What to Know About the Real Rudy Ruettiger, the Focus of the Classic Film 'Rudy'

From humble beginnings to his inspiring success story, here’s everything to know about the Notre Dame football player Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger

An instant classic was released in 1993.

Rudy — the story of underdog Notre Dame football player Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger — debuted in theaters on Oct. 13.

Sean Astin, who would later play Samwise Gamgee in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, starred as the real-life Ruettiger, who beat the odds to find a place on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team despite having dyslexia and lacking the physical prowess of typical players.

Rudy was praised for its inspirational and uplifting tone, and the film reached a 90 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Famed film critic Roger Ebert gave Rudy 4.5 stars and praised Astin for his performance.

"Underdog movies are a durable genre and never go out of style," Ebert wrote in his review in 1993. "The notion is enormously appealing, however, because everyone can identify in one way or another. In Rudy, Astin's performance is so self-effacing, so focused and low-key, that we lose sight of the underdog formula and begin to focus on this dogged kid who won't quit."

While the film takes some creative liberties with Ruettiger's story, his life experiences are no less inspirational.

Keep reading for everything to know about Ruettiger.

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Where was Reuttiger born?

According to Bleacher Report, Ruettiger was born in 1948, the third child among 14 siblings. He grew up outside of Chicago and fell in love with Notre Dame Fighting Irish football thanks to his father, who worked in a mine.

"Blue collar family... 14 kids ... You do whatever you need to do, but when you come home, you don't really do homework, you gotta do chores, and you gotta go outside, and you have to play sports," he said on the Everyone Talks to Liz Claman podcast in November 2023, per Fox News Radio. "I didn't understand school, but I understood sports."

When did Ruettiger start playing football?

Ruettiger went on to play high school football and did well as a cornerback. However, his 5 feet, 6 inch-frame would be a tremendous obstacle when making it onto a college team.

After high school, Reuttiger enlisted in the United States Navy (via Military.com), where he served as a yeoman on a communications command ship for two years. ESPN reported that he spent another two years working in a power plant.

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How did Ruettiger achieve his Notre Dame football dream?

After the death of his best friend, Ruettiger was inspired to enroll at Notre Dame any way he could, per Bleacher Report. He started off by taking classes at Holy Cross Junior College with the hopes he would be able to transfer. While there, Ruettiger learned he had dyslexia.

Notre Dame rejected Ruettiger's applications, so he took a groundskeeper job at the campus. With a bit of hard work, Ruettiger applied one last time to the school and got in.

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What led Ruettiger to become the underdog?

Ruettiger was later chosen to be a part of Notre Dame football's scout team and only saw playing time in the closing minutes of the final game of the season when they had a comfortable lead.

It was a memorable performance. Ruettiger sacked Georgia Tech quarterback Rudy Allen and was carried off the field, bringing a fitting end to a true underdog story.

Where is Ruettiger now?

Ruettiger is a motivational speaker and author, penning Rudy's Insights for Winning in Life (2000) and Rudy: My Story (2012).

While his life story was also chronicled in the 2018 documentary Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On, the 1993 biopic remains cherished to this day.

"They love [Rudy] because it breaks down barriers: political, religious, whatever," Ruettiger told USA Today in August 2018. "It’s about belief in yourself. That if you believe in yourself, everything is possible. That's why the movie works."

He shares two children — son Daniel and daughter Joyce — with his ex-wife, Cheryl Ruettiger.

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