Whether or not you're a fan of the sport, these movies about the sport of football show surprising depth and pack an emotional punch. So 'rush' right out and score one of these fine films.
1. 'Remember the Titans'
Based on the true story of Coach Herman Boone, Denzel Washington gives an amazing performance as the coach who forced integration on his football team only to have the team discover that friendship and loyalty are colorblind.
2. 'Brian's Song'
(1971 version, not the 2001 remake) This is one tearjerker you'll remember years (if not decades) after viewing. Another football movie based on true events, James Caan (Brian Piccolo) and Billy Dee Williams (Gale Sayers) star as teammates who overcome obstacles to become best friends. When Piccolo's diagnosed with cancer, the two find strength and courage in each other.
3. 'The Blind Side'
This inspirational true story of a homeless teenager who is taken in by a wealthy family who open up their hearts and their homes earned Sandra Bullock her first Academy Award.
4. 'Rudy'
Before Sean Astin was a hobbit, he starred in the true story of 'the little guy who could.' Desperate to play for Notre Dame, Rudy triumphs over his own small stature, low academic scores, and poor athletic skills to make his dream come true.
5. 'Jerry Maguire'
Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger star in this movie that spawned two catch phrases still uttered today: "You had me at hello" and "Show me the money!"
6. 'The Longest Yard' (1974)
Burt Reynolds turns in one of his finest performances in this 1974 comedy/drama. Reynolds plays a former pro football player who lands in a prison lorded over by a sadistic warden. Directed by Robert Aldrich, this football film was nominated for four Golden Globes and an Oscar.
7. 'Friday Night Lights'
Director Peter Berg took his cousin's best-selling novel, Friday Night Lights, and adapted it for the screen, bringing his own style and voice to the football film. Like the book, the resulting film doesn't paint the prettiest picture of a small Texas town, but it does provide a brutally realistic look at the Permian Panthers football program back in the late '80s.
8. 'The Express'
Rob Brown does an incredible job of portraying the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy award in The Express, also starring Dennis Quaid and Omar Benson Miller. Running back Ernie Davis broke the color barrier, earning a spot in college football history at a difficult time in American history.
9. 'Invincible'
Mark Wahlberg stars in this true story based on the incredible tale of Vince Papale, a real Cinderella story if ever there was one. Papale was a part time bartender who loved football yet never dared to dream of playing in the NFL. But when Dick Vermeil took over as head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, he opened up tryouts to anybody and everybody. Papale was talked into giving it a try and the rest, as they say, is history.
10. 'We Are Marshall'
We Are Marshall is the moving story of how Marshall University, its students, teachers, and members of the community were able to fight back after a horrible plane crash took the lives of their football team and supporters on November 14, 1970.
