Tag: Rudy

Louisville SB Nation site editor rips Rudy’s father to shreds in piece

Did you like how Ned Beatty’s character behaved in the film?

Notre Dame plays Louisville this coming weekend, so a lot of Cardinals fans might be watching “Rudy” to get in the mood. Among them is Mike Rutherford, the editor for Card Chronicle, the Louisville site for SB Nation.

Rutherford watched the movie many times growing up, and he has decided to dedicate an entire piece to why [autotag]Rudy Ruettiger[/autotag]’s father, played by Louisville native Ned Beatty, is the worst character in the entire movie.

Rutherford qualifies his comments by saying not much is known about how the senior Ruettiger was in real life. He then gives one specific example after another about how awful the on-screen senior Ruettiger is.

I can’t say it’s a completely unfair assessment. My late father-in-law, an avowed Notre Dame hater and Alabama fan who loved the outcome the 2013 BCS title game, was triggered by Ruettiger saying Notre Dame Stadium was “the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen”. Given that he was married and had built a family, it shows how he lacked perspective.

Just to drive the point homer, Rutherford makes his feelings known right off the bat when plugging the piece on social media (warning: NSFW language):

So whether you agree with how this character carried himself or not, there’s a perspective out there that he was exactly not how a father should be. It definitely gives one cause to think.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

See it: Deleted scene from ‘Rudy’ just released

A deleted scene from ‘Rudy’ is making the rounds 30 years after the movie’s release. Check it out here!

This fall marks 30 years since the movie “Rudy” hit theaters and a nation learned of a pesky try-hard kid from Joliet, Ill. who worked to walk-on to the Notre Dame football team.

I loved the movie when my parents took me and my sister to see it that fall and still love it today.  It’s not perfect, in fact there are some things from Rudy’s real story that I find even more impressive than the film.

However, it’s a classic and will always be way up on the list of best sports and football movies of all-time.

Now, 30 years later, we’re getting a bonus scene of the film.  Check out below as Rudy (played by Sean Astin) and his dad (the late Ned Beatty) explain what makes Notre Dame football so special.

Those 97 seconds does a tremendous job explaining what much of Notre Dame fandom is all about.  For many of us that fandom started generations ago and has been passed down.

I couldn’t tell you the first Notre Dame football game I watched as a kid but I can tell you that by the time I was six and Rick Mirer, Jerome Bettis, and Reggie Brooks were ripping apart defenses in 1992, I was already fully obsessed.

And I can look back and be fairly certain that more than a small part was because of having a grandfather that spoke of Notre Dame football very similarly to the way Beatty does in that deleted scene.

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Notre Dame-Ohio State: Guest picker ideas for ‘College GameDay’

Who should be the guest picker on Gameday?

It’ll be one of those weekends in South Bend that kids across the Midwest grow up dreaming about. The Irish are at home taking on a marquee opponent in a game big enough to attract ESPN’s “College Gameday.”

You can say what you want about the rest of the show, but one thing they certainly knock out of the park is the picks segment. Lee Corso putting on the headgear is a staple of college football Saturdays; he’ll do so for the 401st time this weekend.

But who will be the celebrity guest picker as the show heads to Notre Dame?

We put together a handful of ideas for the folks at ESPN.

Rudy Ruettiger discusses dreams, shares Ara Parseghian stories, and weighs in on Brian Kelly

Hear Rudy tell some truths about the movie, react to Joe Montana’s comments, and give you a general pep-talk for life as he joined the Fighting Irish Wired podcast!

The man who became an inspiration for millions who wanted to chase their dreams is coming to Chicagoland next week.  The real-life Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger, who the movie was made about, will be at Elmhurst University in the near-western Chicago suburbs on February 23.  Tickets are free but must be reserved to attend and you can get them by visiting the Elmhurst website.

When I saw that Rudy was coming to town I decided, why wait until then? I want to talk to the man now!  So for roughly a half hour on Wednesday I was able to sit down and chat via Zoom with Rudy about his story, finding and creating motivation, and hear a few stories from a man who has seen a ton.

In this episode of the newly launched “Fighting Irish Wired” podcast (yes, I spent the last month thinking of a name) hear Rudy discuss, in addition to his message of positivity:

  • His legendary high school football coach, Joliet Catholic’s Gordie Gillespie
  • What made Tom Brady so great for so long
  • The actual events that led to Rudy dressing (no, it wasn’t Joe Montana being hurt)
  • The greatness of Ross Browner
  • How Ara Parseghian used to take pressure off the team each game-week
  • How he actually introduced himself to Ara in real-life (better than the movie portrays)
  • His reaction to the comments Joe Montana made about ‘Rudy’ in recent years
  • Brian Kelly’s exit from Notre Dame

And finally, hear Rudy discuss a made-up part of the movie that would have been handled differently in real-life than it was in the movie…had it been true, at least!

Listen to and subscribe to the Fighting Irish Wired podcast on:

Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify

In full disclosure I have been working on recording a few episodes of a new podcast over the past month.  I was shaking out the cobwebs with our very own Jeff Feyerer recently so if you’re so inclined, feel free to listen back to our now very much dated episode discussing how excited Tommy Rees has to be to be leading Notre Dame’s offense in 2023 as well 😉

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Notre Dame football: History of Notre Dame clues on ‘Jeopardy!’

Post how many you got right in the comments.

It has been established more than once on this site that I am fanatical about game shows. With Notre Dame athletics on hiatus until fall save for the track team at the NCAA championships, I have time to try ideas I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. One of them was planted in my head after our own Nick Shepkowski reported on a “Jeopardy!” category that was about ACC schools. I’ve decided to take that idea and narrow the focus to “Jeopardy!” clues about Notre Dame.

Using the site J-Archive, which has records of nearly every game during the show’s current run, I have come across several Notre Dame clues. Many of them were repeats because that’s what happens when you’ve been on for 39 years. However, I feel like I’ve compiled a diverse list of clues that you should be able to respond to if you have even a basic knowledge of Notre Dame, particularly the football program. Check the end of this list for the correct responses:

Recent Notre Dame commitment’s father has ‘Rudy’ moment

What a moment for the soon-to-be Domer Dad

If you’re a college football fan chances are pretty good that you’ve seen the movie “[autotag]Rudy[/autotag]”.  If you’re a Notre Dame fan then the chances you’ve seen the film only increase.  There are a ton of great moments in the movie but one of my absolute favorites is when Rudy’s dad first walks into Notre Dame Stadium, takes his first glance at the field, and declares “This is the most beautiful sight these eyes have ever seen”.

Notre Dame’s latest commitment, cornerback [autotag]Karson Hobbs[/autotag] of the 2024 class, is the son of a longtime Fighting Irish fan.  His father Daniel recently discussed Karson’s commitment with Kevin Sinclair of 247Sports.  In that conversation, he shared the moment from Karson’s visit that came off sounding like his “Rudy” moment.

“I’ll tell you what did it, man,” Daniel Hobbs said. “I had tears in my eyes, again, when he put the uniform on for the photoshoot. When I saw him in that uniform with that helmet on, it was breathtaking to me. It was like the greatest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Other than my wife walking down the aisle in her wedding dress, he was the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen in that uniform. It was beautiful. (Laughs).”

Daniel Hobbs to Kevin Sinclair of 247Sports

The piece does a great job of capturing the excitement of a proud father who happens to be a big-time fan of the football program his son just committed to.  In it, he shares a behind-the-scenes look at the Hobbs family’s recent visit to Notre Dame during Clemson weekend and some special moments that led to the ultimate commitment.

Hobbs is listed at 6-1, 180-pounds and is rated as a three-star cornerback from Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati.  That connection to Notre Dame is also discussed in Sinclair’s piece.

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Talking Notre Dame-Clemson with BetMGM’s Ryan Horvat

“…as college football fans, we should all be rooting against Clemson this Saturday” – @RyanHorvat

Notre Dame is beating Clemson on Saturday night.  There are no if-and-or-buts about it. Notre Dame is knocking off unbeaten Clemson and putting a severe dent in their College Football Playoff chances.

As I write this, I want to believe that, but I have concerns over how Notre Dame will move the ball against the Clemson defense as the running game that the Irish rely heavily on has its work cut out.  But I’m not the one making a claim, or guarantee.  Instead, that comes from Ryan Horvat of BetMGM.  

Full disclosure, Ryan is a Catholic league kid at heart from the south Chicago suburbs (Joliet Catholic Academy specifically so Roll Hill and shoutouts to Tom Thayer, Mike Goolsby, and [autotag]Rudy[/autotag] himself).   Ryah has been following Notre Dame football for more than a hot minute.  He also LOVES the Irish at home this weekend, a place I’m having trouble getting myself to.  

I’ve known Ryan since my radio days and thought his strong belief in the Irish this weekend would music to some Notre Dame fan’s ears.  If you’re on the pessimistic side for the Clemson game like myself, take Ryan’s word on 2022 Notre Dame and why Irish fans will be thrilled around 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night.  

Some of my favorite moments from ‘We Are Marshall’

Some clips from an inspiring movie

Notre Dame has “Knute Rockne, All American” and “Rudy” to be associated with. The Irish’s upcoming opponent, Marshall, has “We Are Marshall”, which was born out of circumstances far more tragic than those of a legendary coach or an inspiring walk-on. This movie deals with the aftermath of the plane crash that killed nearly every player and coach for the 1970 Herd. The effort to rebuild the program makes you get behind it.

I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t one of my favorite football movies. I guess I’m just a sucker for these feel-good movies, even if this one doesn’t happen against the best backdrop. After all, this isn’t something anyone in their right mind would wish on any community.

With the Irish and Herd about to have their first meeting, I thought this would be a good time to look at a few memorable moments from the flick:

Big Game Boomer names Vince Vaughn Notre Dame’s biggest celebrity fan

Ugh.

We’ve mentioned Big Game Boomer a few times before. Most recently, he ruffled a few feathers when he called Purdue the best college football team in the state of Indiana. Now, he’s listing what he believes is the most famous celebrity fan for every Football Bowl Subdivision School. For Notre Dame, he lists Vince Vaughn:

Excuse me while I go puke. No, really. That’s how much I don’t care for Vince Vaughn. I know he’s a huge Irish fan, and I know he was one of the players in “Rudy”, but this really makes me wish Regis Philbin still was alive.

Ever since I saw Vaughn’s pretentious character in “Old School”, I haven’t cared for anything he’s done. I can’t even bring myself to sit down and watch all of “Wedding Crashers” because that’s how strongly I feel about this. If you like him, great, but for me, Vaughn’s Irish fandom is something I wish didn’t exist.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

5 things about ‘Rudy’ that irk me

There anything that bothers you about the movie?

I spend too much of my life scrolling Twitter.  That’s something I’ve known for a long time but still continue to do it.  However, late last night I saw a tweet that it was the 28th anniversary of the movie “Rudy” being released in theatres.

I was in second grade at the time and my parents took me to see it that fall right as Notre Dame was in the middle of a national championship race that was only making my young Irish fandom grow by the week.  The movie only made me like Notre Dame football more and to this day if its on TV you can bet I’m not going to be changing the channel until it’s over.

That said, I’ve still got a few issues with it.

Joe Montana went through and detailed flaws with the movie long ago but I’ve got a few of my own I need to get off my chest and the 28th anniversary (+1 day) of it’s theatrical release is just the time to do it.