Who Is That Guy?

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We have featured stories from our neighbor Ken Fischer about his days as a Lakewood police agent, his logging business, and some college stories – filling in for Hemingway and taking nuns to a prom were memorable ones. Colorful characters in lots of different situations. This story is from high school days, and the disappointment of an undefeated football season. 

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By Ken Fischer

As a Campion Jesuit High School Knight in the early 60s, in the shade of the powerful Packers, we competed in the Central Wisconsin Conference. A hearty group of schools with close to level competitive athletes. Middle American lads who loved the game and, in our case, both the coach and the game.

With a marked measure of surprise I was thrust into a starting role as a sophomore. Our revered team captain broke his arm on the first play of the first game-year 1962. I spent the remainder of the year playing next to the other captain and picking up the pieces of his march to the goal line. Phil was a refrigerator with a head, a bowling ball of wrecking dividing spatial entities into smaller components. A one-man crew who enjoyed poetry!!?? Foes trying to block him found it similar to hitting a power pole.

He stepped on my hand early on, it bled profusely but I said nothing. All he said to a surprised rookie was, “settle down.” I did, but we lost to a very powerful Marquette team 19-6. I was privileged to make the trap block which gave us the six.

Our revered Coach L.G. speculated that the ‘64 group were the henchmen that could pull off a perfect season. He was right but firm ground work was laid by the ‘62 team which achieved a 5-4 winning season to the great surprise of most of the Campion Knights.

Led by the likes of Pat Bowlen, those bangers were a group of junkyard dogs who wore a variety of gear and acted on a motto of “why not.”

We won the next 8 games. A really good season for a Jesuit military school with less than 400 eligible players. Ironic that there were almost as many national merit semifinalists as varsity team members (32). It was a sad day when the Final Cut was posted. Usually several juniors and seniors were given thanks for their years of toil but relinquished to the student body.

Not being a notable athletic powerhouse, Campion reveled in fielding a very representative football team. And a team it was. Whether sophomore or senior, you were a part of a team that worked together and ran the Packer sweep almost as well as they did. Little note was made of the strong suspicion that we stole it from the pack based on an off season seminar… anyway, it worked well and carried us to an undefeated season the next year.

Being the second smallest lineman at 260, I had a big challenge to stay upright during a student body right or left. Our quarterback, a fine athlete, was a far better runner than passer and we took a page from Woody Hayes: bad things happen while attempting a forward pass.

So. How does an undefeated team finish second place?

Rocky Bleier.

Bob “Rocky” Bleier played in northeast Wisconsin in a smaller conference. His team – Xavier – was also undefeated. He never left the field. He was the Walter Payton of the conference and we were bridesmaids… and angry about it.

We were diminished the following year and won our first 3 games but surely missed that core of 64, those henchmen who led us to the best season in school history.

Anyone scouting us in our senior years would note a “flip flop,” Big John Shinners and I would exchange sides and that’s where we ran.

John had evolved from a short and chubby freshman to a solid, fast and savvy guard who would later be all American and play almost ten years in the NFL.

We still hated Rocky Bleier…. Until…

One of our prior captains had briefly attended Notre Dame. He became familiar with Rocky and floored any teammate with the reflection that Rocky was a great guy.

WHAT??

True. A fine fellow. Solid. Hard worker. Helped out at his dad’s bar. No skeletons in his closet.

Well, it was nice to be wrong about a nemesis.

Rocky of course was a star at Notre Dame and faced the draft just after graduation. He was among the many of our generation, stamped and shipped to a unpopular war. Unluckily, Rocky encountered a land mine which took a great deal of his foot. He was told that he would possibly walk again but it was very doubtful he would run.

The author of that prognosis did not know Rocky Bleier. 

I am told that The NFL being very mercenary, the chances of playing after such a horrendous injury were close to nil. But quality matters. Heart and determination matter.

Unlikely as it would have seemed, Art Rooney, the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, took a chance on Rocky.

As they say, the rest is history. Rocky served as a blocking back for Franco Harris and played in the glory days of the Steelers with Joe Green and Terry Bradshaw.

I’m told that it could not happen to a better guy. He is now a revered member of Steeler lore.

Never met him but this was one positive story out of a pretty negative time.

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Ken Fischer holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Iowa and was involved in organizing Iowa’s first Law Enforcement Training Academy. He was on the SWAT Team in the Lakewood Police Department, and retired as a Senior Sergeant. A longtime resident of Southern Gables, he is an experienced woodsman and now runs a firewood business. 

 

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