* AlternateAesopInterpretation:
** If you go to college for the extracurricular activities instead of focusing on getting an education and better job, then everything will turn out well in the end.
** The film gives no details of Rudy's future but in real life he became a motivational speaker purely based on the Aesop properties of his story. This means that looking at the longer picture, all of his work was done just to make one sack and never play again, and then essentially be bailed out (into motivational speaking) by people who wanted his story to be seen as inspiring. The long term moral of the story becomes the exact opposite: "don't try to be a second-rate apple".
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Magnificent doesn't even begin to describe the score by Music/JerryGoldsmith.
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Rudy slowly but surely gets to achieve his dream of playing for Notre Dame, resulting in a few heartwarming moments.
** When Rudy gets into Notre Dame, silently reading off his acceptance letter. Tears start to come to his eyes, until he just looks off into the distance and says "Oh, thank God."
** Rudy telling his father at work that he got accepted. His father can't help but give a smile and proudly announce through the intercom that he got accepted. Everyone there congratulates him.
** When the coach tells Rudy he's made the team. After briefly hugging the coach and awkwardly apologizing, Rudy waits until the coach is a few steps away before jumping into the air and screaming for joy.
** Realizing that Rudy didn't make the dress list for his final game, the Notre Dame captain goes into Coach Devine's office and says he wants Rudy to take his spot, tossing his jersey onto Devine's desk. Then another player comes in and does the same thing. Then another. Then another. Eventually, the entire team puts their jerseys on the desk, making it clear that none of them will play unless Rudy does.
** During the game itself, the entire stadium ends up chanting for Rudy to be put in, causing Coach Devine to finally relent on the last play. It averts DownToTheLastPlay because Notre Dame is going to win no matter what happens, but Rudy managing to make a sack is still a triumphant moment because, brief though it may have been, Rudy got just what he wanted.
** D-Bob, Rudy's tutor and later friend, truly became of one Rudy's first real supporter of his dream. When it was time for D-Bob and his girlfriend to leave for their future, D-Bob promised Rudy he be at his first game, which Rudy returns with a hug goodbye. True to his word, D-Bob does attend his first and only game, cheering and shouting for his best friend.
* MemeticMutation: ''Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!''
* RetroactiveRecognition: Future HeterosexualLifePartners Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn are in the film. It was Favreau's first film role (Vaughn still an unknown young actor, credited as Vincent Vaughn) and they actually met during the shooting of the film. The rest is history.
* SignatureScene: The jersey scene where the entire team offers their spot on the dress list for Rudy for the final game.