Top Ten Football Movies of All-Time

The calendar has changed from August to September and summer will soon turn to fall. Football season has arrived. Well in celebration of football let’s take a look at the best football movies of all time or at least my opinion of the greatest football movies. This list only includes movies that were released in the theaters, so Brian’s Song is not included. Here is my list in no particular order.

1) Remember the Titans (2000) Starring Denzel Washington. Based on a true story Denzel Washington plays Coach Herman Boone, the newly appointed African American Coach of a newly integrated Virginia High School in 1971. Coach Boone unifies the team, which becomes a unifying symbol for the community that at first has a tough time with integration. Very inspirational movie.

2) The Longest Yard (1974) Starring Burt Reynolds. Burt Reynolds plays a disgraced ex-football player turned convict who is asked by the warden to put together a team of prisoners to play the guards. His dilemma is deciding to throw the game in hopes of an early release or risk losing the respect of his fellow inmates.A very funny movie. Remade in 2004 with Adam Sandller, stick with the original.

3) Friday Night Lights (2004) Starring Billy Bob Thornton. Based on the best selling book of the same name, this movie tells the story of a West Texas town and its obsession with High School Football. It shows how the expectations of classmates, coaches, family and community members exact a toll on the players who are looked upon as gods but who are still just kids.

4) Rudy (1993) Starring Sean Astin. True story of Rudy Ruettiger who dreamed of playing football at Notre Dame even though everyone told him he couldn’t. He never gives up and perceivers and proves all his critics wrong. Very inspirational movie that proves you can do it anything if you put your mind to it.