Big Screen, Big Crucibles III: Rudy

Warwick Fairfax:

His dad said this, “Chasing a stupid dream… “, like Rudy’s grandfather, “… causes heartache for you and everyone around you.” He says, “Notre Dame is for rich kids, smart kids, great athletes. It’s not for us.”

Gary Schneeberger:
It’s not for us. That can be a dream killer to hear, and the central character in Rudy hears it a lot. But this week in episode three of our summer series, Big Screen, Big Crucibles, we take a look at how the Rudy of the title refused to give up on his dream of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. With grit greater than Gridiron skill, he learns and applies this truth. His best friend told him, “Having dreams is what makes life tolerable.”
We are back folks with another episode of our summer series, and let me set the stage for it for you again, it’s always fun to set the stage actually, Warwick, because we had so much fun last year and a couple of years ago before that with our summer series on classic movies last year and on superhero movies and other heroic movies a few years back before that. And we talked really about the lessons they can teach us about overcoming our own crucibles. So we’re doing it again this summer and this summer what we’re focusing on and what we’re calling it is Big Screen, Big Crucibles. So I would add big fun and big learning. There you go. All that stuff.

Warwick Fairfax:
Well said.

Gary Schneeberger:
Everything’s big. Everything’s big this time around. And that’s true. For eight weeks this summer, we’re taking a look at films that feature a wide variety of crucibles. Insightful lessons, they teach us about how not only to bounce back from those crucibles, but I’m casting a vision for charting a course to a life of significance. And our film this week is Rudy. It came out in 1993 and here’s the synopsis. But before I read the synopsis, I want to tell you this particular synopsis, the ones I’m reading in every episode of this series this summer, is what in Hollywood, here’s a little Hollywood term you can take with you. It’s called a logline. It’s a short, concise summary of a film that’s usually created even before the film is finished.
So here’s the logline, here’s the summary for Rudy. “Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football, but he is determined to overcome the odds and to fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.” Sounds pretty exciting. It is very exciting actually. And, Warwick again, I’m going to ask you because it is exciting, before we dive into the crucibles that Rudy faces and how he overcomes them and what his actions can teach us about how to overcome our own crucibles, let me ask you again, why movies? This is, as I said, the third time that we’ve gone into the cinema, that we’ve gone into the theater for our summer series. What are you hoping our listeners and viewers will get from our conversations?

Warwick Fairfax:
So we both love movies and have enjoyed watching them, but we like to watch movies from a Beyond-the-Crucible perspective. So typically movies portray a protagonist who is facing significant challenges that they seek to overcome. And in the past we’ve covered movies, superheroes, sports heroes, historical heroes, and last year we actually covered movies from American Film Institute’s top 100 movies. So this year we thought we’d look at movies that we thought were some of the best ones that really deal with people overcoming significant crucibles, and they found a way to bounce back to life of significance, a life on purpose dedicated to serving others. Each of these movies display a figure that is truly inspirational and have had a significant effect on other people. So these are great movies with great stories and great lessons.

Gary Schneeberger:
Yeah, and one of the other things I noticed about these movies finally after watching the third one, this is the third in the series as I said Rudy, is I noticed that the first three movies that we’ve talked about, Unbroken, Hidden Figures, and now Rudy, the first thing you see on the screen when the movie starts is either this film is based on a true story that’s for Rudy and that’s for Hidden Figures. Or in the case of Unbroken, it actually says this film is a true story. And it just struck me, Warwick, that of the eight movies we’re covering and I went through, and seven of them are actually based on true stories. Do you think that says anything compelling about the inspiration to be found in bouncing back from crucibles that these seven of eight that we’re talking about are based on true stories?

Warwick Fairfax:
If you look at the movies that we’ve done so far, if these are fictional stories, it will be hard to believe that it will be possible. So how could Louis Zamperini in Unbroken overcome torture in a Japanese prison of war camp and remain unbroken, so to speak? I mean, it’s remarkable. Or how could three African-American women in the 1960s who had to overcome significant racial and gender discrimination, how could they possibly become valued members of the NASA space program? You’d say, “It’s the 1960s, I’m not seeing it. I don’t think that’s really possible. I think it’s just, it couldn’t happen.” But as we’ll see with Rudy, Rudy’s story would be just as hard to believe if it was fictional. How in the world could Rudy achieve what he achieved? Most people would, “It’s a nice story, but in the real world it doesn’t happen.”
And so that’s why truth is stranger than fiction. We can learn a lot because these stories are true. The heroes and these stories did achieve what they achieved and we can learn a lot. Sometimes we think, “I can never achieve that. I can never bounce back from my worst day. It’s not possible.” Well, maybe it is possible. Maybe you can bounce back because the folks we’ve covered so far and will cover, they all found a way to get beyond their darkest moments and not let them have those moments to find their worst day. So we can take a lot of inspirational and a lot of learning from these stories.

Gary Schneeberger:
And since Rudy is about in large part football, let’s kick off and let’s get going. Our first glimpses of the crucibles into the life of the title character. And his name’s not Rudy, his first name’s not Rudy, his first name’s Daniel and his last name is Ruettiger. So he’s called Rudy Ruettiger and we get our first glimpses of the crucibles he’s facing in the opening scene of the film. He lives in Joliet, Illinois in the neighborhood that the establishing shots in the movie indicate is pretty, pretty clearly working class. And we see Rudy is barely in double digits and he and his brothers in neighborhood pals are playing football. And Rudy is frustrated because he says he is, this is a great quote. “I’m sick of playing all-time center.” They only let him play center. He hikes the ball. That’s all they allow him to do when he plays football.
“I’m sick of playing all-time center.” He wants to carry the ball, he wants to catch the ball, he wants to tackle people who have the ball. He wants to really be involved in the game. But his brother, Frank tells him, “You can’t play anything else. You are too small.” So the first question to you, Warwick, is this scene is full of foreshadowing, isn’t it? This is the first time, but not the last time by a long shot that Rudy is told he can’t be a football player because of his stature, his physical stature. But he refuses to accept that even when he’s a boy, doesn’t he?

Warwick Fairfax:
Absolutely. We see each from the very beginning of the movie when Rudy is still a kid, he is playing football in the neighborhood with his brothers and friends and is constantly underestimated. It’s almost like they reluctantly kind of let him play and he seems to be small and not athletic. And then as they leave the game, they kind of mock him, call him a spaz. You just basically, “You can’t cut it, you’re too small, not athletic.” And that’s just his life, continually being put down and underestimated. So after the game goes home to be with his mom and dad and brothers, and there’s a conversation between Rudy’s dad and one of his older brothers and his older brother is about to go to work in the steel mill where his dad works. And basically his dad says, “Look, working in the steel mill, it’s a safe job. You get union protection.”
Safe as in not exactly the work itself isn’t safe, but you’ll keep your job because it’s union protection. And Rudy says that after high school, he’s going to play football at Notre Dame. Now remember, we just saw him being too small, unathletic. Talk about the least likely to succeed, the least likely to play football. It’s just like it’s a preposterous, ridiculous statement. He is a kid after all, but still. So his older brother and everybody else, they just laugh. “Here goes Rudy again.” And interestingly enough, they’re watching Notre Dame play football on TV, which we’ll find out is this beloved team of the family and certainly his dad. I think somebody says, “Hey, can we watch one of the other games?” And I think his dad says, “In this house, we only watch Notre Dame football, nothing else. You want to watch another game.” It’s basically, “Go somewhere else. Here, it’s Notre Dame football. That’s it.”

Gary Schneeberger:
Yep, that’s it. And the film then jumps forward a few years to Rudy in high school and he’s playing for his high school’s football team and he’s been on the team all through the school, right? But the coach is telling the players that all, but a handful of them will not go on to continue playing football in college. Just a couple of players have a shot at playing college football. The rest of them don’t. And Rudy falls into the rest of them. The coach tells them, “This is the last time you will ever put on a football uniform.” Once again, Rudy and the other kids on the team who aren’t quite good enough are being underestimated. And Rudy is understandably dejected by hearing this and he gets even more so. And one of the teachers further dissuades him from thinking he can be a student, even a student, not just a football player, but even a student at Notre Dame. So Warwick, what this teacher says to Rudy are the kind of words that can really crush dreams, aren’t they?

Warwick Fairfax:
Absolutely. So here’s Rudy. He is at Joliet Catholic High School and he practices harder football even though he is undersized, if you will, and not athletic. He really doesn’t pay much attention in class. His grades aren’t good. He’s daydreaming and he hears that one day there’s going to be a bus from the school to take students who are hoping to go to Notre Dame to Notre Dame. And there’s a priest who’s leading the whole bus tour and the kids get on the bus one at a time, and there’s Rudy, he’s about to get on the bus and the priest basically is in effect saying, “What are you doing here?” And he says, well, he knows, the priest knows that Rudy doesn’t have the grades to get into Notre Dame. And in effect, he says that Rudy should accept the position the good Lord is placed on him. He says, “Not everyone is meant to go to college and this bus is for students who are serious about going to college.” So it’s almost like, “People like you, Rudy, don’t go to college.”
In the sense the message was in not so many words, “Rudy, you’re a working class kid, you should understand your place. You don’t have the grades. Go work in a steel mill like your dad and your older brothers.” He doesn’t say all that. But that is the subtext that Rudy is sure hearing from the priest. And the message is really from the priest is that you don’t have the capacity or grace to do much anything beyond that. You should accept your place in life as if somehow this place in life for you working class kid with poor grades was somehow God ordained. I mean, it’s the very opposite of a fellow traveler. It is just a soul-crushing discussion speech, if you will, that this priest gives Rudy. It’s devastating. I don’t know that the priest meant to be mean. Maybe in his own strange way, he thought he was trying to be kind by just telling him the truth, but it was just soul-crushing hearing, “This is not meant for people like you except your place in life.” That’s just absolutely soul-crushing for Rudy.

Gary Schneeberger:
And there are a few other people in the movie as the movie plays out who do the sort of same thing to Rudy. They tell him sort of the same kinds of things. And there is behind that this idea that they’re saving him from something I think, or that they’re keeping him from being disappointed. But what their words end up doing is disappointing him. In fact, after that teacher says what he says to him, Rudy does seem to allow his dreams to be crushed, to abandon his vision. He takes a job at the steel mill where his dad is the boss and working there is his best friend Pete.
Now Pete is the first bright light we see in Rudy’s life. Pete is the only fellow traveler that Rudy has in his life at this point. So let me ask you this, Warwick. There’s an important exchange between Rudy and Pete over lunch in which Pete encourages Rudy to keep pursuing his dream, unlike what everybody else is telling him, Pete says, “Keep going after it.” What does he say that’s so important that all of us can keep in mind as we’re encouraging others to not abandon their dreams and their vision and their goals for a life of significance?

Warwick Fairfax:
So at this point in Rudy’s life, he doesn’t have too many supporters, too many fellow travelers. In fact, I think Pete’s about the only one again at this point in his life. And Rudy is in desperate need of people, anybody that will believe in him. Everybody seems to think that Rudy and his dreams are impossible. It’s as if the whole world is saying, “Rudy, give it up. Give it up, buddy. Quit. Save yourself some pain. Just stop hitting your head against the wall. You’ll just get hurt. You just stop it. Go be in the mill, be in the steel mill just like your dad and older brothers. Just give it up.” But Pete’s different on Rudy’s 22nd birthday. They’re in the break room at the steel mill where Pete works and obviously Rudy works and Pete gives Rudy a Notre Dame jacket. It’s the best gift you could possibly give. Rudy, who’s just a massive Notre Dame fan, wants to play football for Notre Dame. And Rudy is moved and loves it.
And Pete says Rudy was born to wear that jacket. And Rudy says that Pete is the only one that takes him seriously. And Pete says this about Pete’s dad who said, “Having dreams is what makes life tolerable.” Basically, there’s beauty in having dreams. He encourages Rudy to have dreams for everybody else is just wants to kill the dreams and stamp them out. So when everybody’s counting you out and doesn’t believe in your dreams or capability, maybe you don’t really believe in your own dreams or capability, it’s tough to find the strength to get beyond others’ limiting expectations, not to mention your own, but having a friend that believes in us and believes in what we can accomplish is like an oasis in the desert. It helps us keep going and take one more step.
And as we’ve often said at Beyond the Crucible, the power to get beyond your worst day to get out of the pit, it often begins with just one step forward. While having somebody like a Pete in your life can help you get the strength to say, “Okay, what’s one next step I can take towards what everybody’s saying is an absolutely impossible senseless vision that cannot happen?” So Pete does Rudy a great service and just is a splendid model of a fellow traveler.

Gary Schneeberger:
And there’s even the scene, and we haven’t talked about it in advance here, it just popped in my head. Before when Rudy’s still a boy and so is Pete. Rudy has this thing that he does where he sort of changes his voice into an accent and he gives a speech like Knute Rockne, the coach of Notre Dame, the famous coach from the film, Knute Rockne, All-American from 1940, and he’s given the speech, “And we’re going to go inside, we’re going to go outside, we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that.” And everybody else sort of tolerates it when Rudy breaks into it. But there’s a scene in Rudy’s bedroom where he starts reciting that speech from memory and the camera goes tight on Pete, who’s looking at him with amazement, who’s looking at him with wonder, who’s looking at him with respect. I mean, he’s impressed that his buddy has memorized this inspirational speech. And I think that just is where the fertile ground from which their friendship and their fellow traveler-ness for each other is built. Right?

Warwick Fairfax:
Absolutely. Well said. I mean, Pete is such a good and loyal friend throughout their life at this point. He is just been so encouraging and really the only one that we see at this point. Everybody else is killing his dreams, trying to help him in some ways not be disappointed. But Pete’s the only one that seems to encourage and just seems to see something within Rudy that’s admirable.

Gary Schneeberger:
Yeah, and that’s what happens next in the film so heartbreaking. After this positive moment where Rudy begins to believe again to dream again, tragedy strikes, Pete is killed in an accident at the mill. Devastated, Rudy decides to leave Joliet and go to South Bend, Indiana, home to Notre Dame to get into school there and yes, to get onto the football team. So tragedy strikes and Rudy is so moved by it, so devastated by it that he decides, “No, I’m not going to listen to all these people. I’m going to go for my dream.” Warwick, his dad tries to talk him out of it again, but Rudy’s mind is made up. He’s got his vision and he’s going to pursue it. What’s his attitude at this turning point in the film? What does he do to begin turning that vision that he’s off the charts passionate about into reality?

Warwick Fairfax:
Rudy has this attitude, he’s just very resolute and he keeps getting kind of push back. The first pushback we see is even as he’s leaving the funeral, Rudy’s girlfriend Sherry is trying to console him, and Rudy says he’s going to go to South Bend, which is where Notre Dame is. And he says that if he doesn’t go now, he will never be any good for her or anybody. Now it’s clear at this point in the movie, Sherry sees herself as his future wife. They’re looking at a house that they might buy. They might put a down payment. She’s got it mapped out. She respects and likes Rudy. And when Rudy says that he’s going to go to South Bend and try to go to Notre Dame, Sherry says, “If you have to go, you’ll go alone.” And he says he knows and is sorry. Basically what that scene shows is their relationship is coming to an end.
She has this vision of him, much like his dad and older brothers do, of working in the mill, getting a good union paying job and staying in the station of life that he was born into. She doesn’t get it. She’s not trying to be mean, but his dad doesn’t get it. His girlfriend Sherry doesn’t get it. The next scene is where we see Rudy about to take a bus to take him to South Bend and his dad turns up, Rudy’s surprised. And his dad in his own way is trying to help Rudy. It doesn’t come across that way to Rudy, but I think that’s his motive. So his dad starts telling the story of Rudy’s grandfather and he says that Rudy’s grandfather saved all his life to bring his family to this country and that his grandfather had a good job in the stockyard in Chicago and a nice house. Well, someone gave him this idea that he should buy land and get dairy cows.
Well, Rudy’s grandfather seems to think this is a good idea and he buys the land with the dairy cows. Well, the cows all died. It’s the great depression. His grandfather couldn’t sell the land or find any work, so his grandfather takes off and never came back. So Rudy’s dad and uncles, they had to live with friends and relatives. His dad said this, “Chasing a stupid dream… “, like Rudy’s grandfather, “… causes heartache for you and everyone around you.” He says, “Notre Dame is for rich kids, smart kids, great athletes. It’s not for us.” The message that Rudy’s, basically the message that Rudy’s father is telling Rudy is, “Look, people like us don’t belong at Notre Dame. We’re working class. That’s who we are. We work in steel mills. That’s what you should do.”
And I think in his heart, his Rudy’s dad is trying to help him, but it certainly doesn’t come across that way. So while Rudy’s dad may mean well, this is a soul-crushing story to share with Rudy at this point in his life. Basically if this was a parable, the moral of the parable is you try to strike out on your own and achieve your dreams, it’d cause devastation for yourself and all those who love you, including your family. So the moral of the story is be smart, go to the steel mill. Don’t go to Notre Dame and hurt yourself and everybody around you. That’s the moral of the story. And so despite this, Rudy is saddened by this story, but just like in his interaction with his girlfriend Sherry, Rudy is resolute. He gets on that bus and he is not giving up on his dream despite this just heartbreaking story that Rudy’s dad shares.

Gary Schneeberger:
And even at this juncture of the film, still pretty early in the film, Rudy hasn’t begun his journey really walking it out. We say a lot at Beyond the Crucible that we should not let our worst day define us. And it seems like Rudy’s dad, what it all sort of rolls up into is Rudy’s dad has let his worst moments define him. I don’t think he wanted to have that. I have no idea. But he’s done that and Rudy’s not allowing that to happen. Is that a fair assessment between the two of them, dad and son, that dad has let the worst that has happened to him define him and Rudy is struggling, but he’s not going to let that define him?

Warwick Fairfax:
It’s a very good point, Gary. Really, Rudy’s dad learns the wrong lesson from his father. Basically, the lesson wasn’t, don’t go for your dreams. It may be pick a good vision, pick a smart play. If you’re working in the stockyards, what does he know about land and dairy cows? And it’s the Depression, that probably wasn’t the smartest idea in the world. So yes, could be-

Gary Schneeberger:
It wasn’t a baby step, it wasn’t a small step as we say, right?

Warwick Fairfax:
No, pick your dreams carefully. As you could argue, maybe Rudy didn’t, but my gosh, he’s putting not just his life on the line of his whole family. I mean he is at a different time of life. It’s a different situation. So the moral of the story is that never go for your dreams. Maybe it’s sometimes they don’t work out. Maybe it’s when they don’t work out, you don’t leave your family. You don’t do that. So basically Rudy’s dad learns the wrong lessons and says, “Okay, my lot on life is to work in the steel mill and to do anything else other than that is folly.” He learns the wrong lessons and he doesn’t learn the lessons of his crucible and his dad’s crucible.

Gary Schneeberger:
And there’s another scene, very small scene where he’s even afraid to kind of, Rudy encourages him to actually go to a game because he’s such a Notre Dame fan to go to a game and his dad actually says this, “The view from my television set and my couch is perfect for me.” There’s a lot of fear there with his dad and he’s passing that fear along to Rudy, but Rudy’s not letting that keep him down. As you said, he goes to South Bend and when he gets to South Bend with all of his savings that he’s had, he’s saved up for all these years. He has in his pocket. He takes in pretty rapid succession, three small steps as we call them here to get moving to his dream of playing for Notre Dame. He shows up first at the campus in the middle of the night.
There’s nobody there, but the night Watchman, the guard outside the gate, he talks to the guard. He says he wants to talk to someone about enrolling in classes there. The guard doesn’t really know what to do. It’s a Catholic institution. So he directs him to a priest who after hearing Rudy’s story of not having great grades agrees to help him get into Holy Cross, a South Bend Junior College, at least for a semester. Where he promises to work hard to get his grades up so he can eventually get to Notre Dame. In that character that priest, Warwick, Father Cavanaugh, Rudy finds his first fellow traveler in South Bend. Doesn’t he?

Warwick Fairfax:
He does. Father Cavanaugh, he gives Rudy a lifeline, he gives him a ray of hope. He doesn’t sugarcoat it, he doesn’t make it easy. He doesn’t say, “Oh kid, it’ll all happen.” He really tells him the truth. He gives him hope, but a realistic truth. And he says, “Okay, there’s not a guarantee.” But now Rudy has a potential path and equally importantly, what Father Cavanaugh has done is given him hope. There is a next step. Go to Holy Cross Junior College and study hard and maybe, just maybe I can get Notre Dame. What Father Cavanaugh does is he gives him a lifeline and he tells him this is the next step towards maybe achieving your dream. It’s incredible that Father Cavanaugh, who doesn’t know Rudy from Adam would do that while it’s still dark. I mean, its amazing that he would do that. He shows such compassion. It’s truly remarkable.

Gary Schneeberger:
And it’s also interesting that of all the advice Rudy’s gotten in the film so far, everybody who’s given him advice like his dad, like the teacher on the bus, has come from a place of what they think is truth, right? But their truth always knocks Rudy back off of his dream. And this truth, to your point, gives him the hope. It doesn’t make an easy path to his dream, right? But it does give him hope that his dream’s achievable. That’s really critical for anybody going through a crucible, isn’t it? Speak truth, but speak it with hope on the end of it so that people continue to move forward.

Warwick Fairfax:
It’s such a good point, Gary. I think what so many of the people in the movie have been sharing, especially Rudy’s dad, maybe his girlfriend, Sherry, maybe his older brothers especially probably Frank, the message is really the truth that they’re sharing from their perspective is dreams are impossible. Give it up, don’t pursue their dreams. I would say from my perspective and our perspective of Beyond the Crucible, that is not truth. That is falsehood. That is wrong, to say that dreams by definition are impossible. It doesn’t mean dreams are easy, but to say that by definition dreams are impossible and accept you a lot in life, that is not truth. That is untruth. It’s very hurtful, but it’s certainly not truth.

Gary Schneeberger:
For sure. The next small step that Rudy takes is to strike up a friendship with Dennis McGowan. Okay, Dennis McGowan is a teacher’s aide at Holy Cross, his nickname, I don’t understand why the film doesn’t really tell us why, I don’t think. His nickname is D-Bob, that’s his friend, D-Bob. He’s a shy student who’s no good at all with girls, and he offers to tutor Rudy if Rudy agrees to tutor him in how to speak to girls, how to meet girls, that kind of stuff. Nothing untoward here. He’s a shy young man that doesn’t know how to talk to girls. So he wants Rudy to help him do that. The arrangement becomes a real friendship though, that helps both of them on their journeys, their separate journeys to what their visions are. So how is Rudy’s friendship work with D-Bob instrumental to him overcoming the obstacles he faces trying to do well enough at Holy Cross to get a shot at going to Notre Dame.

Warwick Fairfax:
So as you say, Rudy meets D-Bob at Holy Cross, but Rudy is a very different person here in junior college than he was in high school. Rudy is studying like crazy. He’s desperate to get good grades. He makes copious notes. People are saying, “Hey, this is all in the handouts, the notes. Why are you writing so many notes?” Well, Rudy is a man on a mission. He wants to get into Notre Dame and play football for Notre Dame. Well, the first step is you’ve got to get into Notre Dame to be able to play football. So he is really studying. And so yeah, then make this deal. And Rudy is willing to help this young guy. And Rudy, maybe he sees something in him, he respects him, but the deal is not an easy deal because D-Bob says, “Okay, I need you to help me to be able to talk to girls.” Because He is tongue-tied.
Rudy is saying, in effect, “What do I know? I mean, I’m not the greatest expert in this.” But Rudy is saying, “Okay, hang on, I can do this.” It’s like if he’s thinking, “I can play football at Notre Dame”, he’s probably thinking, “I can find a way to teach this guy about something I don’t know a whole lot about myself, but if that’s what it’s going to take, I’ll figure it out.” Certainly Rudy is not nearly as tongue-tied as D-Bob is. And so there are funny scenes in which Rudy will say to some girl in college, “Hey, D-Bob would like to talk to you. So tell this girl about yourself.” And he just says nothing. He’s like a sphinx.

Gary Schneeberger:
Frozen. Frozen.

Warwick Fairfax:
And so then basically almost like ventriloquist Rudy has to try and speak for him, put words in his mouth. I mean, D-Bob is just hopeless. I mean, he just cannot get a word out at all. But Rudy valiantly tries. And so in return, D-Bob does indeed coach him and helps him with his grades and importantly helps him get diagnosed. And Rudy finds out that he has dyslexia. So that’s helpful. Certainly back then, I’m sure it wasn’t that common to know that you had dyslexia. And so by being diagnosed, they can give you tools to help you manage that. So over time we find that D-Bob becomes another fellow traveler that comes to believe in Rudy and his dream and becomes a huge supporter and believe in Rudy. Rudy is somebody that with the right kind of people, he inspires belief in him and his dream, especially him and his character and his persistence. So he gathers fellow travelers as the movie and his life goes on.

Gary Schneeberger:
And he’s not done yet because the third one to come along, he meets Fortune, a man named Fortune, who’s the head groundskeeper at Notre Dame football stadium. The older man is wary of him at first. “Why is this kid hanging around?” But he eventually agrees to let him help with the upkeep of the field. And here’s an interesting fact about the field that they show on the screen, Warwick, is that’s the first time that the University of Notre Dame, that’s actually this football stadium at the University of Notre Dame, and it’s the first time since Knute Rockne All-American in 1940, that the university led a movie film there. Much like Father Cavanaugh didn’t really have any reason to believe Rudy or trust Rudy or want to help Rudy. These guys didn’t, at the university, the powers to be at the university didn’t have any reason to necessarily believe Rudy was going to turn out to be the movie it did. And sure enough, it did and it worked out well for the university and for the filmmakers. So Warwick, what does Rudy gain in his relationship with Fortune?

Warwick Fairfax:
Fortune is another person that over time sees something special in Rudy. I mean, Rudy is basically saying to Fortune, “Look, I want to play for Notre Dame.” And obviously you look at this young guy and he’s small in stature, not athletic, not too much weight on him. You look at him and says, “Yeah, no, this is not happening.” I mean, it’s just a ridiculous notion. Rudy says he’s willing to work for free, he just wants to be around the stadium, just get a little bit closer. And so Fortune, I think, is moved by him and impressed. So he actually pays him minimum wage. He pays him more than what Rudy was asking for, which is, “pay me nothing.” And it’s clear that Rudy has nowhere to stay. Rudy unlocks a window so we can sneak in at night and have somewhere to sleep. And Fortune sees this, sees him unlocking the window. And so what Fortune does is he leaves a key in a blanket on a cot for Rudy to find.
Now when Rudy says, “Hey, Fortune, thanks so much.” Fortune denies it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Now, maybe it’s like, “I don’t want to admit that I’m doing something that probably breaks university rules and guidelines and hey, it wasn’t me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” So he kind of secretly does it. So yeah, as we’ll see, over time, Rudy gains a great fellow traveler and a great supporter in Fortune who comes to believe in Rudy and his dream, which is remarkable because in these opening scenes with Fortune, you’d say Fortune is a realist. He doesn’t believe that this young guy is going to make the football team. I’m not even sure whether he believes he’s going to be able to get into Notre Dame. But over time, Rudy, through his persistence and attitude, he makes Fortune a believer.

Gary Schneeberger:
And he also makes Father Cavanaugh a believer in the sense that he gets the second semester at Holy Cross, he gets even more time at Holy Cross. In fact, while he’s at Holy Cross, his grades are up enough that he applies to Notre Dame three times over his two years at Holy Cross, and all three times he’s rejected. After the final rejection, he has a meaningful conversation with Father Cavanaugh. Again, this is where we see Rudy’s spirits drop again. They don’t drop often, but every now and then they do and they drop after his third rejection from Notre Dame. Talk about that interaction he has with Father Cavanaugh.

Warwick Fairfax:
So you’re right, this is a low ebb for Rudy. It’s a third rejection. He feels like time is running out. So he happens to be in chapel and along comes Father Cavanaugh, he sees him and he comes over and speaks to Rudy. He could have just blown right past saying, “Yep, there’s Rudy. He’s looking a bit dejected, he’s praying. I tried to help the kid, but look, I’m busy. Got other stuff to do”, but he doesn’t. He goes up to Rudy and talks to him, and Rudy says that if he doesn’t get into Notre Dame in the next semester, it’s over. It’s done. His time will have run out. And so Father Cavanaugh clearly admires Rudy for chasing down his dream. And Rudy says, if he doesn’t get in, it doesn’t mean anything, it’s all meaningless. Well, father Cavanaugh speaks truth again, and he pushes back a bit and says he thinks Rudy will discover that it will. In other words, even if he doesn’t get in, there’s still meaning in the journey in effect.
And so Rudy says, “Well, maybe I haven’t prayed enough.” And Father Cavanaugh says, “Well, that’s not the problem. Praying we do in our time, the answers come in God’s time.” Very profound. Those of us who pray will often be thinking, “Gosh, now will be a good time.” And God maybe, “Well, not yet.” “Seriously? Not yet.” But that’s often the answer we get in effect. So Rudy asks if he’s done everything he can and if Father Cavanaugh can help him. Well, father Cavanaugh has done what he can. Father Cavanaugh can’t magically ensure that Rudy is going to be admitted to Notre Dame and play football. So again, what Father Cavanaugh does is tell him the truth. Father Cavanaugh says that there are two incontrovertible facts. “There is a God, and I’m not him.” It’s so well said. So having fellow travelers means having people who won’t just encourage us, but they tell us the truth, not the truth. Like, “Oh, dreams aren’t possible.” That’s not truth. That’s falsehood from our perspective, but not sugarcoating how easy it’s going to be or that there won’t be roadblocks.

Gary Schneeberger:
Right? Well, guess what? Father Cavanaugh’s words, “We pray on our time. The answers come in God’s time.” God’s time comes in the next beat of the film, the fourth application that Rudy sends to Notre Dame is successful. He goes home to show his family his acceptance letter and his dad shares the news. It’s a very sweet moment. His dad grabs the microphone and the steel mill and shares the news over the microphone that his son’s going to Notre Dame. And now a Notre Dame student, Rudy can try out for the team as a walk-on because Notre Dame’s coach Ara Parseghian does indeed allow, only coach in the history of the university who allows walk-ons to come in and try to make the team. So Rudy’s got his immediate path set before him. He shows up to try out with several other hopefuls.
An assistant coach whose last name is Warren, that’s all we know about him. Warren warns the walk-ons that 35 scholarship players will not even make the dress list, guys who get to put on uniforms, of players who take the field during games. But Rudy is undeterred even after it’s explained to the hopefuls that if they make the team, they only make the practice team. They’re to be tackled and blocked by actual players on the team. He’s not dissuaded, he doesn’t care. He keeps pushing forward. Rudy is selected to be on the practice squad. Warwick, it’s a thankless role being on the practice squad but Rudy attacks it with passion. You might even say passion that is off the charts. What do we learn about Rudy during this time on the practice squad and in the scenes that depict his time on the practice squad?

Warwick Fairfax:
So here we are now, Rudy’s football practice at Notre Dame and the coaches there, they are not sugarcoating what’s going on. They are speaking truth. It’s like truth as brutal as you can possibly share-

Gary Schneeberger:
With a capital T for sure.

Warwick Fairfax:
Oh my gosh. They say, “Okay, there’s like 95 players here. Only 60 players can dress for home games, which means that 35 scholarship players, 35 scholarship players will watch from the stands.” Now of the walk-ons, those who don’t have scholarships, “there are like 15 dreamers here”, they say, “maybe we’ll keep one or two.” And he says, “Over these next five days, we’ll beat you up pretty badly. We’ll just knock everything out of you. We’ll be running opposition plays week in, week out, and your greatest value is that we are here if you get hurt.” So this is all said to the walk-ons. I’m not exactly inspiring confidence in Rudy. It’s like, “We’re going to beat everything out of you and your chances of making it on the team are like, I don’t know, about as high as climbing Mount Everest or something without any oxygen tanks.”

Gary Schneeberger:
It’s not the kind of speech that young Rudy would’ve been saying to his friends like he was saying the Knute Rockne speech, for sure.

Warwick Fairfax:
No, it is not that. So this is both intimidating and not really very helpful. But despite this, Rudy gives it his all. One assistant coach says to the other assistant coach, “We need to ditch Rudy. I mean, look, he’s small, not athletic.” But the other one says, “Rudy is giving more effort than anyone else on the team.” There are some very talented athletes, big guys, but it’s just amazing. And one of the assistant coaches says that Rudy’s made the team. It doesn’t mean he’s going to dress and play, but at least he’s on the practice squad. At least he gets to turn up for practices rather than just go home.
So it’s not like he’s achieved his dream, but it’s a key step. He’s not only has he got into Notre Dame, he is made the practice squad of the Notre Dame football team. By every area of logic, okay, maybe he deserves to get to Notre Dame because he studied so hard, but there’s no way this kid deserves to be on the practice squad, at least in terms of his physicality, size. But one of the assistant coaches, he sees something in him and he wants to give him a shot. So a lot of coaches would not do that. I wouldn’t say it makes that much sense, but there’s one coach, he sees something special in Rudy and Rudy’s amazed. He hugs the coach, he says, “Thank you.” Rudy can’t believe it, that he’s been given a shot.

Gary Schneeberger:
And we get to see something special in Rudy as we watch the scenes of him on the practice squad, right? He is getting pummeled play after play after play. There’s one big offensive lineman, nearly, and I’m not making this up nearly twice the size of Rudy, who just keeps plowing him into the ground because he’s playing defense. And at one point the guy misses his block on purpose because he just doesn’t want to hurt Rudy. He’s worried he’s going to really hurt him badly.
And after the play, he tells Rudy to cool it or he’s going to end up getting himself killed. And Rudy gets mad at that and Rudy says, “If I cool it, I won’t be helping you guys win.” That’s what the coaches get the chance to see now is the heart and the passion that comes even with limited physical ability. And there’s another confrontation between Rudy and his starting halfback on the team. And that player, the starting halfback is like, “Whoa, slow down kid. You’re playing like it’s the championship. And this is just practice.” He like, he doesn’t want anybody to get hurt and he wants everybody to sort of take it at half speed. So Coach Parseghian actually chastises the halfback, demotes him and tells Rudy, “I wish I could put your heart into some of my players’ bodies.” That’s what’s happening. Rudy’s heart is showing through. So Parseghian does agree to let Rudy dress for a real game after seeing that heart at play. Rudy wants to do it. Rudy says, “For everybody who told me playing Notre Dame football would be impossible.” Talk about this interaction work between Rudy and Coach Parseghian.

Warwick Fairfax:
So Rudy shows a lot of courage. The only reason that Rudy is allowed to go to the next step, okay, he’s on the practice squad. The next step is dressing for the team for a game is because he goes to the head coach Parseghian and ask if he can be on the team. Rudy is honest, he’s does not sugarcoat his request. He says that God made certain people to be football players and he, Rudy is not one of them. As you said, the head coach says that he wishes God put Rudy’s heart in some of his players bodies. Rudy says that he would love to give his father a gift if he can play in one game. This would also be for everyone who said that being a Notre Dame football player is impossible, for my brothers, the kids at my high school and the guys I work with at the steel mill.
And the coach says, okay, which is incredible and that Rudy deserves it and he’ll dress for one game. Now, this is amazing that Coach Parseghian would actually give Rudy a shot by all rights, logically, he doesn’t deserve a shot. There’s only a limited amount of people that can dress. You got to win every game. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense logically for the team, but yet the head coach doesn’t do what’s logical. He does what he thinks is right. He listens to his heart. And so the important lesson here is Rudy is not passive. He doesn’t just sit back and says, “Okay, I’m going to wait for my dream to come true. And if it doesn’t, oh well.” He’s not passive. He actively fights for it. He actively goes to see the head coach, Coach Parseghian and says, “Coach, just let me play one game.”
And he makes it clear that no, he doesn’t have the athletic ability of other plays. He is not the same size, “But let me play one game for my dad, for my family, for my brothers, for the guys at the steel mill.” And it’s just amazing. If Rudy hadn’t spoken to Coach Parseghian, he would not have had any hope of playing in a game and he would not have played in a game. It was only his courage of doing what most people would say, “Give it up kid. There’s no way the head coach is going to give you a shot. It won’t work. You’ve got zero chance of succeeding.” But Rudy is thinking to himself, “Maybe it’s a hopeless cause, but I’m going to give it my all. I’m going to go to the coach and see what he says.” There’s a huge lesson for all of us in how Rudy showed up that day and the fact that he even went to the head coach.

Gary Schneeberger:
Right? And because this podcast is called Beyond the Crucible, guess what, we’re not done with crucibles yet for Rudy. Rudy Ruettiger has at least one more crucible in him, or the world has at least one more crucible for him because Parseghian, the coach resigns before the end of the year. The guy who said, “You’re going to get into the game”, resigns. The new coach is Dan Devine, who came from the NFL, who comes from the NFL, he’s actually the coach of the Green Bay Packers. And he doesn’t seem to see the same heart in Rudy that Coach Parseghian saw. So each week, Rudy checks the locker room list of players who are dressing to play in the game on Saturday, and he’s turned down every single week he goes and looks, right up until the end of the season. Rudy’s a senior and this is his final year. So as his name’s being crossed off, he sees his dream slipping away.
What happens next to Rudy is something that can happen to any of us really, when we keep encountering disappointment and pursuit of our vision, he gives up, he quits the team, he walks away. Why is that the wrong choice? Not just for Rudy, but for any of us who face disappointment in the face of a crucible?

Warwick Fairfax:
It’s at this point, the two fellow travelers really encourage him. Now, there’s one person we haven’t covered so far. He doesn’t have a prominent role in the movie, but one of the other players that are on the squad, if you will, he’s a legacy player, which means that his family had gone to Notre Dame. And in the US if you have family that go to a college and let’s say they donate, that probably helps. It helps you get in as core being a legacy. And he’s clearly from a wealthy family and he really doesn’t have a very good attitude. He really didn’t want to go to Notre Dame, but his dad makes it clear, “If you don’t go there, I’m not paying for college.” He would’ve had a better shot playing for a lesser college in terms of football prowess than Notre Dame. So it was like he feels like forced to go there and he just has a bad attitude.
But this guy, Jim, he says to Rudy, he doesn’t want Rudy to quit. In fact, he’s angry at him for quitting because he said one of the reasons that Jim didn’t quit is because of Rudy. So here’s Rudy that inspires his kid from the other side of the tracks. In other words, the wealthy side, they have very little in common, but Jim just admires Rudy’s attitude. And so Rudy is having a big impact on lots of people. And one of these people is Jim. So Rudy then talks to Fortune, the groundskeeper at Notre Dame Stadium, and he says that he wanted to dress and run out of the tunnel onto the field for his dad. And Fortune says, “There are more important things than dressing for the team.”
And Fortune speaks really hard truth to Rudy. He says, “You’re five foot nothing, a hundred pounds nothing. You have barely a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football players in the land for two years, and you’re going to walk out of here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don’t have to prove nothing to nobody but yourself. And after what you’ve gone through, if you haven’t done that by now, it ain’t never going to happen. Now go on back.” So basically Fortune is encouraging him to say, “Look, you’ve made it to the University of Notre Dame.” That is something after all.” Given Rudy’s working class background, which I’m sure Fortune is familiar with by now, this is not normal to go to college. It’s like I’m unprecedented. “So be thankful for what you’ve achieved. Don’t you realize you’ve proved a lot to yourself about what you can achieve? I mean, surely you’ve learned something by now?”
But then Fortune has this really heartbreaking story about his own life, about Fortune’s life. And he said that he, Fortune, rode the bench for two years, in other words, didn’t play. And he thought that he was not being played because of the color of his skin, Fortune being African American. Now, we don’t know if that’s true or not, but what Fortune says is that he quit. “And not a week goes by that I don’t regret it.” So Fortune quits. So rather than keeping trying and seeing if they would pick him, because Fortune is a big guy, clearly is a big athletic guy, you would’ve thought Fortune should have had a good shot of making the team. But rather than seeing what would happen, he quit until he took the decision out of the coach’s hands.
Fortune says, Rudy will regret it if Rudy doesn’t go to practice and try. So Rudy hears Fortune and he goes to practice. So the clear role of the story is even we feel like life is unfair and we have no shot. Our name is not on the list. We need to give it out all to the very end. Even if we don’t make the team, even if we don’t, in this case dress and run for the tunnel and play in a play in the game, we need to give our all to the end. A, we don’t know what’s going to happen. And B, the point is not so much whether we on the team, but to give it our all right to the very end. That’s really the lesson that Fortune is trying to teach Rudy.

Gary Schneeberger:
And Rudy listens. Rudy listens to everybody who says, “Go back.” He does indeed go back to practice. And when he comes back, the entire field of players applauds him as he runs back onto the field to go be part of the practice squad again. And then follows after that, one of the most moving scenes in the entire movie, which is full of a lot of moving scenes. Let’s watch that right now.

Dan Devine:
Yeah. Oh, hi Roland. Come in.

Roland:
I want Rudy to dress in my place, Coach. He deserves it.

Dan Devine:
Don’t be ridiculous. Georgia Tech is one of the top offensive teams in the country. You’re an All-American and our captain act like it.

Roland:
I believe I am.

Speaker 5:
Me too, coach. I want Rudy to dress in my place.

Speaker 6:
Coach, this is for Rudy.

Speaker 7:
For Rudy, Coach.

Gary Schneeberger:
Warwick, why is that scene so powerful in the story of Rudy, all he’s been through to get where he is at and where he finds himself at that moment, what’s the power of that scene?

Warwick Fairfax:
This is a profound scene because it shows in a sense that the whole Notre Dame football team, they’re Rudy’s team of fellow travelers, they’re willing to put their whole careers on the line so Rudy gets a shot at playing one game for Notre Dame. It is a remarkable scene that I think the head coach has never seen before in his whole career and probably never will again. He just cannot believe what he’s seeing with his eyes. He’s just dumbstruck.

Gary Schneeberger:
And cue the euphoria because Rudy does get to play in the Fighting Irish’s final game. And he doesn’t just get to suit up, he gets to take the field and he actually gets to make a play. His dream is fully realized. He has moved from, in our words, trial to triumph. Warwick, these final scenes that I’m talking about from this game show, not just Rudy on the field, but his fellow travelers and his family in the stands and on the field, his fellow travelers from the team. His dream is fully realized. What happens when all he’s ever wanted finally miraculously happens? How does that play out?

Warwick Fairfax:
So when Rudy hears that he’s actually going to dress for this final game, he calls home. His brother, Frank picks up the phone, which is probably the last person he wants to really pass this message. The person who believes in him less than anyone on the planet, basically, unfortunately. He says, “Frank, please tell dad I’m going to dress for the game.” Because he’s said to his dad, “Look, if I dress for the game, I want you there. I want you there at the stadium.” A place that his dad has never been, his dad has never been to his beloved Notre Dame football stadium. And so the message does indeed get passed on. So we see Rudy’s dad, his mom, his brothers, they’re all there.
And there’s a scene where Rudy is standing inside the stadium and he looks around at the stadium, the field on the players, and Rudy’s dad says, “This is the most beautiful site these eyes have ever seen.” This is a team he’s only ever watched on TV, at least when we’re seeing them grow up. When we’re seeing Rudy grow up in the sixties, they’re watching it on a black and white TV. So probably for the majority of Rudy’s dad’s life, he watched the team on a small black and white TV. He’s getting to see his beloved Notre Dame football team. This is a remarkable honor.
The captain then asked Rudy to lead the team out on the field. The smallest guy, the least athletic on the team is running the team out. That says everything. That Rudy is the heart and soul of this team. And it’s a wonderful scene when Fortune and Rudy’s family see this, they see Rudy at the head of the team coming out. And it’s not lost on them what this means, this is not done on accident. I mean, this is incredible.
So it’s almost the end of the game. And Rudy has not been in any of the plays. Rudy is desperate to have one play where he is in the game. And the assistant coach and the captain of the team keep asking the head coach if Rudy can play. And the head coach says, “No. Okay, he’s dressing for the team, but come on, they’re up against Georgia Tech. It’s a tough team. Every play counts.” There’s no way the head coach is going to allow him on. And so then the whole team, the assistant coach, and then everyone in the stands shouts, Rudy’s name, “Rudy, Rudy, Rudy.” It’s just incredible. And so then what happens is another incredible moment, the offense takes matters into their own hands. They completely ignore the play the coach wants them to play, which in football, you don’t ignore instructions from the head coach.

Gary Schneeberger:
And his instructions are like, you see in football all the time, folks, “Take a knee, the game’s won.” They’re leading by enough points that, “Take the knee, the game’s over, let’s go celebrate.” But to your point, they don’t do that. The team decides not to do that.

Warwick Fairfax:
So the offense knows that they have to score so that Rudy on defense can come in the game. Unless the defense are playing, Rudy doesn’t play.

Gary Schneeberger:
Right.

Warwick Fairfax:
So they make one play is an incredible play. It’s a passing play, and they score a touchdown. The head coach with the game won is thinking, “What the heck is going on? I asked them to take a knee, they’re running a play. I mean, that’s ridiculous.” Bad things can, when you do things like that, maybe they could intercept the ball. You don’t do stuff like that. As I mentioned, they do score, and at this point, the head coach finally reluctantly lets Rudy play. I mean, it’s not been easy, but in this game even. And so, because this is an incredible story on this final play, Rudy actually sacks the Georgia Tech quarterback, the head coach can’t believe it, Rudy, this small guy, this unathletic guy. Somehow he finds a way to sack the quarterback. He just shakes his head. He cannot believe it. The team raises Rudy on their shoulders.
Rudy’s family and Fortune are overjoyed. Even Rudy’s brother, Frank smiles and shows respect. It takes a lot to get Frank to smile and show respect, but somehow it’s had an impact in Frank’s life. The end credits tell us that since 1975, at least until this movie was made in 1993, no other Notre Dame play has ever been carried off the field. So here we see Rudy’s taken off the field. He’s on their shoulders. Rudy graduates from Notre Dame in 1976, and he sets an example for the rest of his family because five of Rudy’s younger brothers go on to college. I can’t imagine that would’ve happened without Rudy’s example,

Gary Schneeberger:
And that is, we talk a lot about a life of significance. Rudy’s life of significance set the vision for his brothers to all go to college, to all. I mean, that is a life of significance, for sure, isn’t it?

Warwick Fairfax:
Surely is. I mean, Rudy’s had a big impact on a lot of people. His had an impact on his dad that his dad can’t believe that. Not only did Rudy get into Notre Dame, he actually played on his beloved football team, his dad’s beloved football team, Notre Dame. He’s earned the respect of his brothers, including his brother Frank, who I guess because he is not pursued his own dreams, just really has given no support or encouragement to Rudy. Rudy has inspired all the players on his football team who’ve let him go on first onto the field, who’ve carried him off on their shoulders. He’s inspired and moved Fortune and Jim, the legacy player on the team, D-Bob who was with him in junior college. He is inspired so many with his courage, his fortitude, folks like Father Cavanaugh.
He’s inspired a lot of people with his grit and his determination to pursue a dream that would seem to be an absolutely impossible dream. His life of significance, has just been huge with everybody that’s known him or come in contact with him. There are a few people like Rudy. His story is just, is miraculous.

Gary Schneeberger:
A couple bits of trivia before I ask you the last question, Warwick. One is, you mentioned the scene at the end when they carry him off the field. And they say, interestingly, as you mentioned in the end credits, he was the last player to be carried off the field in 1975 until the movie was made in 1993. As it turns out, another player was carried off the field in 1995. But here’s what the movie didn’t tell you in the end of that scene. He was the first player in Notre Dame history to be carried off the field. Even Knute Rockne himself, the All-American, the big star of Notre Dame, he wasn’t carried off the field by his teammates. So that’s interesting to me.
And the other thing that’s interesting is that we started out folks talking about how this is based on a true story that Rudy Ruettiger really lived, really played. Well, if you do a search for the NCAA football records of Rudy Ruettiger, there’s one line. All it lists is what Warwick talked about. He sacked a player. He has one sack. That’s it. That’s the only line in Rudy Ruettiger’s college football career. But it’s in the record books. Not only was he on the field, he was in the record books. He is in the record books to this day. So last question, Warwick, let me ask you this. We’ve talked about a lot. How does this underdog story about Rudy offer hope and inspiration to move beyond our own crucibles, especially in the face of challenging circumstances and our being underestimated by others?

Warwick Fairfax:
What’s so moving about Rudy, it’s not so much that Rudy went to Notre Dame or even that he played for their football team. It is more the level of effort that Rudy showed in trying to accomplish his dream. There were many who doubted that his dream would be possible to get into Notre Dame and certainly play for the football team. This kid is undersized, not many pounds on him. Not much athletic ability. I mean, getting Notre Dame would be almost impossible. Playing on the football team clearly would be impossible. So when many of that doubted him, many actively discouraged him, including his dad and his brother, Frank. I mean, there were just a whole bunch of people that just, “Give it up.” As I mentioned, his dad and brothers, they weren’t supportive at all. They just felt like Rudy’s from a working class family, “People like us, that we work in the mill, we work in steel mills, just don’t cling to dreams that it’s just not for people like us. It’ll never happen.” But Rudy would not give up.
He was helped greatly by a series of supportive fellow travelers. He started with his best friend Pete, who tragically died in an accident in the steel mill. With D-Bob at Junior College. Father Cavanaugh and Fortune. They provided him vital encouragement to keep going, but both Father Cavanaugh and Fortune, in effect, they tried to help Rudy see that the effort that Rudy was displaying in pursuing his dreams was as important as achieving the dream. Now, it, Rudy did achieve his dream, but from their perspective, whether he achieved his dream or not, the sheer fact of his determination to pursue his dream, that was success in of itself. And that’s something that we should all learn from. So the beauty of Rudy’s story is in pursuing your dream. Now, whether you achieve it or not, because we’re not all going to have the ending that Rudy achieved, but it’s about not listening to the naysayers, getting encouragement from your fellow travelers. And really in the effort and the striving for our dreams, that’s where we find joy, fulfillment, and satisfaction. It’s not just achieving a goal, it’s just the joy of the pursuit.

Gary Schneeberger:
Folks, the lights are on in the theater. Gather up your empty popcorn and soda boxes and glasses, toss them away on your way out. We will be back again next week with the fourth film in our summer series, Big Screen, Big Crucibles, and that is a big movie, Les Miserables, we are going to be talking about. So we’ll see you next week and save you a seat. Welcome to a journey of transformation with Beyond the Crucible assessment, unlike any other, this tool is designed to guide you from adversity to achievement. As you answer a few insightful questions, you won’t just find a label like the Helper or the Individualist. Instead, you’ll uncover your unique position in the journey of resilience. This assessment reveals where you stand today, the direction you should aim for, and crucially the steps to get there. It’s more than an assessment, it’s a roadmap to a life of significance. Ready? Visit beyondthecrucible.com, take the free assessment and start charting your course to a life of significance today.