Get the Knife

Sent Friday, January 22, 2010 – This is a letter Dad wrote wrote to the American Legion Magazine in response to an article written by Rocky Bleier. Mr. Bleier is involved in the “Flight 93 Memorial” project.

Sir,

I enjoyed the article, “A Prayer Remembered”, by Rocky Bleier. I have been a Steelers fan since I first started to follow the NFL back in the sixties. I had the good fortune to meet Rocky Bleier approximately 20 years ago at a National Propane Gas Association convention in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Bleier was a spokesman for the Bradford-White Corporation at the time. He was in the Bradford-White booth in the convention center, and when there was a break in the crowd, I went to the booth for an autographed photo. We ended up having a very pleasant 25 or 30 minute chat about the many games that stood out in his career. The most notable being Super Bowl XIII, in which Rocky caught a touchdown pass from Terry Bradshaw to end the first half, giving the Steelers a 21 to 14 halftime lead over the Cowboys. I asked Rocky which Super Bowl ring he was wearing, expecting that he would hold his hand up so I could have a look. Instead he took the Super Bowl XIII ring off of his finger and placed it on the counter between us. Picking it up and admiring this beautiful piece of history, I asked, “May I?” Rocky nodded yes, and I slipped a Super Bowl ring on my finger. I then went to take the ring off to hand it back. With a sinking feeling I realized that the ring would not slip over my knuckle. As I struggled to remove the ring, Rocky calmly turned to the lady in the booth with him and said, “get the knife”. We continued to talk football, as I continued to twist and turn the ring. I must have worried up a bit of sweat, for suddenly the ring came off. About that time, a fresh crowd came to the booth, and with a smile and a shake of my sweaty hand, a most gracious and friendly Rocky Bleier bid me good luck and farewell. He was and is an excellent representative of the Nation Football League, and will be an excellent representative for the Flight 93 Memorial.

Carl Kaufman

Brooklyn, PA.

Advertisement