Nephew of 'Rudy' keeps family name alive at Arizona St.
Try Baseball! Interesting find!
By Holly Anderson
Love or hate Notre Dame (and judging from our mailbox every time we bring them up, there is no in-between stance), everybody knows Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger. The 61-year-old former Fighting Irish walk-on and subject of the tear-jerker “Rudy” has kept plenty busy since his Domer days, authoring such inspirational titles as "Rudy & Friends," "Rudy's Lessons for Young Champions," and "Dream Big! What's the Best That Can Happen?" establishing the Rudy Foundation for children's advocacy and commanding anywhere from $10,000-$40,000 as a motivational speaker. If Rudy's own anecdotes are to be believed, he's a pretty big deal:
Among his fondest speaking engagement memories are of Lockport (N.Y.) High School.
"They had me speak at an assembly and it was rowdy. The kids were loud, ther0was very little order and the mic system was bad, but I did my best. I told the kids, 'You’re not a bad person if you make mistakes. Always believe in yourself.' That was my message," Ruettiger said.
"After speaking, in the parking lot, this girl came up to me with red hair and pierced ears and her boyfriend was wearing a leather jacket. She thanked me for the speech. She said she had gotten pregnant and was contemplating suicide, but after hearing me speak, she said, ‘I’m going to have the baby, graduate from high school and be responsible for that baby because I’m not a bad person.'
"Those are special moments," Ruettiger said.
The Ruettiger name is gracing sports pages once again -- in the form of his nephew Johnny. A two-sport athlete in high school, the younger Ruettiger chose baseball over football and is making his first appearance in the College World Series as a freshman outfielder for Arizona State. Yahoo! Sports' Kendall Rogers caught up with Johnny in Omaha, Neb.
Kendall Rogers: You were four when "Rudy" came out. What do you think of the movie? Did it make you cry? Be honest.
Johnny Ruettiger: It was a great movie. And no, it didn't make me cry.
Rogers: Your uncle is making a living doing motivational speaking. Have you ever seen him speak? Can he make you cry? Be honest.
Ruettiger: Yes, a couple of times. And no, he still has not made me cry.
Rogers: You were an all-state quarterback in high school. Was it your dream to play football at Notre Dame?
Ruettiger: Growing up I wanted to play at Notre Dame, but then as I got older baseball really became my main sport.
Rogers: Were you recruited there? If not, did you consider walking on as he did?
Ruettiger: I was recruited there for baseball, but I didn't consider walking on to the football team.
Rogers: Did you ever go to a game there with your uncle?
Ruettiger: I have gone to games with my uncle. It was cool because everyone knew him. It was a good experience.
Rogers: Who would you root for if ASU played ND in football?
Ruettiger: Arizona State.
Rogers: How do your ASU teammates react to you being Rudy's nephew?
Ruettiger: [ASU pitcher] Kole Calhoun said sarcastically: "I think it's the most wonderful thing to ever happen to me on a baseball diamond."
Rogers: You have a huge extended family. Is everyone nicknamed Rudy?
Ruettiger: Yes.
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