Against All Odds...

Listen to RISE ABOVE WITH RUDY on Apple Podcasts. LISTEN NOW

Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger continues his movie’s message of hope, perseverance, and self-reliance, by sharing the amazing and inspiring true stories of everyday people who are ‘Rudys’ in their own lives. People of all ages who are choosing courage over adversity, beating the odds, and making a difference in their own lives and the lives of others.  Rudy is joined each week by Joe Garner, six-time New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including Echoes of Notre Dame Football.

New documentary available now!
Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On WATCH NOW
Most people know the story of Rudy, the small kid from Illinois who was determined to play football for Notre Dame despite having neither a strong academic nor athletic background. But not many know the full story. Hear in his own words how Rudy Ruettiger succeeded in getting into, and playing for Notre Dame, despite dozens of rejections. And hear how Rudy got his story out to the world. 

Against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, in twenty-seven seconds, carved his name into history books as perhaps the most famous graduate of the University of Notre Dame. The son of an oil refinery worker and the third of 14 children, Rudy rose from valleys of discouragement and despair to the pinnacles of success. Today, he is one of the most popular motivational speakers in the United States. It took years of fierce determination to overcome obstacles and criticisms, yet Rudy achieved his first dream - to attend Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish. As fans cheered "RU-DY, RU-DY," he sacked the quarterback in the last 27 seconds of the only play in the only game of his college football career. He is the only player in the school's history to be carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders. In 1993, TRISTAR Productions immortalized his life story with the blockbuster film, RUDY. Written and produced by Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, the award-winning team who brought us HOOSIERS, the critically acclaimed RUDY received "Two Thumbs Up" from Siskel and Ebert and continues to inspire millions worldwide.