Vince Vaughn Recalls ‘Rudy’ and ‘Wedding Crashers’ Roles During Spirited ESPN Appearance

Ryan Gajewski
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Vince Vaughn appeared to have a ball while referencing some of the popular films from his oeuvre during an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay.

The actor and longtime sports fan was the Week 4 guest picker Saturday on the cable television program that previews the day’s NCAA college football matchups. During the episode, which filmed from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, Vaughn made it clear that he is a big supporter of the school’s Fighting Irish, who are set to play the Ohio State Buckeyes later Saturday in a high-profile game between two nationally ranked teams.

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“This is like picking kids for me,” Vaughn explained. “My dad’s from [Ohio]. My sister, born in Columbus. My niece goes to Ohio State. And you can’t talk about football without talking about the great state of Ohio.”

He continued, “The Buckeyes are for real, always. You can never doubt them. That being said, I played for Notre Dame — I threw a pass [in Rudy]. If I had half the heart of Rudy, I would have been All-American instead of picking games up here with you guys.”

Vaughn — whose real-life sports pursuits didn’t continue beyond high school — even threw in a reference to his rule-focused character from David Dobkin’s 2005 comedy Wedding Crashers when he added: “Rule No. 76: Play like a champion. The Irish will prevail today!” This led to enthusiastic cheers from the Fighting Irish faithful in the background.

Early in his acting career, Vaughn played Jamie O’Hara in David Anspaugh’s 1993 biographical sports film that starred Sean Astin in the title role as Notre Dame walk-on defensive player Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. During his GameDay segment, Vaughn wore a jacket similar to one he donned in Rudy.

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