When people say dreams don’t come true, tell them about Rudy

I just finished watching this Movie called “Rudy”. I liked the movie, it is amazing but the most amazing part about this movie is that it is not a movie, it is truth. It is the story about Daniel Ruettiger who was nicknamed “Rudy”.

Rudy - Dreams do come true
I liked the punch line “When people say dreams don’t come true, tell them about Rudy”

After you watch the movie you may like to watch the original play 🙂
Rudy\'s final game

Rudy grew up in a middle class household, the third of fourteen children. He attended Joliet Catholic High School, where he played for locally famous coach Gordie Gillespie and led the team in tackles his junior and senior years.

After two years at Holy Cross, and three rejections to transfer to the University of Notre Dame, Ruettiger was accepted as a student in the Fall of 1974. It was during his time studying at Holy Cross that Ruettiger discovered he suffered from dyslexia.

Rudy harbored a dream to play for Ara Parseghian and the Fighting Irish football team, despite being merely 5′ 7″ and 165 pounds. Parseghian encouraged walk-on players from the student body. For example, Notre Dame’s 1969 starting center, Mike Oriard, was a walk-on who eventually won a Rhodes Scholarship and an NFL contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ruettiger earned a place on the Notre Dame scout team, a practice-squad that helps the varsity team practice for games. Merv Johnson was the coach that was instrumental at keeping Rudy on as a scout team player.

After Parseghian stepped down after the 1974 season, Dan Devine was named head coach. In Ruettiger’s last opportunity to play for Notre Dame at home, Devine put him into a game at defensive end against Georgia Tech on November 8, 1975. In the movie Rudy, Devine is depicted as a villain, not wanting Rudy to dress for his last game; however, during the actual game, Devine reportedly came up with the idea to dress Rudy. In the final play of Ruettiger’s senior season with the Fighting Irish, he recorded a sack, which is all his Notre Dame stat line has ever shown. Ruettiger was carried off the field by his teammates following the game. Ruettiger actually played for two plays. The first time he was unable to get to the quarterback, but on the second play he sacked the Georgia Tech quarterback.

He and fullback Marc Edwards are the only players in Notre Dame history ever to be carried off the field by his teammates.