USC’s Rudy: The Ben Malcolmson Story
By Joe K
Everybody in college football circles is at least somewhat familiar with Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who walked on to the Notre Dame football team in 1976 and was immortalized in 1993 with TriStar Pictures’ production of the movie Rudy.
While Rudy gets a lot of publicity to this day, his efforts as a Notre Dame walk-on parallel those of USC’s Ben Malcolmson.
As part of a story for the Daily Trojanin 2006, Malcolmson tried out for the USC football team and actually made it. While Malcomson didn’t get much playing time as a member of the Trojans, he did have a Rudy moment in a November game against Notre Dame. “Getting that one play in the Notre Dame game was incredible and something I’ll never forget,” Malcomson said in an interview with LA Times blogger Adam Rose. “It still gives me goosebumps today just talking about it.”
Two years following his playing days, Malcolmson is still involved with the football team as a staff member who runs the popular website and blog USCRipsIt.com.
You can learn more about Malcolmson’s journey this Sunday at 8:30 p.m. on the season finale of Amazing Sports Stories on FSN West.