Rudy: A True Underdog Hero

Perhaps one of the most inspirational of all hero stories is the tale of the underdog. We identify so much with the underdog because we can see ourselves in them. Most people are not born with extraordinary abilities. For that reason, when an average person, such as ourselves achieves extraordinary things with limited gifts we are inspired. An individual who definitely falls under this category is Daniel Ruettiger, who is more commonly known as Rudy. Rudy grew up in a working class family in Illinois. Even, though Rudy was a poor student. He dreamed of attending the University of Notre Dame. Not only did he dream of that but he also dreamed of playing football for the fighting Irish. Even though he was a leader and standout on his high school football team, his stature, five-foot six and one-hundred sixty-eight pounds, Rudy was not a prototypical college football player. Despite the myriad of people who told him these dreams would never come to fruition, Rudy held onto them tightly.After a stint in the United States Navy and work at a power plant, Rudy finally applied to admission to Notre Dame. His application was denied, although he was accepted to Holy Cross College, which was in the same location as Notre Dame. Instead of being discouraged by Notre Dame's rejection, Rudy seized on the opportunity given to him by Holy Cross College and started working toward his education. During his time at Holy Cross, Rudy was diagnosed with dyslexia. This learned disorder, which impairs a person's ability to read, is thought to be the reason that Rudy struggled so much academically in high school. After spending two years at Holy Cross College, with three rejections from Notre Dame in the meantime, Rudy was finally accepted to Notre Dame at the age of 26.

For some overcoming dyslexia and attending one of the most prestigious schools in the country would have been enough, but Rudy hungered for more. Seeing his first dream accomplished he set to work on his second, playing football for the Irish. He made the practice team for the Irish, which is a team that pretends to be that weeks opponents. They are basically are live tackling dummies for the varsity team. In his final game as a college student, Rudy was allowed to dress, although he had no expectations of actually getting playing time. However, he played in the final two plays of the game, one of which resulted in him sacking the opposing quarterback. His teammates rewarded his heroism by making him the first player to be ever carried off of Notre Dame's field. Since his days at Notre Dame a movie has been made about his story. Awards are named in his honor and he has a foundation for child advocacy. He constantly emphasizes what he calls "The Four C's". They are courage, character, commitment and contribution. Rudy definitely exemplified these concepts. He has given hope to underdogs and average Joes all around the world.

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