Coach of the Year (film)
Coach of the Year | |
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Directed by | Don Medford |
Starring | Robert Conrad Erin Gray |
Music by | Pete Carpenter Mike Post |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | John Ashley |
Cinematography | Paul Vombrack |
Budget | $1 million[1] |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | December 20, 1980 |
Coach of the Year is a 1980 American TV film about a paraplegic coach, starring Robert Conrad, Erin Gray, Red West and Daphne Reid.[2][3] It aired on December 20, 1980 on NBC.
Plot
Jim Brandon, a former player for the Chicago Bears, is a returning veteran who has been paralyzed in the Vietnam War. Upon his return to his home town, he tries to get a job as a football coach, but does not get it. He comes up with the idea of becoming the football coach at the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles after a visit there. Coach Brandon tries to become accepted by the young delinquents at the prison, while coaching them to succeed on the football field.
Cast
- Robert Conrad as Jim Brandon
- Erin Gray as Paula DeFalco
- Red West as Superintendent Turner
- Daphne Reid as Merissa Lane
- David Raynr as Munroe Sweetlife Johnson
- Ricky Paull Goldin as Andy DeFalco
- Alex Paez as Hector Estrada
- Richard Marx as himself (credited as Richard Marks)
Production
The movie was filmed in Batavia, Illinois, including a scene in Dick's Townhouse Tavern, and St. Charles, Illinois, including scenes at the Illinois Youth Center.
It was produced by John Ashley, a former actor who was an old friend of Conrad's.[4]
See also
References
- ^ Lamont, John (1990). "The John Ashley Filmography". Trash Compactor (Volume 2 No. 5 ed.). p. 27.
- ^ Marill, Alvin H. (2009). Sports on Television. Praeger. ISBN 978-0313351051.
- ^ Lamont, John (1992). "The John Ashley Interview Part 2". Trash Compactor (Volume 2 No. 6 ed.).
- ^ Vagg, Stephen (December 6, 2019). "A Hell of a Life: The Nine Lives of John Ashley". Diabolique Magazine.
External links
- 1980 films
- 1980 television films
- 1980 drama films
- Films about people with paraplegia or tetraplegia
- Films about disability in the United States
- Films directed by Don Medford
- Films about sportspeople
- American football films
- Films set in Illinois
- American drama television films
- 1980s American films
- American drama television film stubs