Providence Grad Ruettiger Reflects on History-Making Wrestling Career

As the youngest of 14 siblings, Mark Ruettiger spent a good portion of his childhood looking over his shoulder.

“I got beat up a lot,” Ruettiger recalls. “I guess they toughened me up.”

Ruettiger wouldn’t trade those days for anything considering it likely helped him develop into a history-making wrestler.

The 1981 Providence Catholic graduate is still considered one of the best prep wrestlers of all-time in Illinois. He was the first wrestler in state history to win four individual state championships.

“I guess all those fights we had with him were worth it,” said John Ruettiger, the third youngest of the seven brothers. “Oh yeah, he got picked on. If you couldn’t beat up one brother, you’d always go to the youngest one.

"Wrestling was always a big thing with the brothers. It’s just the way life was for us. We were always fighting and struggling for everything. Mark was always very reserved and competitive. He never really showed much emotion. He took his aggression out when he stepped on the mat. Winning four years in a row was a heck of an accomplishment. We were all very proud, excited and happy for him.”

The Ruettiger brothers, led by Mark, helped set the foundation for what would become one of the top wrestling programs in the state.

All of the Ruettiger siblings attended Providence except Dan, who went to Joliet Catholic.

Providence didn’t have a wrestling program until Francis Ruettiger was a senior. Mick wrestled two seasons at Providence and John was the first brother to wrestle all four years for the Celtics.

Mark, however, had the most success on the mat.

The Beginning

Ruettiger remembers being a fifth-grader when Francis took him and brother Bernie to the Joliet Boys Club because they heard about a kids’ wrestling club that was there.

“That’s when I started wrestling,” Mark Ruettiger said. “I was kind of a natural in the sport of wrestling. I had a good first year. I placed at the state tournament as a fifth-grader. I had more experience going into high school than my older brothers.”

That experience certainly paid dividends by the time he enrolled at Providence.

Despite his success at an early age, Ruettiger had no grand illusions about becoming one of the state’s top all-time wrestlers.

“I didn’t know the history of the sport that much when I started at Providence,” Ruettiger said. “Prior to the state tournament, I found out I had the chance to become the first freshman to win the state championship. I’m very competitive in anything I do. That was always my mindset; I always wanted to do the best I could no matter what the sport was.”

He went on to capture the 98-pound state championship in 1978 and proceeded to win titles in 1979 (at 112 pounds), 1980 (119) and 1981 (126).

Ruettiger capped his final championship by pinning Illini Bluffs’ Jeff Threet in 1 minute 12 seconds, which is the fastest pin in a state championship match at that weight class.

“I guess the thing that stands out in my mind was winning my first state championship as a freshman,” Ruettiger said. “Doing that as a freshman was exciting. After winning as a freshman, absolutely it crossed my mind (to win four titles). I never felt any pressure, though, because I never worried about winning. It was more about staying healthy so I could compete. Winning my fourth championship also stands out to me.”

Ruettiger’s historic feat of winning four championships since has been done nine times, the most recent by Dakota’s Seth Milks (2006-2009).

“It definitely means a lot more to me now than it did back then,” Ruettiger said. “I’ll always be the first one to win four state championships, and that can never be taken away from me. There have been quite a few since, but I’ll always be the first.”

Celtics Pride

Mark and Bernie wrestled for their brother Tim, who led Providence to state championships in 1978, 1981 and 1998 and a runner-up finish in 1980. The Celtics currently own 10 team state wrestling championships, which is tied with Proviso East for the most in state history.

Bernie Ruettiger also took home an individual championship in high school, capturing the 98-pound crown in 1977.

Mark Ruettiger went on to wrestle at Eastern Illinois University and placed sixth at 134 pounds at the NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City in 1985.

He was inducted into the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Hall of Fame in 1995.

“That was another big step in my career,” Ruettiger said. “There are certain steps you take in life and being inducted was another big one.”

All in the Family

Ruettiger’s success in the wrestling world hasn’t just come on the mat.

Like many of his brothers, he is a well-respected coach as well. After 18 successful seasons as the head coach at Lincoln-Way Central, Ruettiger has thoroughly enjoyed his opportunity to coach his two sons as an assistant coach at Lincoln-Way West.

“I’m enjoying it a lot,” Ruettiger said. “It was a great move to give up my head coaching job at Central to become an assistant. I’m not the main man, so I figure it’s a little easier for them. I’m very happy being able to coach my sons in wrestling. When you’re the head coach, you’re not able to catch their matches. Being able to watch them in the wrestling room and in matches is a good deal. It means a lot to me.”

Senior Matt Ruettiger just completed his final wrestling season at Lincoln-Way West, falling short of the state berth he earned as a junior but still finishing with a 36-10 record.

He plans to attend either Purdue University of the University of Illinois and may walk on to the wrestling team.

“I wanted to do something good to uphold my family name,” Matt Ruettiger said. “I think I did pretty well. It was nice having my dad coach me. I’m used to him being a coach because he’s coached me since I was little, so it was nothing new.”

Josh Ruettiger, a sophomore, also has enjoyed having his father around the wrestling room at school.

“It’s kind of neat with the family aspect,” Josh Ruettiger said. “I’m happy he’s coaching me. It’s easier to relate with him when he shows me something. There’s no pressure at all because all he wants us to do is go out and give it our best.”

Coaching Success

While at Lincoln-Way Central, Ruettiger coached 12 individual state finalists, including five state champs, won four conference championships and his Knights placed third at the Dual Team State finals in 2008.

“I always had the desire to be a coach, even in high school,” Ruettiger said. “I grew up around the sport, my brother was my coach in high school, and I was always at Providence hanging out when I was smaller. It just became a natural thing for me to want to be a coach.”

Mark’s brother, Bernie, recently retired from coaching after 24 years, including the past 12 at Minooka where he guided the Indians to a state championship in 2010 and runner-up finishes this season and in 2009.

Mick Ruettiger is the head coach at Neuqua Valley, while John Ruettiger is now an assistant at Lisle.

In 1984, the family started a dual meet called ‘The Ruettiger Cup,’ an annual matchup of wrestling teams coached by the Ruettiger brothers. At one point, five of the brothers were head coaches, with Tim at Leyden, Mick at St. Charles, Bernie at Bradley-Bourbonnais, John at Lisle and Mark at Lincoln-Way Central.

“There’s a lot of pride in the family,” Mark Ruettiger said. “You always wanted to win that day (for the Ruettiger Cup). That day was more important than a lot of the bigger matches later in the season. It was always a good day. Our parents would always come and we’d honor our mom and dad before every Ruettiger Cup. We had some good battles. It was a lot of fun between the brothers.”

Fame Game

Despite his immense success in the sport through the years, Mark Ruettiger probably isn’t the most famous member of the family.

Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger's story was the basis for the movie ‘Rudy,’ which was ranked the 54th-most inspiring film of all time in the "American Film Institute 100 Years" series. Ruettiger overcame many obstacles to achieve his dream of playing one play for the Notre Dame football team as a walk-on.

“We were all very proud of the movie,” Mark Ruettiger said. “It had some embellishments, but not what he did. I get asked more about (the movie) Rudy than what I did, but every once in a while someone will introduce themselves to me and say they actually wanted to meet me for what I accomplished. It’s kind of neat.”