The September 6, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated — the magazine's annual College Football Preview — carried the bold headline "Michigan Is No. 1," featuring a close-up cover shot of Wolverines sophomore quarterback Rick Leach. The pick reflected genuine optimism around Bo Schembechler's program, with Leach, a dual-threat talent, taking over as full-time starter after a rocky freshman finish that had cost Michigan a shot at the Rose Bowl. That '76 season proved Leach's breakout campaign — he'd start all 12 games, lead Michigan to a 10-2 record and a No. 3 final ranking, and never lose to Ohio State again — making SI's early faith in him look remarkably well-placed. Notre Dame's preseason outlook that same year was far more tempered, coming a year removed from Rudy Ruettiger's iconic final play against Georgia Tech in November 1975. Second-year coach Dan Devine, still working to fill Ara Parseghian's enormous shoes, had endured a rocky 8-3 debut season that didn't include a bowl bid, and a promising young backup quarterback named Joe Montana suffered a season-ending shoulder separation before 1976 even began, forcing Devine to lean again on returning starter Rick Slager. The Irish opened ranked No. 11 but were promptly throttled 31-10 by ninth-ranked Pittsburgh and Tony Dorsett — ironically, a Panthers team that would go on to win the national championship that year. Notre Dame recovered to finish 9-3 with a Gator Bowl win over Penn State, quietly building the foundation that would carry Montana and the Irish to a national title just one season later. Ruettiger's own path to Notre Dame was defined almost entirely by persistence rather than natural talent — undersized, dyslexic, and academically underprepared, he was rejected multiple times before finally gaining admission in 1974, then walked onto the football team with no scholarship and virtually no chance of meaningful playing time. His singular moment of glory came on that November day against Georgia Tech, when Devine sent him in for the final play, allowing Rudy to record a symbolic sack and get carried off the field by his teammates. Nearly two decades later, his story became the 1993 film "Rudy," starring Sean Astin, which took real dramatic liberties but nonetheless struck such an emotional chord that it transformed Ruettiger's story into an enduring symbol of perseverance recognized far beyond the world of sports. Rudy joins us to walk through the three dreams that defined his life — getting into Notre Dame, making the football team, and finally, the achievement he says mattered most, actually earning his Notre Dame degree. He shares a remarkable story about Kobe Bryant once telling him how deeply his journey had resonated with him, reflects on which was truly harder — cracking Notre Dame's admissions wall or getting his story made into a movie — and takes us back to the gut-wrenching anxiety of the week before the Georgia Tech game, when he feared his moment might never come. And he explains that his lone sack wasn't luck at all, but years of preparation meeting a single instant. A man who built an entire life chasing down dreams, and who'll tell you the journey mattered every bit as much as the destination, shares his incredible story this week — Rudy, on Past Our Prime. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 h et 35 min