HENDERSON, NV (December 21, 2007) ? Four finalists for the INAUGURAL RUDY AWARD () were announced today by The Rudy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Award honors NCAA Division I student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary CHARACTER, COURAGE, CONTRIBUTION and COMMITMENT as members of their collegiate football teams. These same traits were immortalized in the blockbuster film ?RUDY? in 27 seconds and against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, enabling Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger to carve his name into college football lore.
Due to a selection committee voting tie, four RUDY AWARD finalists (one more than previously announced) will be honored at a breakfast to be held during the American Football Coaches Association Convention on January 8, 2008, from 8:30 – 10:30 A.M., at the Hilton Suites in Anaheim, CA.
The four finalists were chosen from an impressive field of 26 total nominees. The finalists, listed alphabetically, are: Terry Clayton (University of Kentucky), Keegan Herring (Arizona State University), Robinson Jean (University of Central Florida) and Joey Stutson (Louisiana State University).
Each finalist will be presented with a framed commemorative plaque and an academic scholarship, as well as have their travel expenses paid to the event. An overall winner will be announced and presented with the top scholarship of $5,000, as well as a handsome RUDY AWARD bronze statue. The three runners-up each will receive a $2,500 scholarship.
?This award is truly unique, and one we hope will soon rank among the nation?s top collegiate honors,? said Rudy Ruettiger. ?We will recognize players for the size of their hearts, instead of the enormity of their stats. Our four inaugural finalists certainly fit this criteria, demonstrating extraordinary character, courage, contribution and commitment as members of their teams.?
The RUDY AWARD Selection Committee is comprised of football coaches Fisher DeBerry, Dennis Franchione, June Jones, Chuck Knox, Gary Patterson, Buddy Pough, Dick Tomey and prominent businessman Peter Murphy, Jr., who serves as chairman. Aaron Taylor, former NFL player and broadcaster, will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the program.
Division I collegiate players of any age or year in school were eligible for nomination, provided they were members of the 2007-08 football team. For any finalists presently receiving a full scholarship, the award will be made in the player?s name to the general scholarship fund of the college or university.
About the Finalists
Terry Clayton, senior linebacker, University of Kentucky:
Terry Clayton went deaf at the age of five as the result of a high fever from a severe case of chicken pox. Despite the limitation, he became an All-State player in high school out of Olmstead, KY, and has made the University of Kentucky Wildcats football team as a walk-on in each of the past five seasons. Clayton provides depth at linebacker and consistently contends for playing time on special teams. An outstanding weight lifter, he is one of the strongest players on the team.
?Terry has shown great perseverance in his life,? said Kentucky Head Football Coach Rich Brooks, who nominated Clayton for the RUDY AWARD. ?He is an award-winning student and has not let his physical challenges stop him from becoming a college football player. He gives you everything he has and takes great pride in everything he does.?
Clayton has twice been selected for the Southeast Conference Honor Roll and was the recipient of the Carol S. Adelstein Outstanding Student Award for overcoming disabilities. In 2006 he returned to the Kentucky School for the Deaf, which he attended as a child, for a program to encourage the students to succeed.
?Never once has Terry ever used his disability as an excuse not to do something,? said Kentucky Linebackers Coach Chuck Smith. ?That shows great character.?
Keegan Herring, junior running back, Arizona State University:
Over the past year, Keegan Herring has endured the tragic deaths of his father and his best friend, both the victims of violent crimes, and lost his sister in an auto accident and an aunt to a sudden heart attack. Instead of growing disheartened by these misfortunes, however, Herring developed a unique way to help deal with his grief — by bringing as many smiles as possible to the faces of those he encounters on campus at Arizona State University. He even keeps a running tally of smiles he sees each day, which, according to Herring, some days have numbered in the hundreds.
The junior running back also fought through these trying times off the field by having a standout season on the gridiron. After beginning the season as a backup on the Sun Devils depth chart, Herring stepped in for injured starter Ryan Torain in October and became the team?s leading rusher. Arizona State finished with a record of 10-2, earning a No. 11 rank in the BCS standings and a trip to the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on December 27.
Among his individual achievements, Herring received honorable mention Freshman All-American honors in 2005 and was named to the All-Pac-10 Freshman team by The Sporting News. He also won Whizzer White Player of the Year honors in Arizona as a high school junior in Peoria, AZ, in 2003.
One of Herring?s greatest prides, however, is his work with children. ?Keegan has spoken to middle school students about overcoming challenges, the importance of having confidence, and not letting learning disabilities hold oneself back from doing well in school,? said Sun Devils Head Football Coach Dennis Erickson, who nominated Herring for the RUDY AWARD. ?He also has volunteered time at elementary schools, signing autographs, reading to the kids and speaking to them about the importance of staying in school.?
Robinson Jean, senior linebacker, University of Central Florida:
Born in Haiti, Robinson Jean moved to the United States with his mother at age nine. It was not until this point that they finally were reunited with Robinson?s father, who had come to this country years earlier to build a better life for his family. Jean became a standout linebacker in high school in at Delray Beach, FL, earning scholarship interest for his abilities on the field from several schools, including West Virginia.
Academic struggles, however, ultimately left Jean ineligible to accept college scholarships. He refused to give up on his dream of playing college ball, signing up for the National Guard and enrolling at Valencia Community College in 2001. Following the events of 9/11, the ?weekend warrior? program for which he signed up, soon became a much more time-consuming commitment and in 2003 led Jean to active duty in Iraq. Jean?s National Guard unit, the First Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, was one of the first infantry units to land in Baghdad. What began as a six-month tour of duty was extended four times, before Jean returned home in February 2004.
Back stateside, motivated by a television special about a former Army Ranger who returned to college at age 39 to resume his football career, Jean enrolled at the University of Central Florida in the fall of 2004 and made the football team as a walk-on in 2006. In 2007 he saw playing time on the kickoff team. Jean was the first in his family to serve in the military, the first to go to college and to play collegiate football. This spring he also will be the first to graduate from college, earning a degree in Business Management.
Joey Stutson, sophomore running back, Louisiana State University:
Joey Stutson enlisted in the National Guard during his junior year of high school in Mandeville, LA, to help pay for college. As a high school standout, he received multiple offers to try out for college football teams but turned them down to follow his dream of attending Louisiana State University.
Just four weeks into his first semester at LSU in 2004, however, Stutson?s unit was called to active duty in Baghdad, Iraq. While in Iraq, the unit often came under heavy fire as it patrolled the streets in search of weapons, drugs and bombs. After serving overseas for a year, it was the hard fought lessons of war that persuaded Stutson to continue to follow his dream of playing football for LSU.
Upon returning home, Stutson sent his high school highlight tape to LSU but a year went by without any response. His time in Iraq having taught him to waste no time in life, Stutson married his high school sweetheart and took a job at a program helping at-risk kids. Then four months after the birth of their first-born baby daughter, he received a call from the LSU Athletic Department inviting him to play football.
Assuming that with wife and child those days were behind him, Stutson was humbled by the tremendous support of his family and friends, who rallied behind them and encouraged Stutson to follow his dream. At the start of spring practice, Stutson?s teammates, knowing he was a war veteran, quickly nicknamed him ?Sarge.? After facing yet more adversity in the form of a shoulder injury, he has fully recovered and is thankful simply for the opportunity to play the sport he loves.
About The Rudy Foundation
The Rudy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the support and recognition of those who aspire to fulfill their dreams through character, courage, contribution and commitment. Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger and his wife Cheryl founded The Rudy Foundation in 1997. Members of the board of directors include Jerome Bettis, Aaron Taylor and Rick Mirer. Against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, Rudy Ruettiger in twenty seven seconds carved his name into history books as one of the most famous graduates of the University of Notre Dame.
The son of an oil refinery worker and third of 14 children, Rudy Ruettiger rose from valleys of discouragement and despair to the pinnacles of success. Today, he is one of the most popular motivational speakers in the United States. It took years of fierce determination to overcome obstacles and criticisms, yet Rudy achieved his first dream — to attend Notre Dame and play football for the Fighting Irish. As fans cheered RU-DY, RU-DY, he sacked the quarterback in the only play in the only game of his college football career. Rudy Ruettiger remains the only player in the school’s history ever to be carried off the field on his teammates’ shoulders.
In 1993, TRISTAR Productions immortalized his life story with the blockbuster film, ?RUDY.? Written and produced by Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, the critically acclaimed movie continues to inspire millions worldwide.
In addition to his motivational speaking, Rudy Ruettiger has co-authored several books, including: ?Rudy’s Insights for Winning in Life,? ?Rudy’s Lessons for Young Champions,? and ?Rudy & Friends,? and has produced the Dream Power tape series. For more information, or to make a donation visit: .
