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.