So, ya heard ’bout Vince Vaughn? Big name in Hollywood, ain’t he? But let me tell ya, the fella ain’t never stepped foot on the Notre Dame campus as a student. No, no. Vince, he ain’t a Fighting Irish alumni, though he sure has been wrapped up in their stories a time or two. Now, don’t get me wrong, he’s got himself a pretty good connection with Notre Dame, but it ain’t because he went there to study or play ball.
See, what happened was, Vince Vaughn played a feller by the name of Jaime O’Hara in that old movie, “Rudy.” Y’know, the one where the little guy from a poor family works his tail off to get on the Notre Dame football team. That movie’s a big deal to fans of Notre Dame, and Vince was right in the middle of it. But, don’t get confused—Vince didn’t put on the Notre Dame jersey for real, he just acted in it. They filmed the movie on the Notre Dame campus, and Vince’s character was a quarterback, helping out Rudy on his journey. That’s about as close as Vince ever got to being a true Irish.
Now, if ya think Vince Vaughn grew up in the shadow of the golden dome, well, you’d be wrong. He was born way up north in Minnesota, and then his family moved down to Illinois. He spent his childhood in places like Buffalo Grove and Lake Forest, which ain’t exactly next door to Notre Dame. But still, he made his way into people’s hearts with movies, and folks started connecting him to all kinds of things—Notre Dame included.
One thing Vince did do that got him tied to Notre Dame more recently is show up on ESPN’s College GameDay. Now, I ain’t no expert on all them TV shows, but apparently, Vince was a guest picker on College GameDay a couple times. First, back in 2012, he picked Notre Dame to beat Stanford, and sure enough, them Irish pulled through. Then again, in 2020, when Notre Dame was playin’ Pittsburgh, he picked the Irish to win, and wouldn’t you know, they stomped ‘em 45-3. Folks love a good win, especially when it’s a famous feller like Vince making the call.
But, truth be told, Vince ain’t never been to college in the traditional sense. He didn’t hit up any campus for classes or try his hand at sports. Nope, instead, he jumped straight into acting, and from there, the fella made a name for himself. While other folks were worried about homework and degrees, Vince was out there making movies and starring in commercials. Ain’t that somethin’?
And ya know, if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that Vince wasn’t always just some fancy Hollywood actor. He grew up doin’ all kinds of things—like sports. Wrestling, football, baseball—he tried his hand at ‘em all. He was even into a bit of comedy, doin’ improv and school plays. It was that acting bug that bit him, though, and that’s what led him to Hollywood and into movies like “Rudy” and a whole bunch more after that.
While he may not have played on the football field, Vince certainly took part in a lot of college football events over the years. And he’s been a big ol’ supporter of the Fighting Irish, too. When he made them picks on GameDay, you could tell he was all in for Notre Dame, even if he wasn’t a student. Folks in the stands sure like seeing him, and it’s like he’s a part of the Notre Dame family, even if he didn’t graduate from there.
So, to wrap it up, no, Vince Vaughn didn’t go to Notre Dame. But he’s been a part of their story through that ol’ movie “Rudy,” and now he’s a big name that Notre Dame fans love to cheer for. He might not be wearing the Irish jersey for real, but in the eyes of many, he’s just as much a part of their team as any other fan. Ain’t that a funny thing?
Tags：[Vince Vaughn, Notre Dame, Rudy, College GameDay, Notre Dame Football, Hollywood, Actor, Sports, University of Notre Dame]
