It wasn’t until my Sophomore year of college that I watched Rudy for the first time. In my defense, I was about 4 months old when the movie came out, and really it’s my buddy Jack’s fault that he didn’t force me to watch it sooner.
I’m rambling, here are some behind-the-scenes facts about one of the greatest underdog movies out there!
The games during the film look so realistic because they were actually shot by NFL Films using the same set-ups you would see in a real football game.
With any movie that’s “based on a true story”, there are some changes that were made to adapt Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger’s story on the big screen.
For example, movie-Rudy’s older brother Frank Ruettiger doesn’t actually exist. His character was created to personify the overwhelming odds and negativity Rudy faced throughout his journey. Rudy is actually the oldest boy of the 14 Ruettiger kids.
Groundskeeper Fortune was another character created for the movie. Serving as an anti-Frank, Fortune was created to act as all of the encouragement and help Rudy received while making his way to the field.
And instead of creating a character, there is actually a character missing you would expect to show up.
The Comeback Kid, Joe Montana, was the backup quarterback during the season of Rudy’s famous game in 1995, but wouldn’t make a name for himself until 1977. None of the other teammates were based on real players, so 3-time Super Bowl MVP was left out of the movie.
There was one real life Notre Dame player in the film, who played #75, Steve, on the sideline who started the “Rudy” chant.
NCAA rules won’t allow active college players to be in movies, but Peter Rausch had finished his college career by the time of filming.
Rudy was the first (and for a while, the only) player carried off the field by the team. This wouldn’t happen again until Marc Edwards was carried off in 1995.
The famous jersey scene was created as an emotional moment for the team to stand behind Rudy. In real life, coach Dan Devine was as supportive of Rudy as anyone on the team, and had announced that Rudy would suit up days before the game.
Air Force Space Command
Throughout the movie, Rudy is seen struggling financially and having trouble balancing work, football, and school.
In real life, Rudy had served in the navy, and his tuition was covered by his GI Bill.
The real Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger can be briefly seen in the movie cheering in the stands while Rudy takes the field.
He is behind Rudy’s parents in the blue coat.
The origins of this movie are pretty incredible. Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo had finished Hoosiers and were creating a movie about the Indy 500. This film was canceled when Tom Cruise signed on to make Days of Thunder.
The duo caught wind of Rudy’s story through a friend of a friend who overheard Ruettiger in a hotel telling the amazing tale of achieving his dream of playing for Notre Dame. After humblebrag about knowing the makers of Hoosiers, Ruettiger loved the idea of sharing his story with a larger audience.
This film marks Vince Vaughn’s acting debut, playing antagonistic backup QB Jamie O’Hara.
The famous “Ru-dy!” chant didn’t happen when he walked on the field, but rather after he sacked the quarterback. It also wasn’t the entire crowd, but a small section and the team chanting his name.
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“My whole life, people have been telling me what I could do and couldn’t do. I’ve always listened to ’em, believed in what they said. I don’t wanna do that anymore.” — Rudy
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