Rudy - WTVP.com
Transcription
Rudy - WTVP.com
Interesting People Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger His Story, The Movie, His Book Interesting People Family; Church; Ears; Mild Dyslexia • • • • • • • Ruettigers/landowners: lost everything – Cattle/disease Turret gunner/twenty-two missions Covered in grease; “just get it done”: Union Oil; gas station; construction Seven boys and seven girls Church, school, park, grocery store; 700 square feet – Dad/church/ears would fall off Sox ballpark “I got it!” – New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers/Notre Dame football First five presidents – “With that attitude, Mr. Ruettiger, you will never amount to anything.” 1 Interesting People Football: Joliet Catholic (1966) • The high school – 857 students – Tuition: $7,900 • 5’7”; 165#; All-Sub Conf. Guard, Inside linebacker: 10-0 • Joliet Catholic – Thayer (1979; Super B Bears), Alstolt (1992; Super B Tampa Bay), George Miken (shot clock) – Gordon Gillespie: 1,800 wins; “Coach of the Century” • Science book; wood shop; Big Nick/dead – “Your son’s not smart.” • Third from bottom; GPA: 1.73 • “This is for college-bound student. Not you.” • “That’s Alan Page!”/ Ara Parseghian – “I’m gonna play football for Notre Dame!” 2 Interesting People Power Plant; Vietnam War (1969); Navy; Notre Dame Ring • Coal-fired power plant/priest – “Go get a bucket of steam!” • Yeoman - USS North Hampton (CC-1) comm ship – 2 years – 2,000 on the 664’ vessel • Runs/lifts weights • Lieutenant’s ND ring • 18 months/opt out early – GI bill/tuition 3 Interesting People Back: Power Plant: Siskel • Dream right along with me; Siskel – Coal onto conveyor belt – Just do it • Flat on his back on top of the conveyor, passing under the feeders/crusher • That was my job 4 Interesting People Holy Cross • Holy Cross/Notre Dame • Diagnosed: mild case of dyslexia (reading fluency) • Room so narrow • First class - math • Freddy – How to study the right stuff – Including Albert Einstein • All Bs and a couple of As 5 Interesting People Kneeling/Grotto • Four semesters at Holy Cross; didn’t listen – “We regret to inform you...” • Set Freddy up/girls • Stadium maintenance crew; “grunt work” – Players’ helmets/gold paint • Intramural tackle football; USMA – Middle linebacker/fullback • “No, no, no, Father, I don’t want to be a priest.” – “You know, son, Notre Dame’s not for everyone.” • Complete four semesters – Admitted females – Merged/St. Mary’s 6 Interesting People Bengal Bouts • Interhall football; Rat Pack • The Bengal Bouts – “Rudy, are you a student at Notre Dame?” • Cum Laude; transfer approved • “I couldn’t have done it without you.” 7 Interesting People Walk On: Scout Team • Maintenance closet/Notre Dame • Janitor/Rudy – “When I lost my leg (diabetes), I thought my whole world was over” • The walk-on’s tryout – Fifteen other guys; five remained – Next day five walk-ons showed up – Two made it/“See you tomorrow” 8 Interesting People ND Sociology • Dan Devine (5’7”; 185)/Packers • 130 players – Joe Montana (1977 round #3; SF; MVP/NFL), Ken MacAfee (SF; 7th NFL), Jerome Heavens (6’0; 200), Bob Golic (6’3”; 240), Ross Browner (6’3”; 240), Jim Stock (6’3”; 217) • 8-3 record • Just numbers; never names • Human tackle dummies • Elvis Presley; Elvis’s Cadillac finally – “He’s afraid to go on stage” • He had to gather the courage to perform. Elvis! – A hound dog from Elvis! 9 Interesting People @ ND; Still Fighting • Greats was Ara Parseghian; .836 % – “I bet you will.” • Coach Dan Devine – “Nice fights, Rudy.” • Plasterer 10 Interesting People Scout Team (1975) • • • • • • • • Rudy: 5’6”; 185# Merv Johnson; coach No scout team player listed Varsity locker room…with my name on it. That was huge! “I wish you guys had more heart, like Rudy.” “Why don’t you try putting as much energy on the field as you’re putting into all your complaining?” One player is going to give up his uniform…and Rudy Ruettigers gonna dress.” – Sean Astin: knee surgery “Ruettiger --- #45” 12 Interesting People Georgia Tech: 27 Seconds • • • • • Life intersections – Fifth grade, humiliation/inadequacy and hurt – Deaths of Big Nick, Ralph, and Siskel – Never hugged by my father – Ringside/ND halfback “Rudy, you lead us out!” 27 seconds / age 27 – 3 plays – Kickoff, incomplete pass, sack of Rudy Allen QB Howard Meyer and Ronnie Cullins; shoulders – Marc Edwards (USC upset) He put it on his finger and looked at it; a Notre Dame ring 13 Interesting People Post ND • Graduate assistant/scout team • Coaching kids who were just like me • Rocky/ Hoosiers (Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper) • Pat Ryan & Associates N.D. • Insurance add-ons to car dealerships – Over $40,000 in a single year! – Maybe, this isn’t me – Cleaning business/Ara Parseghian; $20,000/“write him a check” • College football Rudy Award – Character, courage, contribution, commitment 14 Interesting People Hollywood Dreams • Hoosiers – A town drunk. A victory as powerful as Rocky’s • Sports movie that wasn’t really about sports at all, but about life and drama and who we are as people. • Angelo Pizzo, Hoosiers • Interim job: condominium association take over maintenance at our development 15 Interesting People Movie: A Success? • “Rudy, do you have a lawyer?” – Columbia TriStar – 1991, Angelo Pizzo • Why didn’t he include my entering the Bengal Bouts? – “Too many victories” • “You don’t have permission?” they said • Pizzo had taken my personal story of hope, perseverance, and never giving up on your dreams • My attorney, “you’d win,” he told me, “but while you’re fighting… The movie will never get make. • No money from the film 16 Interesting People Making Rudy; $12M Budget • • • • • • • Priest threatening to shut the film down – “I need ten thousand dollars” – Sean Astin, two stunt doubles – Charles S. Dutton as old janitor, Rudy – Ned Beatty; Al Cowlings Forty-four ex-college and semi-pro football players from all over the region – 6’6”, 310 pounds; union – 20 pounds; shoot; 16 hours of football – ND v. Boston College Halftime seventeen minutes long Whole communication system went dead “Go, go, go!” 6 minutes to capture the entire climax of this movie Release in October 1993 – 6 years – ND cooperation 17 Interesting People Rudy Nutrition/Real Estate • Securities Exchange Commission – $185,750/$382,866 • Nevada 18 Interesting People Hope • • • • • • • • Difference between Golden Dome and power plant/10° apart A matter of turning my head/different perspective Rudy Awards “This movie’s about dreams, it’s about perseverance, it’s about heart, it’s about endurance, it’s about overcoming the odds, and that’s a story that you’re going to see repeated throughout the history of this country” Wall commemorating Rudy First hug Sean/finish his degree at UCLA Kobe Bryant had watched Rudy/age 16 – Reason he’s in the NBA – Reason he’s always the first guy to practice, working out longer and harder than everyone else, he said 19 Interesting People Dream • “You’ve gotta go after your dreams, because you never know who you’re going to influence” • “Isn’t that what America’s all about?” • “The truth is you are someone” • The unconditional support they gave to each other in that moment was a beautiful thing • That hour had been exactly the connection, the boost, the sign, and the answer I needed • Getting the message; living the message 20 Interesting People Post-Movie • White House, D.C. – Clintons, Larry King, Joe Montana, Colin Powell – Access pass – Rudy hat – Hillary Clinton • Reviews – Ebert, Chicago Sun Times • “… powerful demonstration of the human spirit” – Holden, NY Times – Harrington, Washington Post • 2005 – Best of the 25 sports stories – 4th by ESPN 21