He was five foot nothing, 100 and nothing, and he had barely a speck of athletic ability, but boy was his jersey valuable.
Former Notre Dame walk-on Rudy Ruettiger, best known for his story told in the movie Rudy, auctioned off the helmet and jersey from the Irish on Saturday and collected a whopping $241,500 for the two items, per the Associated Press.
The auction for the items was held in conjunction with Super Bowl LI down in Houston, with a portion of the proceeds being turned over to NFL charities. The AP did not note who won the two items or (or paid the six figures), but safe to say they’ve seen the movie more than once and wanted in on a piece of history.
Ruettiger famously recorded a sack during the team’s last game of the 1975 season against Georgia Tech, leading to him being carried off the field by his fellow players in one of the more memorable moments of the program involving a walk-on. The helmet and jersey were kept at Ruettiger’s father’s house but were placed back in his possession after his father’s passing.
Three-quarters of a million dollars is a pretty hefty price for a walk-on’s game used jersey but given the history of the story, it was certainly all worth it for one Notre Dame fan.