Rudy Awards

Rudy AwardsAwarded for| the High school and Division I college football players who demonstrate exemplary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their teams.

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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/
https://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

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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 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and weighing 165 pounds (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

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### College

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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

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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

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### Collegiate

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Year | Player | Position | School

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|
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2007 | Terry Clayton | LB | Kentucky
2008 | Drew Combs | K | TCU
2009 | LeVon Morefield | RB | Akron
2010 | Mark Herzlich | LB | Boston College

### High school

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Year | Player | Position | School

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|
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2009 | Calob Leindecker | RB/DB | Parkview Baptist School, (Baton Rouge, LA)
2010 | Chance Anthony | WR | Breckinridge County High School (Harned, KY)
2012 | Visa Thach | LB | Kentwood High School (Kent, WA)

## References

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1. ^ "Home". collegerudyawards.com.
2. ^ The Mission of the Rudy Foundation
3. ^ 2007 Rudy Award winner Archived 2009-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ The Rudy Award Archived 2009-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ "Rudy Awards". www.collegerudyawards.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05.
6. ^ "Home". highschoolrudyawards.com.

## External links

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* College Rudy Award
* High School Rudy Award

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College football awards

College Football Hall of Fame

Player of the year|

* Heisman Trophy (winners) (1936)
* Maxwell Award (1937)
* The Sporting News Player of the Year (1942)
* Walter Camp Award (1967)
* AP Player of the Year (1998)

Positional awards|

* 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)

Other national awards|

* Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (Senior quarterback)
* Paul Hornung Award (Most versatile)
* Lombardi Award (Best performance)
* Jacobs Blocking Trophy (Best blocker)
* Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award (Best of Polynesian descent)
* Deacon Jones Trophy (HBCU's most outstanding player)

All-Americans|

* College Football All-America Team (unanimous selections)
* Little All-America team

Head coaching awards|

* 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)
* Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award (2009)
* Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2006)
* Woody Hayes Trophy (1977)

Assistant coaching awards|

* Broyles Award (Assistant Coach of the Year)
* AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year

Conference awards|

* ACC awards
* American awards
* Big 12 awards
* Big East awards
* Big Ten awards (MVP)
* CUSA awards
* MAC awards
* MW awards
* Pac-12 awards
* SEC awards
* Sun Belt awards
* SWC awards

FCS awards|

* Walter Payton Award (offensive player)
* Buck Buchanan Award (defensive player)
* Jerry Rice Award (freshman)
* Eddie Robinson Award (coach)
* STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year
* STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year
* STATS FCS Freshman Player of the Year
* STATS FCS Coach of the Year

Other divisions / associations|

* Harlon Hill Trophy (Div. II)
* Gagliardi Trophy (Div. III)
* Rawlings Award (NAIA)
* Hec Crighton Trophy (U Sports)

Academic, inspirational,
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)

Service awards|

* Amos Alonzo Stagg Award
* Walter Camp Alumni of the Year
* Walter Camp Man of the Year
* National Football Foundation Distinguished American Award
* National Football Foundation Gold Medal Winners
* Theodore Roosevelt Award

Regional awards|

* Conerly Trophy (Mississippi)
* Jon Cornish Trophy (Canada)
* Dudley Award (Virginia)
* Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award (Texas;)
* Kent Hull Trophy (Mississippi)
* Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award (New England)

Awards organizations|

* Maxwell Football Club
* National Football Foundation
* Touchdown Club of Columbus
* Walter Camp Football Foundation
* DC Touchdown Club

Defunct awards|

* Champ Pickens Cup (Southern Conference champion; 1923–1926)
* Norris Cup (Best player in North Carolina; 1924–1930)
* Porter Cup (Best player at southern universities; 1918–1932)
* UPI Player of the Year (Best player; 1950–1991)
* Joseph V. Paterno Award (Best coach; 2010)
* Melberger Award (Div. III MVP; 1993–2011)
* Chic Harley Award (Best player; 1955–2018))
* Archie Griffin Award (Most valuable; 1999–2018)

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High school football awards

Team award|

* USA Today/National Prep Poll High School Football National Championship

Overall trophies|

* U.S. Army Player of the Year Award
* Sam B. Nicola Trophy
* Gatorade Player of the Year Award
* Polynesian Football Player of the Year Award

Overall media awards|

* USA Today Offensive Player of the Year
* USA Today Defensive Player of the Year
* Mr. Football USA

Positional awards|

* Anthony Muñoz Award (lineman)
* Dick Butkus Award (linebacker)
* Elite 11 MVP (quarterback)
* Walter Payton Trophy (Best Athlete)

All-Americans|

* USA Today All-USA Team

Head Coaching awards|

* USA Today Coach of the Year

Academic, inspirational, and versatility awards|

* Rudy Award (inspirational/motivational)

Regional awards|

* Glenn Davis Award (Los Angeles)
* Landry Award (Dallas-Fort Worth)
* Harrison H. Kennedy Award (West Virginia)
* Thomas A. Simone Award (Kansas City)
* Ed Doherty Award (Arizona)
* Mr. Football Award (multiple states)

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