'Rudy' Video Inspires Joliet Catholic Students Amid Coronavirus

JOLIET, IL — World-famous Joliet Catholic High School graduate Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger has created a short motivational YouTube video to give Joliet Catholic Academy students hope amid the new coronavirus outbreak. Joliet Catholic, like all Illinois public and private schools, was forced close its campus for the remainder of the school year amid the health crisis.

Rudy's rags to riches story of becoming a walk-on college football player at the prestigious University of Notre Dame became a hit movie in 1993, "Rudy."

Don't miss updates about precautions in the Joliet area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

On Tuesday, the 1966 graduate from Joliet Catholic produced a two-minute video in hopes of boosting the spirits of Joliet Catholic's high school students as they remain at home and away from their regular classmates.

"All right guys, Rudy Ruettiger from the movie," Ruettiger's video message begins. "You know, in 1975, I played at the University of Notre Dame. In 1976, in the spring of 1976, I graduated from the University of Notre Dame. In 1966 from Joliet Catholic, I graduated in the lowest third of my graduating class from Joliet Catholic, not because I was a stupid kid.

"It's because I didn't believe in myself. I listened to the wrong people."

Eventually, the real Rudy came out, he said, and so did the "true Hilltopper."

"Things will get better," Ruettiger assured Joliet Catholic students in his video.

"This is just a test of who you are and who we are. How resilient are you? That's why graduating from Notre Dame was a wonderful moment, but the preparation and the journey I had to go through to get there wasn't so easy. It was hard, but many lessons were learned."

Rudy's message "Dream Big and Never Quit" continues to inspire millions worldwide, Joliet Catholic officials said.

Despite being just 5-foot-6 and 165 pounds, Ruettiger's early goal had been to play football for the University of Notre Dame's Fighting Irish. He was chosen to be on the school's scout team, and finally given a chance to play in the last home game of the 1975 season, where he made a sack of the quarterback in the third of three plays.

He is one of only two Notre Dame players in the university's history to be carried off the field by his teammates.

You can watch Rudy's entire video at the bottom of this article.

Related:

• Illinois Coronavirus Update April 28: 45,883 Cases, 1983 Deaths
• Taste Of Joliet Canceled Amid Coronavirus Concerns
• Joliet Reports 49 Coronavirus Deaths Since March