Rudy Awards
Awarded for | the High school and Division I college football players who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their teams. |
---|---|
Location | Henderson, Nevada |
Country | United States |
Presented by | The Rudy Foundation |
History | |
First award | 2007 (College) 2009 (High school) |
Most recent | Mark Herzlich (College) Calob Leindecker (High school) |
Website | http://www.collegerudyawards.com/ http://www.highschoolrudyawards.com/ |
The Rudy Awards were two awards given annually by the Rudy Foundation of Henderson, Nevada to the high school and Division I college football players who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their teams.[1]
Eponym
The award is named in the honor of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who is famous as the inspiration for the 1993 film Rudy. Ruettiger strived to attend the University of Notre Dame and to play football for the Fighting Irish. Ruettiger battled with dyslexia and the fact that he was much smaller than an average football player, standing just 5'6" (1.68 m) and weighing 165 lb (75 kg). Ruettiger eventually overcame these obstacles to gain admission to the University as a transfer and make the football team as a walk-on. In the only play in the only game of his college football career, he recorded a quarterback sack as fans cheered "RU-DY, RU-DY". Ruettiger is only one of two players in Fighting Irish history ever to be carried off the field on his teammates' shoulders.
In 1997, Ruettiger and his wife Cheryl founded the Rudy Foundation. The Rudy Foundation created the Rudy Award Program to benefit children's advocacy programs.[2] The inaugural 2007 College Football Rudy Award was held on January 8, 2008 at the OpryLand Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.[3] The College Football Rudy Award was created by the Rudy Foundation and annually honors a Division I football player who demonstrates what Ruettiger refers to as "The Four C's": character, courage, contribution and commitment as a member of their team.[4]
In 2009, a High school Rudy Award was established to honor inspirational athletes at the prep level. The annual winner will still exemplify “The Four C’s”: Character, Courage, Contribution and Commitment, just as for the collegiate award. $25,000 in Academic Scholarships will also be awarded to the Winner, two Runners-Up and a Fan Favorite.
Eligibility criteria
College
Any Division I college football player that satisfies the following eligibility requirements may be nominated for the college Rudy Award:[5]
• Nominees can be any gender, age, or year in the university (Freshman through Senior).
• Nominees must be a player on the football team roster at some point during the season of eligibility.
• Nominees does not have to be a walk-on, as Ruettiger was.
High school
Any high school football player that satisfies the following eligibility requirements may be nominated:[6]
• Nominees can be any gender, age or year in High School (Freshman through Senior).
• Nominees can play on any level of a high school football team.
• Nominees must be on the football team at some point during the season of eligibility.
Winners
Collegiate
Year | Player | Position | School |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Terry Clayton | LB | Kentucky |
2008 | Drew Combs | K | TCU |
2009 | LeVon Morefield | RB | Akron |
2010 | Mark Herzlich | LB | Boston College |
High school
Year | Player | Position | School |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Calob Leindecker | RB/DB | Parkview Baptist School, (Baton Rouge, LA) |
2010 | Chance Anthony | WR | Breckinridge County High School (Harned, KY) |
References
- ^ "Home". collegerudyawards.com.
- ^ The Mission of the Rudy Foundation
- ^ 2007 Rudy Award winner Archived 2009-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ The Rudy Award Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rudy Awards". www.collegerudyawards.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05.
- ^ "Home". highschoolrudyawards.com.
External links
- College Rudy Award
- High School Rudy Award
- v
- t
- e
- Heisman Trophy (winners) (Most outstanding)
- Maxwell Award (Player of the year)
- Walter Camp Award (Player of the year)
- Defunct: Archie Griffin Award (Most valuable)
- Chic Harley Award (Best player)
- AP Player of the Year (1998)
- Sporting News Player of the Year (1942)
- Defunct: UPI Player of the Year
- Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Defensive player)
- Chuck Bednarik Award (Defensive player)
- Lott Trophy (Defensive player)
- Outland Trophy (Interior lineman)
- Manning Award (Quarterback)
- Davey O'Brien Award (Quarterback)
- Doak Walker Award (Running back)
- Fred Biletnikoff Award (Receiver)
- John Mackey Award (Tight end)
- Joe Moore Award (Offensive line)
- Rimington Trophy (Center)
- Ted Hendricks Award (Defensive end)
- Butkus Award (Linebacker)
- Jim Thorpe Award (Defensive back)
- Lou Groza Award (Placekicker)
- Ray Guy Award (Punter)
- Patrick Mannelly Award (Long snapper)
- Jet Award (Return specialist)
- Peter Mortell (Holder)
- Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Senior quarterback)
- Paul Hornung Award (Most versatile)
- Lombardi Award (Best performance)
- Jacobs Blocking Trophy (Best blocker)
- Polynesian Football Player of the Year Award (Best player of Polynesian descent)
- Deacon Jones Trophy (HBCU's most outstanding player)
- AFCA Coach of the Year Award (1935)
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award (1957)
- Sporting News Coach of the Year (1963)
- Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1967)
- Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (1976)
- Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (1986)
- George Munger Award (1989)
- Home Depot Coach of the Year (1994)
- AP Coach of the Year (1998)
Defunct: Joseph V. Paterno Award (2010)- Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award (2009)
- Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2006)
- Woody Hayes Trophy (1977)
- Broyles Award (Assistant Coach of the Year)
- AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year
- Walter Payton Award (Div. I FCS offensive player)
- Buck Buchanan Award (Div. I FCS defensive player)
- Jerry Rice Award (Div. I FCS freshman)
- Eddie Robinson Award (Div. I FCS coach)
Defunct: Mickey Charles Award (Div. I FCS student-athlete)- STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year (Div. I FCS offensive player)
- STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year (Div. I FCS defensive player)
- STATS FCS Freshman Player of the Year (Div. I FCS freshman)
- STATS FCS Coach of the Year (Div. I FCS coach)
- Harlon Hill Trophy (Div. II)
- Gagliardi Trophy (Div. III)
- Rawlings Award (NAIA)
- Hec Crighton Trophy (U Sports)
- Fred Mitchell Award (non-Div. I FBS placekicker)
- Defunct: Melberger Award (Div. III)
and versatility awards
- Academic All-America of the Year (Student-athlete)
- Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award
- William V. Campbell Trophy (Student-athlete)
- Wuerffel Trophy (Humanitarian-athlete)
- Senior CLASS Award (Div. I FBS student-athlete)
- Burlsworth Trophy (Walk-on)
- Rudy Award (inspirational/motivational)
- Champ Pickens Cup (1923–1926; Southern Conference champion)
- Conerly Trophy (Mississippi)
- Jon Cornish Trophy (top Canadian NCAA player)
- Dudley Award (Virginia)
- Norris Cup (North Carolina, school's best athlete)
- Porter Cup (South, school's best athlete)
- Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (Texas-related offensive player)
- Kent Hull Trophy (Mississippi; offensive lineman)
- Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award (New England sportsmanship)