So, this question popped into my head the other day – did Joe Montana actually play with Rudy? You know, Rudy Ruettiger, the guy from the movie. Both legends at Notre Dame, right? It felt like something worth checking out.
My first step was just trying to remember their timelines off the top of my head. I knew Rudy was kind of an older walk-on, and Montana came later and became the big star quarterback. But were they ever actually on the team at the same time?
I did a little digging, just some quick searches online to pin down the years they were at Notre Dame. Here’s what I found:
- Rudy Ruettiger: He worked his butt off to get into Notre Dame and onto the football team as a walk-on. His famous moment, the only game he ever got into, was the last home game of the 1975 season against Georgia Tech. He got that sack, the crowd went nuts, teammates carried him off. Classic stuff.
- Joe Montana: He arrived at Notre Dame in 1974. He didn’t become the main starting quarterback right away, took him a bit to climb the depth chart. He played for Notre Dame through the 1978 season, leading them to a National Championship in 1977.
So, Did Their Paths Cross on the Field?
Well, here’s the thing. They were both at Notre Dame and on the football roster during the 1974 and 1975 seasons. So, technically, they were teammates for a couple of years.
But, did they ever play together in a game, like on the field at the same time? The answer seems to be no.
Rudy’s one and only appearance was that single play in the 1975 Georgia Tech game. Montana was on the team then, sure, but he wasn’t playing in that specific moment with Rudy. Joe was still working his way up. His major playing time and heroics came after Rudy’s brief moment had passed and Rudy had left the team.
It’s kind of interesting, isn’t it? Two huge Notre Dame icons, their time there overlapped, they were part of the same program for two seasons, but their legendary moments happened separately. They weren’t out there slinging passes and making tackles side-by-side in a game. One was the ultimate underdog achieving his dream in one play, the other became one of the greatest quarterbacks ever over several seasons. Different stories, same school, just not quite at the same time on the playing field.
