Was Vince Vaughn in 'Rudy'? Notre Dame debut came long before 'College GameDay' in 2023
ESPN announced "College Gameday" will be hosted in South Bend ahead of No. 9 Notre Dame's Week 4 matchup against No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday, with actor Vince Vaughn serving as celebrity guest picker, a name many Fighting Irish fans may be familiar with — both for his Fighting Irish fandom and his cameo in the cult-classic movie "Rudy."
Vaughn's appearance as backup tailback Jamie O'Hara marked his first credited role in a feature-length film, but as "Vincent Vaughn" instead of the name he'd make famous. "Rudy" came a few years before Vaughn became more widely known for his role in the 1996 comedy "Swingers." In total, Vaughn has appeared in nearly 80 roles in film or TV and produced nearly 25 titles, according to IMDb.
So how did the actor who later appeared in movies such as “Psycho," "Wedding Crashers" and “The Lost World: Jurassic Park" get cast for an antagonistic role in "Rudy?" Let's take a look.
REQUIRED READING: 'Steez' is the word for Notre Dame football in the Sam Hartman Era
Who was Vince Vaughn in Rudy?
Vaughn played Jamie O'Hara, a Notre Dame third-string tailback and Rudy Ruettiger's biggest bully threat, in the 1993 drama. The film centers on Ruettiger (Sean Astin), who wants to play on the fabled football team but has a number of obstacles in his way to football stardom, including his size.
What are Vince Vaughn's scenes in Rudy?
Vaughn's most remembered scene in "Rudy" is when Ruettiger tackles Vaughn's character in practice, prompting a verbal altercation broken up the coach, who tells O'Hara: "You just summed your entire sorry career here in one sentence! If you had a tenth of the heart that Ruettiger has, you could have made All-American!
"As it is, you just went from the third team to the prep team."
O'Hara and Ruettiger have run-ins throughout the movie, with Vaughn's character calling him a "showboat" and eventually making amends by the end of the film.
Before Rudy's climactic sack against Georgia Tech, Vaughn's character (with O'Hare on the back of his jersey instead of O'Hara) convinces Notre Dame's quarterback to score a touchdown instead of taking a knee, giving Rudy the chance to make his debut.
After the halfback pass from O'Hara ended in the end zone, Vaughn's character tells Rudy: "That was for you."
Does Vince Vaughn have ties to Notre Dame?
Vaughn grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, just three hours away from South Bend. He played football in high school before giving up his sporting career to pursue acting. His stint as a Jamie O'Hara was Vaughn's first credited film role.
REQUIRED READING: This home game against Ohio State can be the time, the game for Notre Dame football
Vaughn is a noted Irish fan and has been spotted at games from time to time, most notably during the 2012 undefeated regular season when the Irish made the national championship game.
Vince Vaughn's history on "College GameDay"
The actor has been a guest on "College GameDay" twice before. In 2020, Vaughn picked Notre Dame to beat Pittsburg — the Irish won in a 45-3 rout. In 2012, Vaughn picked Notre Dame to beat Stanford, and the Irish snuckby with a 20-13 victory.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Remembering Vince Vaughn's scenes in 'Rudy' ahead of 'College GameDay'
