Rudy Draws Big Crowd

By: Keith Mills

It has been 32 years since Daniel Eugene Ruettiger played in what would become a famous football game against Georgia Tech, and 15 years since the movie "Rudy" made him an American icon. It has been less than a week since Ruettiger's message of hope was heard by hundreds at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

Ruettiger's motivational talk Saturday drew a large crowd of parents and high school student athletes, who wanted to get a first-hand look at the former walk-on who was the last Notre Dame player to be carried off the field on the shoulders of his Fighting Irish teammates.

"That was a special moment, no doubt about it," Ruettiger told the crowd at Gibbons, "but it was more than that. It was about not giving up. It's all about hope."

Ruettiger has turned his story into a lucrative business. Through Rudy International, he delivers motivational talks to corporations all over the country. He also visits high schools and speaks with students and athletes and even markets a sports drink called Rudy Nutrition.

"We try to engage the kids in our message of hope and help them get the next level," Ruettiger said. "It's all about dreams. Just because you reach one dream doesn't mean it stops there."

Ruettiger may be the epitome of the "never say never" philosophy that teachers and coaches preach to students and athletes. One of 14 children, "Rudy" was a below-average student who graduated from Joliet (Ill.) Catholic High School in 1966 but did not immediately pursue a college degree.

"I went into the Navy and found out I had a reading disorder," Ruettiger said. "Once I learned how to deal with it, I became a better student and a better reader. That was a big hurdle. Then I got confidence to go on to the bigger challenges."

And that was fulfilling his dream to graduate from Notre Dame, although he first had to attend Holy Cross Junior College in South Bend, Ind.

"I had to go to Holy Cross and do all the work I didn't do in high school," Ruettiger said. "I had great teachers, great professors, and a great support system. I was able to transfer but I got rejected every time by Notre Dame. So I hung around the campus and they learned who I was and how passionate I was about going to school there. Finally, they gave me that second chance. Once I got in, I knew I would make it."

Ruettiger eventually made the football team as a walk-on. Dan Devine replaced legendary Ara Parseghian as coach in 1974 and by 1976 Ruettiger was about to end his Irish career without ever having played in a game.

"But I was preparing to play," Ruettiger said. "I worked out and practiced like I was going to play on that football team. The reality was I was not a fast guy. I was not a big guy. All I wanted to do was be a part of a great team, a great tradition and a great program."

On Nov. 8, 1975, Devine allowed Ruettiger to dress for the team's final home game of the year -- and eventually gave in to his players and Irish fans and inserted Ruettiger into the game as a defensive end. Against all odds, he made a play and was carried off the field by his teammates.

It was confidence that made Ruettiger's dream come true in South Bend more than three decades ago. And it's confidence that Ruettiger takes with him to high school auditoriums and corporate board rooms all over the country.

"I was at a high school in Lockport, New York," Ruettiger said. "I walked into the assembly and there were about 3,000 kids. I tell these kids the message of hope. Whether one kid listens or not, I'm still going to do it. At the end of the speech I walk out to the parking lot and a young lady walks out with her boyfriend.

"She says, 'Thanks, dude, you're the man.' She said she was contemplating suicide. She was pregnant and she and her boyfriend talked about it. And she said, 'What you talked about today, that just because you make a mistake doesn't make you a bad person, that you can make up for it. To get your dreams in order, get your life in order and you can still have a shot. And we're going to do it. We decided we were going to do it during your speech.'

"That was a big moment for me. That told me I had to keep moving forward with my speaking."

And he does, though his answer to a popular question is quite surprising.

"My favorite movie?" he said. "Rocky."

Rocky?

"I've always considered myself a Rocky kind of a guy. And I like 'Field of Dreams.' But I love 'Rocky.'"

Still, it's "Rudy" that earned him international acclaim and "Rudy" that pays the bills

"The music of 'Rudy,'" Ruettiger said. "You hear that everywhere. John McCain introduced Sarah Palin and they were playing the Rudy music behind it. It's the culture of triumph, the belief in hard work, you-can-do-it type of feeling."

Issue 3.38: September 18, 2008