Rudy

Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.

• Director:David Anspaugh
• Genre:Biography / Drama / Sport
• Runtime:114 minutes

Cast

Sean Astin : Daniel E. ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger
Jon Favreau : D-Bob
Ned Beatty : Daniel Ruettiger
Greta Lind : Mary
Scott Benjaminson: Frank Ruettiger

Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger grows up in Joliet, Illinois, dreaming of playing college football at the University of Notre Dame. While achieving some success with his local high school football team (Joliet Catholic), Ruettiger lacks the grades and money to attend Notre Dame, not to mention talent and physical size. (The real Ruettiger was only 5’6″ (1.67 m) and the film’s fictional Rudy appears to be even smaller.)

Rudy takes a job at a local steel mill where his father Daniel Ruettiger, Sr. (a huge Notre Dame fan) works and he prepares to settle down. But when his best friend Pete is killed in an explosion at the mill, Rudy decides to follow his dream of attending Notre Dame and playing college football for the Fighting Irish.

He leaves for the Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana against his blue collar father’s warning that “Ruettigers don’t belong at college.” Rudy fails to get admitted to Notre Dame, but on the advice of a priest, Father Cavanaugh, he goes to a small junior college nearby, Holy Cross College, hoping to qualify for a transfer to the university. He also manages to get a part-time job on Notre Dame’s groundskeeping staff to help pay his tuition.

During his final semester of transfer eligibility, Rudy is granted admission to Notre Dame. After “walking on” as a non-scholarship player for the football team, Ruettiger convinces coach Ara Parseghian to give him a spot on the practice (or “scout”) squad. Rudy soon exhibits more drive and desire than some of his scholarship teammates.

Parseghian agrees to Rudy’s request to suit up for just one game in his senior year so his family and friends can see him as a genuine member of the team. But to the student’s dismay, Parseghian steps down as coach following the 1974 season. Read more

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