[autotag]Rudy Ruettiger[/autotag] is a name that needs no introduction to Notre Dame fans. Obviously, that wasn’t always the case, and it really only became such after his movie came out. But Ruettiger had a brief brush with fame well before his famous play.
In 1973, UCLA was in the middle of a lengthy winning streak en route to its seventh straight national championship. That prompted the attention of Sports Illustrated, which opted to highlight the Bruins on their cover with none other than Bill Walton as the centerpiece.
However, one thing about the cover easily can be overlooked. Sportswriter and Notre Dame alumnus John Walters brought this to everyone’s attention:
That kid seated between Walton’s legs with the red-and-blue shirt? 20 years later a screenplay he wrote about his time at Notre Dame would become a hit movie. pic.twitter.com/FeT0DAqIiF
— John Walters (@jdubs1966) July 10, 2024
Yes, that’s Ruettiger. Walters indicates in the replies that Ruettiger told him himself. If you remember the end of the movie, you’ll know he’s sitting behind the in-universe version of his family at the game. This definitely looks like him.
If you look at the date, you’ll notice this aligns with when Ruettiger was a student at Holy Cross. So this happened in the middle of the journey that would immortalize him. Hey, we all have to start somewhere.
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