With gridiron season nearly upon us, I thought about all the football movies made over the years. If you do the research, there are a lot more than you think, going all the way back to the 1920s.
There are several great older black-and-white movies, like “Horse Feathers” with the Marx Brothers, “Knute Rockne-All American” starring future president Ronald Reagan and “Jim Thorpe-All American,” which starred Burt Lancaster.
You may agree or disagree with my list, but we all have our favorites. Here is my countdown of my top 10, from 10 to number one.
“Brian’s Song”: This was a made-for-television film about the bond between Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) of the Chicago Bears. A film about a pro football player stricken with terminal cancer, focusing on his friendship with his teammate. Piccolo and Sayers were different, coming from different racial backgrounds, which made them unlikely to become friends. But they did, becoming the first interracial roommates in the history of the National Football League. The film chronicles the evolution of their friendship, ending with Piccolo’s death in 1970.
“The Longest Yard” (the original and not the remake): This one starred Burt Reynolds, who plays a former pro player who ends up as a convict on a prison football team. His team of prisoners goes up against a tough team of prison guards and against an evil warden. The film follows former NFL player Paul Crewe recruiting a group of cons and convincing them to play football against their guards. It featured many real-life football players, including Ray Nitschke of the Green Bay Packers.
“Heaven Can Wait”: A remake of Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but with football as the backdrop instead of boxing, and Warren Beatty as the owner-quarterback of the Rams. The 1978 production is a sports fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Beatty and Buck Henry about Joe Pendleton, a young man (played by Beatty) mistakenly taken to heaven by his guardian angel, and the complications involved in undoing the mistake after his earthly body has been cremated. It was nominated for several Academy Awards.
“All The Right Moves”: This is about a Pennsylvania high school football player (Tom Cruise) and his combative relationship with his head coach (Craig T. Nelson) that may derail his plans to get a college football scholarship. Stef Djordjevic is a Serbian American high school defensive back who is gifted athletically and a “B” student academically. He is seeking a college football scholarship to escape the economically depressed small Western Pennsylvania town of Ampipe and a dead-end job and life working at the mill, just like his grandfather, father, and his brother Greg. He dreams of becoming an electrical engineer after he graduates from college. It was partially filmed in Weirton, West Virginia.
“Everybody’s All American”: Dennis Quaid stars in the adaptation of Frank Deford’s football novel. When a movie is based on a good book by a great writer, it can’t go wrong. The film covers 25 years in the life of college and pro football hero Gavin Grey. It stars Dennis Quaid, Jessica Lange, Timothy Hutton and John Goodman. Gavin Grey was a 1950s star athlete known by the moniker “The Grey Ghost,” who played football at LSU.
“The Blind Side”: The true story is about the high school career and recruitment of Michael Oher. It stars Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as Oher’s rich adoptive parents Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy. Bullock won an Oscar for her role. The film tells the story of Oher, a football offensive lineman who overcame an inner-city, impoverished upbringing to play in college football and then in the NFL.
“Rudy”: I have watched this one several times over the years. It is the true story of Rudy Ruettiger’s quest to enroll in and play football at Notre Dame. His character, an undersized defensive lineman with a big heart, is played by Sean Astin. Ruettiger harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles. It co-stars Ned Beatty and other young actors early in their careers, like Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.
“Friday Night Lights”: This one is also based on a true story from a book about Permian High School in Odessa, Texas and its 1988 football team, starring Billy Bob Thornton as head coach Gary Gaines. The film follows the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team as they make a run toward the state championship. It shows the passionate, but sometimes emotional side of football. Texas is one state known for its football.
“Remember The Titans”: Based on a true story about a Virginia high school coach, starring Denzel Washington. (I have watched this one several times also.) This one is loosely based on the true story of coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Washington, and his attempt to integrate the T. C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School) football team in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. Will Patton portrays Bill Yost, Boone’s assistant coach. Ryan Hurst and Wood Harris portray real-life athletes Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell. The ending is a tear-jerker.
“We Are Marshall”: The true story about Marshall’s football team following the 1970 plane crash starring Matthew McConaughey as head coach Jack Lengyel. It depicts the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed 75 people, including 37 players of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team, five coaches, two athletic trainers, the athletic director, 25 boosters, and the airplane crew of five. It also stars Matthew Fox as assistant coach William “Red” Dawson, and David Strathairn (Sid Hatfield in Matewan) as university president Donald Dedmon. Much of the movie was filmed in Huntington.
Until next time.
(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)