Rudy (41 page)

The other girls noticed her crying, and a couple of them put their hands on her shoulders. I turned my attention back to her.

“Don't let people influence your thoughts. I know what you're going through, and you know what? You're gonna be a big winner. 'Cause you're fighting right now, aren't you?”

The girl nodded and cried harder. All the girls came in for a big group hug. The unconditional support they gave to each other in that moment was a beautiful thing. These girls had only known each other for a few days. It was remarkable.

Not every one of them would get it. Not every one of them would remember this experience a week or a month or a year from now. But there was more than one girl in that group who would remember that momentâthe feeling of that momentâfor the rest of their lives. I certainly knew I would.

Over an hour had passed since they first came up to me. It was almost dark. One of the counselors spoke up and said it was time for all the girls to be getting back. They all went, “
Awwwww
,” and came in for a great big group hug good-bye.

“We learned a lot of lessons here tonight,” I said.

In some ways, I think I was saying it mostly to myself. That hour had been exactly the connection, the boost, the sign, and the answer I needed.

As the summer sun set down over Notre Dame, the school that forever changed my life, you know what I saw in the eyes of those girls? Inspiration. I saw a little sampling of our next generation, from all walks of life, from all across this country, who with or without my help were seeking out the message. Getting the message. Living the message.

The
Rudy
message. The message I have been so humbled by and have tried to do my part to deliver in any way I can for all these years.

And that gave me hope. More hope than I'd had in a long time.

As I said good-bye and walked across those sprawling green lawns, as the first stars of evening lit up in the sky and those familiar bells rang out from the Basilica, I was filled with the very same feeling I had the first time I ever stepped foot on that campus.

It felt like a new beginning. The beginning of something big.

I wasn't sure where that path would take me, but with every step I took, I was certain I was on the right path.

Acknowledgments

This book would not have been possible without the hard work, dedication, friendship, and support of the entire team that makes up my lifeâstarting with my brothers and sisters, and of course, my mom and dad. Losing my father as I worked on these pages was not easy. But I know he's in heaven, smiling down on his great big family full of “big shots.” My dad wore that Notre Dame ring I gave him until the day he died. I wear it now, in his honorâevery dayâwhile he wears the Notre Dame ring that I wore myself for nearly forty years.

I want to thank my beautiful, loving, and talented children, Jessica Noel and Daniel Joseph, who continue to inspire me to live my dream. My agent, Joel Kneedler at Alive Communications, and my editor, Debbie Wickwire at Thomas Nelson, who believed in me during the tough times. Don Stillman, whose introduction allowed this book to get off the ground. And Mark Dagostino, who had the passion and commitment to bring my full story to life through every twist and turn.

A big thank you to my assistant, Carol Cummings, for keeping all the facts and paperwork in order, and my attorney, Michael Eldridge, for handling all the law and order.

Thanks also to Thomas Hensey and the Rhino team. The Wolfington brothers, Ryan and Sean, who gave me their friendship and support. Tim Blenkiron, a true winner when I really needed one. My good friends Jerry Mowbray and Jon Jannotta. And especially to my lifelong Notre Dame family, teammates and friends.

My forever gratitude to the
Rudy
team, from Angelo Pizzo, David Anspaugh, Rob Fried, and Marc Platt to Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, and all of the others who believe in the message of never giving up . . . whose hard work and talents served as the spark that allowed me to begin sharing that message with the world.

Finally, thanks to God. All faith and courage comes from Him.

About the Authors

D
ANIEL
“R
UDY
” R
UETTIGER
is the subject of the blockbuster film Rudy and a popular motivational speaker. His humble background and determination to pursue his dreams, no matter the challenge, has made him legendary and an inspiration to everyone from school children to businessmen and athletes, even presidents. He established the Rudy Foundation to help children around the world and the Rudy Awards for high school and university level athletes.

M
ARK
D
AGOSTINO
is a
New York Times
best-selling coauthor and one of the most respected celebrity journalists in America. For ten years he was on staff in New York and Los Angeles as a correspondent, columnist, and senior writer for
People
magazine, interviewing personalities such as Shaquille O'Neill, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Reeve, Jennifer Lopez, and Donald Trump.

Photos