Notre Dame’s Rudy working with Vegas legend

Ruettiger, a Henderson resident for years, was in the news recently when Notre Dame great Joe Montana suggested in a radio interview that Hollywood had taken liberties in “Rudy,” making the scout-team player one of the school’s most celebrated names. Ruettiger, who weighed only 165 pounds, was allowed to suit up for the final home game of the 1975 season and came off the bench late in the game to sack Georgia Tech’s quarterback, the only tackle of Ruettiger’s career. According to Notre Dame lore, Ruettiger was only the second player in school history to get carried off the field by his team. Montana, then a freshman at Notre Dame, told radio host Dan Patrick this month that the triumphant scene, with Ruettiger being hoisted and hauled off by his teammates, was an exaggeration. “The guys carried him off, kind of playing around,” Montana said. “I won’t say it’s a joke, but playing around.” — Las Vegas Review-Journal (Norm Clarke)