Run your own college sports movie!
August 11th, 2008 - byBefore I begin this post, I want you all to see the infamous “Rudy”, when Daniel Ruettiger comes into the game on Georgia Tech’s final drive of the game and sacks GT’s quarterback, Rudy Allen. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, feel free to forward it to the 1:30 mark to see the sack in all its glory.
I know what you’re thinking — “Where are the ‘RU-DY’ chants? Where is the dramatic solo sack and the entire crowd giving him a standing ovation? Where is the radio announcer praising Rudy’s name? And where is the triumphant Jerry Goldsmith score?”
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Only in the movies.” Well, this scenario definitely did not played out as advertised in the movie.
With regard to “Rudy,” multiple members of NCSA’s staff can be heard saying, “Great film. Bad story.”
Case in point, this article about Vanderbilt senior linebacker Bo Baggerley in the Tennessean. The article essentially praises the four-year walk-on for his dedication to Vandy’s program, despite not seeing an ounce of playing time, a la the movie namesake himself.
The difference here, however, is that Baggerley could’ve played somewhere else.
A two-time all-state selection and a four-sport standout at Stratford Academy in Macon, Ga., where he played with current Middle Tennessee State defensive tackle Trevor Jenkins, Baggerley was equally accomplished in the classroom. He graduated with a 4.0 grade-point average and a desire to attend an academically challenging university.
“He was looking at several different schools — Duke, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest,” Buddy Baggerley said about the oldest of his four children. “He wanted to go play football somewhere and go to a school that, when he got a degree, it would help him get into medical school.”
Despite his football credentials, though, the only recruiting interest came from smaller schools that didn’t offer athletic scholarships or the name recognition Bo sought. The son of two Auburn graduates, making the decision to walk on at an SEC school was an easy one.
And as much as I admire his work-ethic and dedication to prepping the first-team offense for Saturdays, I can’t help but wonder for him — “What if?”
What if he looked past the “BCS-mania” and the name-game? What if he got an athletic OR academic scholarship to a Div. II or III school with a fantastic and well-known pre-med program and actually got to play, or even start, for his school?
Instead, Baggerley decided to walk-on at a big Div. I school with Rudy-esque expectations, figuring that if he worked hard enough, he’d get to play. And on top of that, his family has to pay about $25,000 per year for his education.
Needless to say, it looks as if this movie isn’t going to have a happy ending.
So here’s the thing: As a student-athlete, you get the opportunity to write, produce and direct your own screenplay. Make sure you do your research, and hopefully at the end, you’ll feel like you just won an Oscar.
