DOWNERS GROVE, Illinois (February 21, 2024) – Midwestern University’s Downers Grove Campus will be the site of “An Evening of Inspiration” in April, when the University welcomes famed Notre Dame University alumnus and motivational speaker Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger for a special presentation on resiliency, beating the odds, and achieving goals.
The event will be held from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at Midwestern University’s Cardinal Hall Auditorium, 555 31st Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Admission is free for the public but pre-event registration at www.midwestern.edu/rudy45 is required.
Mr. Ruettiger’s story, popularized in the 1993 film Rudy starring Sean Astin, is inspiring itself. The son of an oil refinery worker and the third of 14 children, he tenaciously pursued his dream of playing college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, working his way through junior college to improve his academic record and eventually making the Notre Dame football team as a walk-on despite his height. At the end of his senior year, he was allowed to dress for the final game of the season and got onto the field for a single play with 27 seconds to go, sacking the quarterback and then being carried off the field on the shoulders of his teammates.
Today, Mr. Ruettiger is an Emmy Award-winning motivational speaker, author, and producer, and the co-founder of the Rudy Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen communities by offering scholarships in education, sports, and the performing arts.
For more information about “An Evening of Inspiration” and Mr. Ruettiger and to register for the event, please visit: www.midwestern.edu/rudy45
More Information:
Jill Blair-Smith
Assistant Director, Midwestern University Office of Communications
jblair@midwestern.edu | 630/515-7250
Midwestern University is a private, not-for-profit graduate and postgraduate educational institution specializing in the health sciences with 12 colleges located on two campuses. The Illinois campus, located on a 105-acre site in Downers Grove, is home to nearly 3,000 students and the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine; the College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove; the College of Health Sciences, Downers Grove; the College of Dental Medicine-Illinois; the Chicago College of Optometry; and the College of Graduate Studies, Downers Grove. The Arizona campus, located on a 156-acre site in Glendale, is home to over 3,900 students and the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine; the College of Pharmacy, Glendale; the College of Health Sciences, Glendale; the College of Dental Medicine-Arizona; the Arizona College of Optometry; the College of Veterinary Medicine; the College of Graduate Studies, Glendale; and the Arizona College of Podiatric Medicine. The University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, a Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. For more information, visit http://www.midwestern.edu or call 623/572-3215.