The presence of any walk-on in a college football game usually doesn’t elicit a great deal of notice, much less lay the groundwork for a major motion picture. However, when 27-year-old Dan Ruettiger’s quest to play for Notre Dame was finally achieved on November 8, 1975, it created an indelible memory in the history of Fighting Irish football.
Standing just five-feet-six, Ruettiger, since immortalized as Rudy, took a circuitous route to Notre Dame. That path began with a stint in the Navy, followed by a few years working in a power plant. Due to poor high school grades, he began his college days near Notre Dame at Holy Cross College.