Last year, David Ruffer went from anonymous walk-on to Lou Groza Award finalist, one of the more amazing stories in the college football world. After working his way into Notre Dame after getting rejected out of high school, Ruffer was discovered kicking in a interhall football game by the coaching staff. The rest is... well, history that’s already been told more than a few times.
Still, if you’ve got a spare seven minutes, NFL Films did a great story on Ruffer, his route to Notre Dame, his time as a member of the Siegfried Ramblers, and onto the Irish roster.
After making 18 of 19 last year, Ruffer’s numbers took a step back this year, converting 10 of 15 attempts this season. Even more confusing, Ruffer’s misses were the easy kicks, with four of his five misses coming from under 40 yards, including a chip shot against USF and one against Stanford.
Regardless, NFL Films did a wonderful job of capturing one of the best stories in football, and a true testament to a student-athlete.
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