the thigh and a grenade went off nearby, sending over 100 pieces of shrapnel into his foot and lower leg. Everyone in his company was either killed or injured.

For his selfless sacrifice and courage he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

He returned to US soil with dreams of playing for the Steelers, but his doctor told him returning to football with the injuries he had received from Vietnam was “impossible.”

While most would move on, the 5' 9", 205 pound running back spent the next year and a half training and preparing for the Steelers.

In 1970 and 1971 he made the team but saw no action, and many believed the only reason he made the team was because people respected his service to the country and his work ethic.

After two years of seeing no action, Bleier worked on his speed in the offseason, committing three hours a day, six days a week to working out.

He came back to the Steelers that year and ran a 4.6 forty-yard dash and gained a spot on special teams.

After two seasons playing special teams and never cracking the depth chart at running back, the war hero decided that all his hard work and determination were for naught and decided he wouldn’t come back for the 1974 season.

He quickly realized however that quitting would make it easy for the Steelers and that he would play through the pain, endure the blood and sweat that came with playing in the NFL at his size and be the running back he had dreamed to be while in the foxhole in Vietnam.

He started the 1974 season at special teams yet again but after a few games both starting running backs were injured and Bleier got his chance.

He started his first game that season against Atlanta and the team went on to win 24-17 and Rocky never left the backfield again for the rest of his career.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl that year and nearly 4,000 yards and seven years later Bleier would go on to win three more Super Bowls.

From the farms of Wisconsin, to the Golden Dome of Notre Dame, to the jungles in Vietnam, to the football stadium in Pittsburgh, Robert Patrick Bleier has been an American hero everywhere he has gone and his legacy will forever be remembered.

Defense: Pat Tillman

Pat Tillman was born San Jose, Calif., in 1976 and was the oldest of three boys. Growing up without a television, the boys spent a lot of time in the backyard playing sports.

In 1994, Pat was given the last scholarship at Arizona State University as an outside linebacker. He had a great career at Arizona State as he was awarded Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year at the end of senior season and graduated with a 3.84 GPA.

He was drafted in the 7th-round (226th pick overall) by the Arizona Cardinals where he started 10 of the Cardinals 16 games at safety his rookie year.

He was voted to the All-Pro team in his third NFL season after leading his team with 155 tackles. Tillman professional football career only lasted four years as he racked up 238 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries over 60 games.

His most impressive play however came in May 2002 when he turned down a $3.6 million contract with the Cardinals to enlist in the United States Army with his brother Kevin, eight months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served as an Army Ranger and was involved in the first invasion of Iraq in 2003.

In September 2004 he was killed by friendly fire and it is still a mystery whether his death was purposeful or accidental.

Regardless of how his life came to a tragic end, it was the decisions he made throughout his life that made him an American hero both on the football field and in the foxhole.

While athletes of the new generation do not participate in preseason because of contract negotiations to make $13 million guaranteed instead of $11.5 million, Pat Tillman showed the world that he would never hold out on the contract of being an American.

He believed it was a cause greater than football, greater than himself, it was a call to serve, and to this day his selfless courage is admired by all.

Special Teams: Vince Papale

Vince Papale was born in 1946 in Glenolden, Pa., outside of Philadelphia. An only child, he and his father were passionate Eagles fans growing up and although he was far better in track than football, his heart was woven in pigskin.

His father was a factory worker and his mother died tragically from cancer in his youth. He was very appreciative even from a young age of his father’s work ethic and the fact that he never had to go without.

In high school he played basketball, track and one year of varsity football. He was awarded a track scholarship after high school at St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia where he competed in the pole vault, long jump, and triple jump.

He earned his degree in 1968 in Marketing although he would later become a teacher. In 1974, Papale tried out for the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League and made the team as a backup receiver and punt/kickoff returner.

He played two seasons with the team until eventually attending a walk-on tryout held by incoming Eagles coach Dick Vermeil.

He had to overcome a great deal of adversity in the tryout as he was small at 185 pounds and the butt of many jokes as he only played one year of high school football.

He would go on to make the final roster after months of workouts, training camps, and preseason. He was the oldest rookie in the league at 30 and one of the only players to not play in college.

He played three season with the Eagles from 1976 through 1978 and played on special teams in 41 of 44 games.

He had two fumble recoveries in his career, one of which led to Vermeil’s first victory as a head coach with the Eagles, as shown in the hit movie, Invincible, which is a biography of his life and story.

Vince story is a true rags to riches story and still resonates with people to this day.

A man without any credible football experience walked onto a NFL football team and hung in with the best athletes in the world through hard work, determination, and a spirit that never gave up.

He embodied the blue collar local boy, but instead of cheering like the masses, he took his childhood dream and made it a reality through perseverance and sheer courage.

Today, Vince’s legacy in Philadelphia is louder than he ever could have produced with his father in their two bedroom apartment cheering for the Green and White on Sundays in the fall.

Conclusion

Football, both at the professional and college level, is one of the most viewed and attended sports in America.

What makes the sport so special are the players, the team aspect, and the one-on-one battles all over the field.

A running back will only succeed if the QB gives him a clean hand off and the receiver, tight end, and offensive line block to give them holes to run through. It is the ultimate team game and these were the ultimate teammates.

They overcame great adversity and accomplished there dreams and in doing so demonstrated the values that are most dear to the American people.