America's obsession with the sport of football and Hollywood's penchant for cultivating inspiring or illuminating stories based on actual events have led to the creation of a special type of sports movie. Audiences have pretty much always cared about the plight and performance of the player on the big screen, but ever since the release of Knute Rocke, All American back in 1940, the coach has become an archetypal staple of the based-on-a-true-story football movie.
From the high school coach looking to inspire a group of talented kids to the legendary NFL coach fighting for his spot in sports history, there have been countless football flicks that have portrayed real stories based on real coaches. And, of course, there have been countless talented actors who have lent their star power to the creation of these stories. With that in mind, here are 12 actors who have played real-life football coaches in movies.
Billy Bob Thornton as Gary Gaines - Friday Night Lights (2004)
Buzz Bissinger's non-fiction book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream followed the Permian High School Panthers football team from Odessa, Texas, as they made their state championship run in 1988. The book spawned the critically acclaimed 2004 movie Friday Night Lights, in which Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton played Permian coach Gary Gaines. His rallying halftime speech towards the end of the film is wildly considered to be one of the best sports movie speeches of all time.
The real-life Gaines was a Texan through and through. He was born there, he died there (having passed away in 2022 at the age of 73), and he coached there for more than half his life. While Gaines saw his greatest success as the Permian head coach (he left the school following the 1989 championship win with an overall record of 46-7-1), his 40-year career spanned eight high schools and two colleges.
Denzel Washington as Herman Boone - Remember the Titans (2000)
Remember the Titans is based on the true story of the racially integrated T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia. Starring Denzel Washington as head coach Herman Boone, the 2000 film's action-packed football scenes, inspired performances, and incredibly catchy Motown soundtrack made it one of the highest-grossing football movies ever.
Prior to his tenure at T.C. Williams, which has since been renamed Alexandria City High School, Boone amassed a stellar head coaching record at E.J. Hayes High School in Williamston, North Carolina, winning 99 games and losing only eight. Still, Boone was essentially forced to resign in 1969 after the Williamston school board informed him that the town "was not ready for a black head coach." From there, Boone moved to T.C. Williams, and amassed an overall record of 62-21-2 in eight seasons with the team.
Matthew McConaughey as Jack Lengyel - We Are Marshall (2006)
We Are Marshall is a feel-good film that showcases the healing power of heart and determination in the midst of unspeakable tragedy. The 2006 biographical sports drama chronicles the rebuilding journey of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team in the wake of the 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of 75 passengers, including 37 Marshall players and five coaches. Matthew McConaughey shines as Jack Lengyel, the Akron, Ohio-born coach who was brought in to replace Rick Tolley after his tragic death.
Despite winning only nine games out of 42 during his time at Marshall, Lengyel's story is one of resourceful resilience, as he recruited basketball and baseball players from the school and accepted a number of walk-ons during the rebuilding process. Following his three-year tenure at Marshall, Lengyel spent nearly 30 years as an administrator, working for such schools as Louisville, Missouri, and Colorado.
Pat O’Brien as Knute Rockne - Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
Knute Rockne, All American may be most memorable for young Ronald Reagan's deathbed "Win One for the Gipper" speech, but the 1940 film actually tells the incredible true story of legendary Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coach Knute Rocke. Recreating Rockne's journey from player to chemistry teacher to innovative coach, the movie also features a number of cameo appearances from actual football legends of the era, including Howard Jones and Glenn "Pop" Warner.
Pat O'Brien, whose Hollywood career spanned nearly 50 years, starred as the titular Rockne. Sadly, Rockne himself did not have a lengthy career, as he died in a 1931 plane crash at the age of 43. Still, in his short time as a coach, he garnered 100 wins and three national championships and is considered to be one of the greatest coaches in college football history.
Jason Miller as Ara Parseghian - Rudy
Rudy tells the true, against-all-odds story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who ultimately fulfills his dream of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. Interestingly enough, the 1993 sports movie shares a legacy with Knute Rockne, All American, as it was the first film that the Notre Dame administration allowed to be shot on campus since the Rockne biopic more than 50 years prior.
Starring Sean Astin in the titular role, Rudy takes place in the early '70s during the tenure of two Notre Dame coaches: Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine. The legendary Parseghian, who won two national titles as the Fighting Irish coach, played a role, albeit a somewhat minor one, in Rudy's collegiate journey.
Played by The Exorcist actor Jason Miller, Parseghian agrees to let Rudy suit up for one game during a pivotal meeting between the two in the movie. But, Parseghian retires soon after, and Rudy is forced to plead his case to the more-reluctant Devine (played by Chelcie Ross). Devine eventually relents and gives Rudy a chance to play, leading to his sack during the Georgia Tech game and his triumphant exit on his teammates' shoulders.
Harry Belafonte as Eddie Robinson - Grambling's White Tiger (1981)
In 1962, Jim Gregory became the first white quarterback of the Grambling Tigers football team at the Lousiana-based historically black college. The 1981 TV movie Grambling's White Tiger covers Gregory's freshman year at Grambling, and features Caitlyn Jenner (credited as Bruce Jenner) as Gregory and Harry Belafonte as Coach Eddie Robinson.
Robinson served as the head coach at Grambling for 56 years, from 1941 to 1942 and again from 1945 to 1997. He retired in 1997 with a record of 408–165–15, making him the third-winningest coach in college football history. That same year, Robinson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Gary Busey as Bear Bryant - The Bear (1984)
Paul William Bryant is pretty much synonymous with Alabama football, as the man most popularly known as "Bear" amassed six national championships during his 25 years with the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately, The Bear, a 1984 biopic starring Gary Busey as Bryant, was not well received by the Alabama faithful.
The Bear was such a failure, both critically and financially, that Busey actually apologized for his role in the film.
"I was in over my head," Busey said in a 1992 Associated Press story. "I'd like to make amends for the failure of the film to be what coach Bryant was in real life. I wasn't able to surrender to the role. I was very much afraid of the responsibility that came with playing a man like Bear Bryant. I was worried about what the people of Alabama would think."
Tom Berenger as Bear Bryant - The Junction Boys (2002)
Given Bear Bryant's status as one of the best coaches in college football history, it's no surprise that he's been played more than once on the big screen. While The Bear tackles Bryant's time at Alabama, the made-for-TV movie The Junction Boys, which aired on ESPN in 2002, tells the story of Bryant's first summer as the head coach of Texas A&M.
Starring Tom Berenger as Bryant, the film focuses on a 10-day training camp in the grueling Texas heat, the survivors of which were given the name the "Junction Boys." Both in the film and in real life, Bryant's tough tactics didn't pan out, as the Aggies went 1-9 in his first season in 1954. Bryant eventually left the team in 1957 for Alabama, where, for a quarter-century, he would cement his legacy as a coaching great.
Greg Kinnear as Dick Vermeil - Invincible (2006)
Dick Vermeil won more than 100 games and a Super Bowl during his time in the NFL, but in 1976, he was just a rookie coach who decided to give a down-on-his-luck Philadelphia native a shot in the big leagues. In the 2006 movie Invincible, Mark Wahlberg plays Vince Papale, a part-time bartender who successfully walks on to the Philadelphia Eagles, while Greg Kinnear turns in a convincing performance as Vermeil.
As is the case with most sports movies, Invincible takes a few liberties with Papale's story, particularly the scene where Vermeil ends up offering Papale the job of his life. In the movie, Papale makes the team during open tryouts, while in reality, Vermeil invited Papale to a workout and then a tryout after watching film of him playing semi-professional ball. Vermeil's eye for spotting and utilizing talent served him well in his early career, as he helped turn around the struggling Eagles during his six years with the team.
Kevin James as Sean Payton - Home Team (2022)
Back in 2012, former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton found himself at the center of one of the biggest controversies in NFL history. "Bountygate," as it became colloquially known, referenced an illicit bounty program run from 2009-2012 in which coaches offered players bonuses for injuring players on opposing teams. Payton's failure to prevent the illegal dealings resulted in his 2012 suspension, during which time he coached his 12-year-old son's youth football team. This short coaching stint was comedically covered in the 2022 Netflix movie Home Team.
Starring Kevin James as Payton, the Adam Sandler-produced comedy wasn't well-received by critics. As for Payton's reaction to the film, he was somewhat amused with the premise, though in a 2023 interview, he said that "60% of that movie is fairly true."
Ernest Borgnine as Vince Lombardi - Legend in Granite (1973)
In 1973, Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine donned Vince Lombardi's signature fedora and glasses for the 48-minute TV movie Legend in Granite. While it's probably not topping any best football movie lists, the film offers a brief look at Lombardi's career, from an assistant coach on the Fordham University football team to his prolific stint with the Green Bay Packers.
Lombardi's immense impact on the sport (he won two Super Bowls and an additional three NFL championships in the pre-SB era) has made him a pop culture icon. In fact, he was the subject of the 2010 Broadway play Lombardi, which featured Wonder Years star Dan Lauria in the title role.
Al Pacino as Joe Paterno - Paterno (2018)
Joe Paterno won 409 games during his 45 years as the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, becoming the winningest coach in NCAA FBS history. Yet, the HBO television drama Paterno is not a glamorous look at the late college coach.
Al Pacino portrayed Paterno in the 2018 film that centers around Paterno grappling with his tarnished legacy during the height of coverage surrounding the Penn State child sex abuse scandal in 2011. Former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky would go on to receive a lengthy prison sentence in 2012 for his serial sexual abuse of young boys from 1992 to 2009, while Paterno, who passed away from lung cancer in 2012, would receive widespread scrutiny for his role in covering up the longtime abuse.