For Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, three plays as a member of the Notre Dame football team forever changed his life.
On the cool afternoon of Nov. 8, 1975, in front of a capacity crowd at Notre Dame Stadium, it took just 28 seconds for Ruettiger to transform from a 5-foot-7, 165-pound walk-on into one of the biggest figures in college football history.
“It transcended me as a person,” said Ruettiger, 58. “It showed me that if you are a person who has dreams, you can accomplish them if you never quit. This isn?t about football or sports anymore. It?s about if you work hard enough, whether you want to be a lawyer, doctor or, in my case, to play at Notre Dame, you can accomplish it.”
Ruettiger attended Holy Cross Junior College, in the same city as Notre Dame, for two years so he could boost his grades to get accepted to Notre Dame. Once on campus, Ruettiger earned a spot on the scout team, where varsity players pummeled him for two years before coach Dan Devine reluctantly allowed him to play in the final game of his college career.
Against Georgia Tech, Ruettiger competed during the final three plays ? one on kickoff coverage and two at defensive end. On the final play of a Notre Dame victory against Georgia Tech, he wrapped his arms around quarterback Rudy Allen and threw him to the ground. Teammates carried Ruettiger off the field, making him the only player in school history to be bestowed that honor.
“It all happened in slow motion and everything was silent,” he said. “I couldn?t hear anybody and it could have been raining bullets and I wouldn?t have felt it. It was surreal.”
Ruettiger?s journey, chronicled in the 1993 movie “Rudy,” has made him a symbol for all those who have been told why they can?t do something, whether it?s playing college football or becoming a successful entrepreneur.
“The one thing that stands out in my mind is when Rudy got into a fight with one of the big offensive linemen. It starts a brawl, and then Rudy gets killed on the next play,” said Navy?s Jordan Young, a 6-foot, 213-pounder who has spent four seasons on the scout team. “I feel like that when I?m out here sometimes, because if I start something like that, it jacks the guys up in practice.”
These days, Ruettiger, the son of an oil refinery worker and third of 14 children, is the president of the Rudy Foundation and Rudy International. He travels the country as a motivational speaker and has addressed college and professional sports teams as well as employees at companies such as Microsoft, UPS and Aetna Healthcare.
“It never gets old, telling people the story,” Ruettiger said. “It?s a spiritual thing that everyone can relate to. I can?t tell you how many times someone has written me and said, ?I became a doctor because of you? or ?I became a dancer because of you.? ”
» Did you know? Rudy?s teammates at Notre Dame did not walk into Devine?s office, lay their jerseys on his desk and threaten to not play if Rudy was not promoted to the varsity team, as portrayed in the movie “Rudy.” Here?s what Ruettiger said really happened: Seniors Ivan Brown, Pat Sarb, Bobby Zanot and Rich Allocco collectively persuaded Devine to put him on the active roster.
