A Niagara Falls High School student is in the running for a special national recognition but he needs local voters to help put him in the finalist category for the Rudy Award, inspired by the football movie "Rudy."

The Rudy Award was created to honor high school football players who demonstrate the four C's: character, courage, commitment and contribution.

Anthony Braham was nominated because he displays all four of those qualities and his personal story tracks closely to the real Rudy's life story. But there's a special reason why Braham wants to win this award.

When a medical illness sidelined Braham for his senior year football season, he didn't desert his team. Instead he stepped into the role of waterboy and team videographer doing what he could to support his Wolverines. That's why his coach thinks he is the perfect Rudy Award candidate. "Coach Bass had nominated me for it. He told me at the beginning of the football season," said Braham.

The award was launched this year by Daniel "Rudy" Ruettinger's Foundation. He's the Notre Dame football player whose inspirational story was memorialized in the classic 1993 movie Rudy.

Award finalists get to meet Rudy himself and they receive a college scholarship. "It's a national award. You can win a scholarship of $10,000, I think it is," said Braham.

Braham is a lot like the real Rudy - he's a team player who is willing to sit on the sidelines and he's also short, just 5'2". So far, 194 players have been nominated but Braham's story is particularly special. He's not only hoping to win the Rudy Award, he's also hoping he'll get a kidney transplant.

"I'm on the list, just waiting to see what happens," said Braham.

So far he's received over 50,000 votes for his nomination. In fact, he's one of the top vote-getters on the foundation's website. "My teachers keep on re-voting so that could be it and I keep on voting for myself now," said Braham.

But there's another reason why Braham wants to win this award. It meant a lot to his mother Kathy. She died just two weeks ago. "She wanted me to win it because it would mean money for me to go to college," said Braham.

To vote for Anthony, you have to go online to: http://www.highschoolrudyawards.com/Nominees/67/Anthony_Braham.aspx
The last day for voting is this Monday, November 30th and the only way for Anthony to become a finalist is for him to snag the most votes so go online and help him out. You can vote once an hour.