Ben Pryor ’16

Staff Writer

The Top Five Football Movies of All Time

Now that football season is done until next fall if you find yourself looking for your football fix on the weekends here are my top five football movies of all time that will surely satisfy your needs.

1. Rudy (1993)
Released in 1993 Rudy tells the story of Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Austin) who has the lifelong dream of playing football for the University of Notre Dame. The movie entails Ruettiger’s struggles to acquire and maintain his coveted place on the team.
I chose this movie as the No. 1 football movie of all time due to the inspiring story of a boy chasing a lifelong dream.
2. Remember the Titans (2000)
Remember the Titans, released in the year 2000 portrays how football is a way of life in Virginia during the early 1970’s. Specifically to the people of Alexandria football is celebrated as a holiday more than Christmas. Although when the school board is forced to integrate an all black school with an all white school, football tradition as the people knew it was changed forever.
The Titans came in second in this list due to the inspiring tale that portrays the hardships that are faced when two totally different communities are forced to intertwine and play the sport that they love in Remember the Titans
3. The Longest yard (2005)
The Longest Yard released in mid 2005 tells the story of Paul Crewe, (played by Adam Sandler) who is a disgraced professional quarterback ends up in jail where he runs into a manipulative warden who makes him recruit a team of inmates to have a football game against the prison guards.
I chose this as No. 3 because the dramatic story of Crewe and his team overcoming not only the bloodthirstiness of the opposition, but also the corrupt officials trying to fix the game against them.
4. Invincible (2006)
Invincible is the story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) a school teacher who has the dream of playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. When the opportunity of a lifetime presents itself Papale becomes the oldest rookie in NFL history when he is signed by the Eagles and realizes a dream. However, with his new fame comes consequence.
I chose Invincible at No. 4 because of the inspiring and dramatic story that it tells.

5. The Blind Side (2009)
The Blind Side is the sad, but inspiring story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, that has drifted in and out of the school system for years and has to deal with the struggle of other influences, due to a poor upbringing. However, Michael’s life takes an immediate turn for better when one night Leigh-Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband, Sean (Tim McGraw), take him in. The Tuohys eventually become Michael’s legal guardians, transforming both his life and theirs. Michael’s tremendous size and protective instincts make him an amazing force on the football field, and with help from his new family and devoted tutor, he realizes his potential as a student and football player.
Coming in last but certainly not least this movie shows the struggles of a boy who had true potential and realized it because of good people that saw more than just another kid from the projects in The Blind Side.