Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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irish in the pros Kyle Rudolph Dominates In First Pro Bowl Rudolph earned Most Valuable Player honors after catching five passes for a game-high 122 yards and a touchdown in the NFC's 62-35 dismantling of the AFC. photo courtesy minnesota vikings By Wes Morgan K yle Rudolph planned to watch this year's Pro Bowl on television. Then his phone rang on Jan. 22, and he was informed that Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez wouldn't be able to suit up because of an injury. Rudolph, a second-year pro with the Minnesota Vikings and a former Notre Dame star, was asked to fill in. The short-notice trip to Hawaii turned out to be very worthwhile. Rudolph caught five passes for a game-high 122 yards and a touchdown in the all-star showcase on Jan. 27, and he earned Most Valuable Player honors after helping the NFC squad to a 62-35 dismantling of the AFC. He is just the second Notre Dame alumnus to win the award, joining former quarterback great Joe Theismann, who collected MVP hardware in 1983. "It was just an honor to be able to go there and participate in everything all week," Rudolph said in a phone interview from New Orleans, where he was in high demand on the interview circuit leading up to the Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. "To be able to play with those great players was awesome. To win MVP was icing on the cake." Rudolph, the first tight end selected in the 2011 Draft (in the second