Review of Coach of the Year (1980) by Anthony P — 09 Nov 2004

I was doing through the $1 DVD bin and saw a football movie so I bought it! This 1980 made for TV movie is about a former Chicago Bears player named Jim Branden (played by Robert Conrad) player who was paralyzed in the Vietnam War and now wants to coach.

The Bears won't give him a coaching job so he ends up coaching a team at a juvenille correctional school, where his nephew resides. The kids there have horrible attitudes at first and lose their first game, which is against an exquisite private school.

But Branden eventually wins the respect of his players, who unify around him and work hard to win the rematch. I find the movie to be a little too predictable down the stretch but it's a decent light drama and worth the dollar.

As a nice bonus, Mike Post contributes some good music.