Notre Dame Football Essay, Research Paper
The Notre Dame Legend In this epic tale of courage, bravery and persistence is
made of exciting magnitude and loyalty of one man, named Rudy, to fulfill his
life-long dream to play for Notre Dame University on the football team. His
pride to become part of the Nation?s best football team was his dream, to
become an All-American hero. His struggles in life were of tremendous value to
him. All around him, all his life, family and ?friends? had put him down and
told him that he will never become a Notre Dame team member. His realization for
life began as his dear friend died. As to then, Rudy has dedicated himself into
becoming a part of the Notre Dame Varsity football team. His first engagement
with the priest led him to begin school at the Holy Cross Community College. The
priest had promised him that if he had studied hard enough and had received good
grades, then he would then be granted another free semester and so on. Until
then, Rudy had visited the field on where the desired football team played,
being escorted shortly off by the keepers of the field. He then rushed to the
Head Coach to enlist onto the team but could not because he was not a full-time
student at their College. If he had done well enough, then the Father again
promised him entry into the Notre Dame Campus. Rudy?s persistence to become
part of the team had taken sympathy from the father of the church. He soon began
attending college at this University. He had later encountered a companion to
aid Rudy so that he may pass his classes with above-average grades. Of course,
in return, his newly greeted friend, Peabody, was of a shy sort and had wanted
his help into being introduced to some women of his class. Peabody had also
wanted to leave for the University of Miami to study the profession of Law.
Peabody was one of the very few friends, which Rudy adored. He had promised to
help Rudy study and pass his courses as long as he had helped him with the
?Female Department?. Peabody had also promised Rudy that he would be at the
first starting game that he was in. Peabody was also very fond of Rudy, because
they watched each other?s backs. As fate had it, as Rudy advanced in his
classes, he had kept enrolling into Notre Dame University only to be turned
down, time after time after time. Rudy then applied for attendance upon the
Booster Club for the team after deliberately lying that he was enrolled in the
school. He was caught doing so after Peabody had asked him to find out if a girl
had a boyfriend or not for him, since that was the deal they had made; studies
for girls. As to then, Rudy had attended all of the team?s Pep Rallies and the
such but was later discovered to have not been in the school?s list of alumni
due to failure to show a valid School Identification. Rudy was too dedicated to
let his dreams off too easily as this. He applied for recruitment of the Field
Maintenance crew, which worked on the field of the legendary Notre Dame team.
His employer stated to him that to never give up his dreams to do whatever he
wanted to do in life. This had a bit influential part upon Rudy himself though
he had his goal set to make the team, no matter what. His employer had also
?pretended? to not know of the key which was found in the office, which Rudy
stated was big enough for a person to live in. As well that his other new
friend, his boss, knew he did not have a place of his own, until then. Since
Rudy was a Freshman at Holy Cross College, he had spent all of his precious time
studying and practicing vigorously to make his name appear on that list and to
make the dress cut. As so, for the following, hard, two years, he was never
accepted to his school of choice. When the Christmas Holidays had arrived, Rudy
returned home to visit his parents and the rest of his family. His mother
greeted him with joy as to see her son once again but his father was in a very
ill mannered mood. At the fact that his son had received stupendous grades at
the Holy Cross Community College, he did not accept him because he had not been
enrolled into the Notre Dame, school of fame. To make matters even worse for
Rudy, as his brother entered the home doorway, he had found that his fiancй
had married his brother, putting him directly on the spot of being unaccepted
into the family. Though his mother had tried to stop him, his anger was out of
proportion and immediately left to his new ?home?. After some time now,
after being rejected by the Administration of Notre Dame several times, Rudy had
received a letter reading of his acceptance to the University, since they would
not accept Senior transfers, he was accepted in his 2nd Semester of his
Sophomore year. This made him extremely joyous and boastful and had went to his
father?s work place to show him that he could make it alone. That he could
make it, period. His coaches of the football team then started to take a liking
to him because of all the heart and effort he put forth on the field. Though not
making dress cut, he had later pleaded to the Head Coach if he could at least
dress for one game, any game. The coach had wondered and thought and had asked
him why he would ask of such a thing. Rudy?s response was to show to his
father that he could make the team. Though this was not the only reason, of
course, he wanted to show to all the people that told him that he would never
become a football player for the Notre Dame team because of whatever reason they
could give him. The coach had given him his word that he would play in one game
of the season, though it was almost impossible as he had retired and in came a
new coach from the Green Bay Packers, which whom was not informed of this
promise. Rudy was extremely scared that he would not start a game because of
this newer and even more disciplined coach. When he had later spoken to his
friend, Peabody of this, he had found to see he was ready to go on to the
University of Miami to study his profession of Law. He had also seen that
Peabody had a girlfriend also, whom was a very intelligent and shy girl, such as
him (Peabody). Since the new coach had not let Rudy dress for one game, his
fellow comrades stuck up for him and threatened to quit the team if Rudy had not
been given the chance to dress for a game, as promised. The coach took this as a
bluff and one by one, the players proudly threw their jerseys upon the desk of
the Head Coach. This was a sure sign, which Rudy would dress for a game. Rudy
not yet knowing of this had returned to the Convent where the priest had
originally started him off at the Holy Cross. They had quite a discussion and
the priest had told him that praying would not be enough to succeed. He would
have to try his hardest and until that day came, he would continue trying. Rudy
had also spoken to his friend/boss. His boss later told him that he never
watched a game form the stands?that he watched the game from the bench. He was
an ex-football player who had regretted on quitting the team for because of his
skin color, he was always discriminated and was never allowed to play most of
the time. He told Rudy in a vigorous and harsh tone that he would regret
quitting the team when he had tried so hard to make it in the first place. Rudy
had returned to the locker room and discovered that once again he would be
dressing for a game. As he did so, he was actually glad he had listened to his
friends. As game-day arrived and the time was right. The team players had kept
repeating to the coach to put in Rudy to play, since his father was in the
stands, along with his best-friend, Peabody, and his boss, who had both promised
him that they would be there. The coach was soon aggravated as the players had
changed the plans and dedicated a play for Rudy, for being persistent, dedicated
and worthy of being on the Notre Dame football team. The offensive players then
began to chant ?Rudy? and had the whole stadium repeating them in a matter
of minutes. The last play of the game, the players forced the coach to play him.
Rudy entered in a humble manner, a bit embarrassed as to the chanting, knowing
over one thousand pairs of eyes are looking down on him as he enters the
grid-iron field. As the play begins, Rudy pushes himself past the defensive
linemen and makes a sack on the quarterback, debunking their chance to make a
touchdown with only 7 seconds left on the clock. The clock stops at zero and the
Home team (Notre Dame) beats an Offensive challenging team, Georgia Tech.
University. The crowd raises the volumes of their own noise level as the clock
stops ticking and his teammates carry Rudy off the field. Rudy has yet become a
legend in the history of Notre Dame, for he has been the only player to be
carried off that field among the shoulders of his comrades. He had shown not
only his father and brother that he had succeeded in his life-long dream and
goal, but he has shown the rest of the world that he went all the way and did
not quit. The movie is of a historical, true-to-life tale. Rudy achieved his 15
minutes of fame and more. He had consummated his glory in proving to everyone
who had ever put him down that he can be someone if he puts his hard effort and
a little more to do what he wants to do in life.