Rudy Page #2

It's close to the schools.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

It's great, Sherry. It's great.

You did a great job.

Look, buddy...

...I've put in my time.

I've been very patient

waiting for us to save up...

...so we could get married

and do this right.

You owe me.

Come on.

I think you're gonna like it.

Hey, Joe, what do you know?

- Can I get another beer down here?

- Sure. Coming right up.

What are you doing tomorrow night?

A little TV.

Coach Parseghian is speaking at the

Chicago Grid Iron Club. Wanna go?

Sure. If Rhonda

lets me stay out late.

Tell her the D train gets

back no later than 10:30...

Ara Parseghian? You just

can't give it up, can you?

He's the greatest coach

in the country, Frank.

Are you gonna kiss his autographed

picture every night?

- What is your problem?

- Or maybe he'll let you wipe his ass.

- Why don't you leave him alone?

- Mind your own business.

As long as my brother talks this crazy

Notre Dame sh*t, he deserves this.

Hey, you were a pretty big

Notre Dame fan.

I used to collect baseball cards too.

Forget about it.

You know what Coach Gillespie

said about you, Frank?

He said you had a lot of talent.

But your problem was,

you were too afraid of getting hit.

You had no guts.

Go to hell, Pete.

- Come on.

- It's okay.

He used to tell me if you had one

half of Rudy's heart and desire...

...you could have been

all-conference.

He said you were a p*ssy.

Frank!

Come on, Frank.

Rudy!

- Rudy! Rudy!

- All right!

That's enough!

Do you hear me?!

That's enough!

Frank, good!

Don't nothing ever change?

Throw them out, Mary Ann.

You didn't have to get into it

with Frank. I can take care of myself.

I know you can.

That was between him and me!

Ever since he started working here,

he's been pissed off.

Because he's not the same

kind of god around here...

...that he was in high school.

We got a breakout!

Rudy, I need more water!

I'm not getting any!

Try another valve!

I'm not getting any, Pete!

Come on, goddamn it.

There's no pressure in the line.

We need to get out of here!

Turn something!

Pete!

Let us pray.

O, God, who alone are ever

merciful and sparing of punishment...

...humbly we pray You in behalf of

the soul of Your servant, Peter...

...whom You have commanded to

go forth today from this world.

Do not hand him over to the enemy,

and do not forget him forever...

...but command that this soul

be taken up by the holy angels...

...and brought home to Paradise.

So that, since he hoped...

...and believed in You, he may not

undergo the punishments of Hell...

- I'm so sorry. He was a friend.

- Thank you.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

You okay?

You wanna just go home?

I'm going to South Bend.

Now is not the time.

If I don't go now, I'll never be any

good for you or for me or anybody.

I'm sorry.

Well...

...if you have to go, then

you'll have to go alone.

I know.

I'm sorry.

Dad.

What are you doing here?

You can take a couple of weeks off.

Your grandfather saved

all of his life...

...to bring the family

to this country.

He got a good job in the stockyards.

He had a nice little house...

...South Chicago.

I was about 12.

Somebody sold him on the idea

he ought to move to the country...

...and become a dairy farmer.

Well...

...he buys some land, you know,

and gets a couple hundred cows.

Within five months, every one of

those cows was dead with disease.

It was the Depression.

Couldn't sell the land.

There was no work.

So one day...

...he took off.

Didn't come back.

My brothers and me, we split up...

...to live with friends and relatives.

Chasing a stupid dream...

...causes nothing but you and

everyone around you heartache.

Notre Dame is for rich kids...

...smart kids...

...great athletes. It's not for us.

You're a Ruettiger.

There's nothing wrong with that.

You can have a damn nice life.

Frank is gonna take over

plant number two.

A couple years, he'll make

more than me and Johnny.

He's in charge of

the expansion program.

I don't wanna be Frank or John.

Excuse me, I need to see somebody

about going to school here.

Now?

Admissions office doesn't open

for another couple of hours yet.

There's gotta be somebody

I can talk to now.

Please?

Well, you could talk to a priest.

Maybe that's what you need, son.

Yeah, I'd appreciate that.

Just a minute.

Mr. Ruettiger?

- Rudy.

- I'm Father Cavanaugh.

How long have you thought

about this decision?

For as long as I can remember...

Have you taken the proper steps,

investigated the process?

- Yes. I have more to learn, but...

- Are you fully aware...

...of the sacrifices

you'll have to make?

I am.

I'll do whatever it takes.

What brought you here today?

I just came from my best friend's

funeral. He said that...

Of course.

What do you mean, "Of course"?

Well, it's very common for people...

...suffering a crisis to seek

escape into the cloth.

- We recommend a grieving...

- Escape into the cloth?

That's just an expression

that we use...

...for those who are running away from

emotional or psychological pain...

...by choosing priesthood.

You think I want to become a priest?

Don't you?

Nothing against being a priest,

but I don't think it's for me.

Why are you here?

I want to go to school at Notre Dame.

Well, have you applied?

No, my grades have never been

very good, even though I tried.

But I'll try harder. I'll study

20 hours a day if I have to.

This university,

it's not for everybody.

Ever since I was a kid,

I wanted to go to school here.

And ever since I was a kid,

everyone said it couldn't be done.

My whole life, people have been telling

me what I could do and couldn't do.

I've always listened to them,

believed in what they said.

I don't want to do that anymore.

Okay, Mr. Rudy.

Here's the deal...

...Holy Cross Junior College is nearby.

I can get you one semester there.

You make grades,

you get another semester.

Maybe with a good GPA...

...you might have a chance

of getting into Notre Dame.

Hey, kid!

You're not supposed to be here!

Hey, this place is really

something else, huh?

Someday, I'm gonna come out of that

tunnel and run onto this field!

Well, it ain't gonna be this day.

I'm here to play football

for the Irish.

Coach Parseghian know about it?

No, not yet.

Well, maybe you best tell him first.

Yeah, you're right.

Yeah, that's what I should do.

Thanks.

I'll see you around.

Is he expecting you?

This'll just take a second.

- Now just a moment...

- Coach?

- Can I talk to you for a second?

- I'm sorry, coach, I tried.

- No, it's all right. I've got it.

- Shall I close the door?

- How can I help you, son?

- I'm Rudy Ruettiger.

I'm here to talk about playing

football for Notre Dame.

Our walk-on tryout date

was two weeks ago.

I'm not talking about this year.

I was thinking about next springtime.

Are you a student here?

No. I'm at Holy Cross.

But I'm gonna be a student here.

I've been a Notre Dame fan for as long

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