Mansion built by famed football walk-on lists for $7M

An Anthem Country Club home built by former Notre Dame football walk-on Daniel Ruettiger, whose life story inspired the movie “Rudy,” has hit the market for $7 million.

Ruettiger, a motivational speaker, built the Tuscan-style home in 2002 and sold it in 2010 for $1.8 million, and it was acquired in 2017 by Scott Canarelli for $2.6 million, according to Clark County property records.

Ruettiger currently owns a 2,500-square-foot, two-bedroom home in Cadence, a master-planned community in east Henderson that he bought in 2021 for $555,583.

Canarelli, who relocated to Florida, is the son of Larry Canarelli, the former owner of American West Homes.

Built in a gated enclave Highland Peak of guard-gated Anthem Country Club, the main house measures about 8,000 square feet and has a one-story guest home of more than 2,000 square feet. It is adjacent to the courtyard as part of a 1.13-acre estate on a double-corner lot. Combined, the two homes measure 10,414 square feet.

Listing agent Ann Mabeus of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services calls it a “multigenerational work-from-home paradise” with a resort-style backyard. There is a pool and spa with an outdoor kitchen, junior-size full-court basketball court, batting cage, in-ground trampoline and lighted 10,000 square feet of turf to play soccer or football.

“The backyard is going to sell the house,” Mabeus said. The size of the property in excess of 1 acre is rare for Anthem Country Club because it’s built on two lots, she said.

“The security and privacy is great because it’s conveniently located in Anthem Country Club, and there’s only one home that can see into the backyard — and only the basketball court. It’s triple gated with the guard gate, neighborhood gate and private security gate.”

The two-story main home has six bedrooms, seven baths, theater and gym and offers an entire wing of five custom offices that can easily be renovated to offer extra bedrooms, Mabeus said. Ruettiger used the home offices for his motivational speaking company.

The guest house has two bedrooms, two full baths and a powder room.

There’s room for a seven-car garage between the two homes — three in the guest house and four in the main house.

Mabeus, whose ex-husband, Chris, is a former Major League Baseball pitcher, said she sees the buyer as potentially an athlete with a family because of the expansive room in homes and sports activities on the site.

“There’s soccer, basketball and baseball and lots of room to play,” Mabeus said. “With the work-from-home paradigm and the whole wing of offices, not every home can offer that. You can shut it off from the rest of the house and have an exterior entrance or turn it into bedrooms.”

The home has 25-feet ceilings with its Tuscan look and feel and has its own set of features inspired by Ruettiger, Mabeus said. There are cherubs and angels throughout the home on the walls. There are five fireplaces.

“The other neat thing is when you walk around in each bathroom, he has his motivational speaking quotes hand-painted in the bathrooms in the sink,” Mabeus said.

The home, which has an elevator, has a lot of hidden rooms that make it unique, Mabeus said.

“When you open what you think is a closet, there’s an elevator, and no one would think that,” Mabeus said.

The first floor has 4,616 square feet, and the second floor measures 3,228 square feet. The garage measures 1,055 square feet.

Anthem Country Club

The listing is the fourth-highest in Anthem Country Club. The highest is for $10 million and is listed by Ivan Sher with IS Luxury. The two-story home on Club Vista Drive measures 9,655 square feet with seven bedrooms and eight baths. It sits on a 1.2-acre lot above the Anthem Country Club golf course.

It has vaulted ceilings, a spiraling staircase and custom cherry and travertine finishes. Outside, the covered patios with outdoor kitchen and dining areas lead to the custom-tiled pool deck and disappearing-edge pool with views of the entire Las Vegas Valley.

The detached guest casita home, with 1,477 square feet, includes a great room, two bedrooms, two baths and its own laundry room and garage. It is owned by Fred Nassiri, CEO of Nassiri Music.

The second-highest listing is on Yorkridge Court for $9.95 million, It’s listed by Kristen Routh-Silberman with Douglas Elliman.

The two-story home built in 2007 measures 10,650 square feet with six bedrooms and eight baths. It was remodeled in 2022. It sits on 0.42 acres. It has a movie theater, glass office, bar and gym. There’s a pool, spa and skydeck with 360-degree views.

The third-highest listing is on Anthem Pointe Court for $8.4 million. It measures 14,703 square feet with seven bedrooms and 11½ baths.

The two-story home built in 2008 for entertaining sits on 0.54 acres and has been updated several times between 2019 and 2021.

It has a 22-foot-high entrance foyer, wine bar and floating glass staircase. All seven bedrooms have private baths and access to the backyard or balcony. There’s an infinity-edge pool, pool house and covered grill and fireplace. The home has an eight-seat theater and full catering kitchen in addition to the custom kitchen. There’s an office with an adjoining lounge and a fitness center.

Covered patios and balconies have ceiling heaters and misters and a rooftop entertainment deck offers 360-degree views of the Strip and mountains. There’s an eight-car garage.

Sandra Zanella of Realty One Group is the listing agent.