Tag: Rudy Ruettiger

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.

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Rudy was on Sports Illustrated cover featuring Notre Dame and UCLA

Before he was famous.

[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:

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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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Social media reacts to Notre Dame walk-on scoring game-tying touchdown

Bet you didn’t have him scoring.

As far as Notre Dame walk-ons go, it’s gonna be tough to top [autotag]Rudy Ruettiger[/autotag] in terms of notoriety. But it’s a lot easier to pass Ruettiger in on-field performance if you have a chance to play. [autotag]Jordan Faison[/autotag] got that chance in the second quarter against Louisville, and he came up at a big time. Two plays after making his first collegiate catch, he caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag] to tie the game:

Whatever happens the rest of this game, Faison will have this moment forever. Not everyone in his position has this particular opportunity, and he made the most of his. If he has a few more plays like this, he’ll be listed on the depth chart every week. Not bad for someone whose main sport is lacrosse.

While Faison is waiting, he can read these and other reactions that were posted to social media after his touchdown:

Notre Dame appearances at MLB ballparks through the years

The Irish have been well-represented during ceremonial first pitches.

This is an exciting week for Notre Dame. Not everyone can say they’ve been at MLB’s two oldest ballparks during the same week, but this year’s Irish will be able to make that claim. They’ll face Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Tuesday before meeting Boston College at Fenway Park on Friday. The best part for us at Fighting Irish Wire is that we’ve been credentialed for both games, so we’ll be reporting the action directly from these historic venues.

With these two games taking place during the final week of the regular season, we thought it would be nice to take a look back at Notre Dame figures making appearances at MLB ballparks over the years. We’re not talking about when the football team has played games there or former Irish players who have made the big leagues. We’re talking about when figures have made appearances on behalf of the university. If you have a really good memory, maybe you can recall at least one of these:

Twitter user would like to see Notre Dame-Ole Miss home-and-home

Should these teams meet again?

With the 2022 season not here yet, college football fans continue to be alone with their thoughts. One Twitter user named Romaro Miller is one of those fans. An Ole Miss alumnus, he has more on his mind than how his Rebels can build on their 10-3 record from 2021. He’s thinking about potential future opponents, and one in particular is standing out in his mind:

With all due respect to Mr. Ruettiger, a movie about him that often takes liberties with the real story shouldn’t be the primary reason to want to face the Irish. That aside, it certainly would be nice to see the Irish play a quality SEC opponent for a couple of years, at least one that’s not Georgia. These two particular programs are not currently scheduled to play each other anytime soon, but one always can dream.

The Irish and Rebels are tied, 1-1, all-time. The Rebels handed the Irish the only loss of their 1977 national championship season, 20-13. In 1985, the Irish got revenge in a 37-14 victory at Notre Dame Stadium. They then proceeded to drop their final three games of that season to finish 5-6.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Lou Somogyi Memorial Scholarship established in memory of writer

Lou Somogyi’s name will carry on in a meaningful way.

The Notre Dame writing community was shaken last weekend by the sudden loss of longtime Blue & Gold contributor Lou Somogyi. However, efforts to keep Somogyi’s legacy alive already are underway. Coman, the publisher of Blue and Gold, has announced the establishment of The Lou Somogyi Memorial Scholarship. Donations will be accepted beginning Thursday.

Somogyi, who was from South Bend, took the Rudy Ruettiger route of transferring to Notre Dame from Holy Cross. Appropriately, South Bend natives who transfer from the smaller school to the big school will be given first priority for this scholarship. Next priority will be given to any other student who transfers from Holy Cross to Notre Dame. Finally, any Notre Dame student in financial need will be considered.

Somogyi may be gone, but this scholarship ensures he will remain an integral part of the university community. It’s the least that could happen after all of the lives he touched during his longtime association with Notre Dame.

Before Attending Notre Dame, Rudy Got His Start in the Navy

The story of Rudy Ruettiger, while inspiring, can become exhausting if you’re a Notre Dame fan.

The story of Rudy Ruettiger, while inspiring, can become exhausting if you’re a Notre Dame fan. After all, he’s seemingly the only Irish figure other than Knute Rockne whose fame extends beyond the college football world. And as any real Irish fan knows, the movie about him doesn’t tell the whole story. One notable omission is the time he spent in the military before even attending Holy Cross.

A new story from Military.com mentions how Ruettiger joined the Navy in 1968. For two years, he was a yeoman at sea. In fact, his GI Bill benefits allowed him to enroll at Holy Cross in 1972, two years before becoming one of Ara Parseghian’s scout players. So without his time serving our country, who knows if that famous play even happens?

The story goes on to talk about Ruettiger’s frequent visits and speeches with service members. He credits the Navy for changing both his thinking and his attitude. Perhaps that’s what allowed him to tell soldiers about what he calls the four C’s to success: Character, courage, commitment and contribution. Either way, Ruettiger is a proud veteran and deserves to be honored for his service even more than whatever he did on the football field.

Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: Fourth-Quarter Analysis

Just as we had hoped, the fourth quarter between Notre Dame and Syracuse mostly was anticlimactic.

Just as we had hoped, the fourth quarter between Notre Dame and Syracuse mostly was anticlimactic. The only drama left was whether Kyren Williams would reach 1,000 rushing yards for the season, and he did exactly that. Oh, and Chris Tyree ran for a 94-yard touchdown, the third-longest in program history. It was the cherry on top of a 45-21 Notre Dame win.

The Irish (10-0, 9-0) did not get off to the best start, but once the Orange (1-10, 1-9) began playing like they’ve been known to play this season, all bets were off. Though Cooper Lutz countered Tyree with an 80-yard touchdown run, hardly anyone batted an eye. After all, the game was long out of reach at that point.

The emotional high point came when Ian Book, now the winningest quarterback in program history, left a game at Notre Dame Stadium for the last time. The sparse crowd gave him a standing ovation, and Book received congratulations everywhere on the sidelines. No, it wasn’t a Rudy Ruettiger moment, but he might as well have deserved one. He never once lost a game in The House That Rockne Built.

Now, the Irish will wait to see who they play for the ACC championship two weeks from now. It’s going to be a challenge whether they get Clemson or Miami. Still, the Irish have answered every challenge so far this season. If there’s any team in college football capable of meeting the highest of expectations, it’s this one.

Notre Dame Walk-On TE Xavier Lezynski Looking to Make Impact

An NJ.com story about Notre Dame walk-on tight end Xavier Lezynski wastes no time with the “Rudy” reference.

An NJ.com story about Notre Dame walk-on tight end Xavier Lezynski wastes no time with the “Rudy” reference. To be fair, it also acknowledges that there’s little in common with Lezynski and Rudy Ruettiger. For one, Lezynski is 7 inches taller and nearly 70 pounds heavier than Ruettiger was when he made his famous appearance. However, he’s also played as many snaps as Ruettiger did:  two, both against Bowling Green in 2019.

The story goes on to talk about Lezynski’s family, which resides in Newtown, Pennsylvania. His parents met at Notre Dame, and all four of their kids graduated from there. One of them, Nick, is on Brian Kelly’s staff as a defensive senior analyst. If there ever was a family defined by one school, this is it.

There’s no telling how much of the field Lezynski will see this year given his small size in comparison to Notre Dame’s other tight ends. Hopefully, it will be more than two plays against a team that comes to South Bend to take its lumps and go home. But no matter what happens, just to wear the gold and blue during Saturdays in the fall is honorable enough for him.