Former Roommates Kyle Rudolph and Harrison Smith Once Got KO’d in the Same Game

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Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Vikings look to improve their record with a win on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Harrison Smith is still a focal part of the defense, despite this likely being his final season. Although former teammate Kyle Rudolph is no longer playing, the pair have plenty of stories dating back to their time together at Notre Dame.

That’s right, some forget that before Smith and Rudolph spent nine years in the same Vikings locker room, they were at the iconic Notre Dame University together from 2008 — when they both arrived on campus together as freshman — until Rudolph declared for the draft, after the 2010 season (Smith stayed one more year).

Minnesota Vikings stars Kyle Rudolph and Harrison Smith didn’t need this connection

That’s why the two would room together early in their Vikings careers… even when they were home. Kyle Rudolph has now been retired for two season, but he remains plenty connected to Minnesota, and the Vikings.

On a recent appearance on Barstool’s Pardon My Take podcast, Rudolph was asked about the hardest he had ever been hit on the football field. It was delivered by Lance Briggs, of the Chicago Bears. Apparently, the ball wasn’t even thrown his way. Briggs lit him up anyway.

“Lance Briggs in Chicago. It was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we were playing in Chicago, noon kickoff. I was running like a crossing route. I didn’t get the ball, and he came down and just like smoked me. Probably would be a penalty today. I was like sitting on the ground and it was kinda like one of those things I was collecting my thoughts. Didn’t really hit me right away. I was like, okay he hit me pretty good. Go back to the huddle, the next play was fourth and goal.

We ended up turning it over on downs. Went to the sideline. I think the Bears went three and out, they punted it back to us, and then like, we went three and out on the next drive we got the ball back. It was autopilot. I was out there, I was in the huddle, where I was supposed to be, I ran the route that I was supposed to run. No clue, no clue, no recollection. Come to the sideline and like one of the practice squad tight ends tossed me a beanie. ‘Bro, what’s this for?” It’s your hat. ‘What do I need a hat for?’ They were like, should our head trainer, they were like, you should talk to Rudy.”

Kyle Rudolph on the hardest hit he ever took (Pardon My Take)

Rudolph says he was knocked out cold. He went even went on to say that he couldn’t even remember who the Vikings were playing, and that he believed it was October (in case you forgot, Thanksgiving is in November). Here’s the play from November 25, 2012.

It doesn’t look as violent as Rudolph describes but you can see he was shook. This was Kyle’s second year in the NFL. He was targeted 9 times that day by Christian Ponder. The then 23-year-old caught five of them for 55 yards and a touchdown. Adrian Peterson ran the ball 18 times for 108 yards in a Vikings loss.

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That wasn’t going to bode well for him staying in the game. After failing his iPad test, the Vikings team doctor asked if Rudolph had anyone that could watch over him that evening. He quickly offered that teammate Harrison Smith was his roommate.

“I’m like yeah, live with Harrison Smith. They’re like, he’s on the table over there. Knocked himself out in the first quarter. They were like, well, do both of you have someone that can take care of you? My now wife, Jordan, we were like, she’ll take care of us. It was funny because they told her. Typical don’t watch TV, make sure you wake em up throughout the course of the night. We got back and were watching Sunday Night Football in a dark room. Exactly what you’re not supposed to do. Don’t you dare wake us up. Like, if we’re sleeping, don’t wake us up.”

Kyle Rudolph explaining Harrison Smith also was knocked out in the same game (Pardon My Take)

Obviously concussion protocols are substantially different at this point. Rudolph did try to get himself back in the game after he quickly jogged his memory due to a Notre Dame win over USC. That wasn’t going to be enough to get him back out there though. Although there isn’t immediate video of the Briggs hit, X (formerly Twitter) takes last forever.

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It’s unfortunate that’s a hit Rudolph needed to endure. It was bad enough he has always remembered it, and I’d guess Smith knows the story well also. Here’s to hoping for a clean bill of health regarding the Minnesota safety following action on Sunday.

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