Factual error: Rudy's high school, Joliet Catholic, was all male when Rudy attended. In the movie, however, there are girls in his class. (00:09:10)
Factual error: The Big Game in Rudy takes place in 1975, which means Rudy started at Holy Cross in 1972. To get to Holy Cross, he takes a bus there. In that touching goodbye scene with his father at the bus station, look at the mural in the back ground. It is a depiction of the New York skyline with the Twin Towers, which were not completed until 1973, after that scene should have taken place. (00:21:20)
Factual error: In at least two scenes, cars from the 1990's can be seen, despite the fact that the film took place two decades earlier. (00:50:00)
Continuity mistake: When Rudy thanks his employer for the key and the blanket, each shot that faces Rudy you can see a large amount of snowflakes falling. However, whenever the shot faces his employer there is only an occasional snowflake that falls. (00:53:40)
Continuity mistake: When Rudy opens one of his rejection letters, he checks his mailbox and heads to a cafe. This cafe is in a building on the actual Notre Dame campus, has no student mailboxes in it, and is not the Holy Cross College campus where his mailbox should be. (00:59:15)
Factual error: The film takes place in the mid-70's, yet in some practice sequences (the most glaring being a QB taking a snap face-on), the facemasks used are modern, multi-bar cage-type, and some of the players have Air helmets, not invented yet. (01:26:40)
Factual error: In the scene where Rudy is in the stands watching a game, the scoreboard shows the opponent as Penn State University. Penn State did not play a game in Notre Dame Stadium until 1982. (01:27:35)
Continuity mistake: When the team captain comes in to talk to the coach about giving up his spot for Rudy so Rudy could dress, the coach has a clock/pen and pencil set at the front of his desk. However, when the captain and all the other players lay their jerseys on the desk, the pen and pencil set is gone. (01:33:30)
Continuity mistake: When the players start coming in to hand in their jerseys, you see a few of them come in from the front view. Watch the numbers of the jerseys - as it switches views the numbers start to repeat. (01:34:05)
Continuity mistake: In the scene that takes place right before the big game with Georgia Tech (the game Rudy plays in), the stadium shows the Penn State Blue Band on the field playing the Penn State fight song. The game then starts and Notre Dame is playing Georgia tech. (01:39:20 - 01:41:00)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where #75 starts chanting "Rudy" on the sideline, the next scene shows him out on the field blocking. Then, the very next scene he is chanting "Rudy" on the sidelines again. (01:44:00)
Continuity mistake: When Rudy goes to speak Coach Ara to beg him to play the only blemish on his face was a cut above his right eye. But that night when Rudy calls home the cut is now above his left eye.
Continuity mistake: When Notre Dame are huddling up on the field right before their final game, Coach Devine is giving his pep talk with his back facing Rudy. The very next shot, he's done a complete 180 and is now facing Rudy.
Revealing mistake: Just before the start of the final game which is supposed to be in December we see several shots of the parking lot where it is snowing cold and obviously winter, but yet just before the game starts the camera shows a wide shot of the stadium where you can see rows and rows of lush green trees in the background.
Factual error: When Rudy is reading his acceptance letter from Notre Dame, he quotes that he was accepted as a freshman. Earlier in the film, he said to Father Cavanaugh that this was his last chance, because Notre Dame doesn't accept senior transfers. The acceptance letter should have listed him as a junior transfer student.
Factual error: When Rudy uses the public phone in the hallway, it is a touch tone, not a dial. Touch tone phones weren't in use at that place and time.
Suggested correction: Touch-tone phones were introduced in 1963, a decade before the movie is set. Also, the time stamp is wrong. It shows four hours. The movie is less than two hours long.
Other mistake: Rudy continually checks the roster to see if he made the dress list. The captain of the team is Roland Steele; the first one to visit the coach about giving up his jersey for Rudy. Every time Rudy looks at the list he scans past the last names for "S" where you should see Steele, Roland. Steele doesn't appear on the dress list yet he dresses every game. Stock, J. (Capt.) appears on the list, so Steele should too.
Factual error: When the players make the turn to go out on the field they slap the "Play like a Champion Today" sign, which wasn't installed until Lou Holtz got there in 1986.
Continuity mistake: In the bar scene when Frank turns around and pushes Pete, you can see Rudy's dad get out of his bar chair in the background. Two shots later he is seated and then gets out of his chair again.
