Trio of Leaders with Unique Personalities On Field Saturday Inspire Top 10 List

Who are the greatest on-screen coaches, mentors, trainers of all time?

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Sep 27, 2023 5:57 PM EDT

In this story:

FRISCO, Texas – When Arkansas and Texas A&M hook up in Arlington Saturday morning, the field will be occupied by three of the most memorable college football coaches to ever lead a team into AT&T Stadium.

The Razorbacks' Sam Pittman and Aggies' Jimbo Fisher are a pair of highly quotable awe shucks players' coaches who would fit in wasting a day away driving back roads in a pick-up truck before shooting the breeze with the boys over a perfectly cooked steak. Both enjoy life with not a social media account among them to distract from the flood of folksy stories drawing hearty laughs at every turn.

Then there's Bobby Petrino, the feast or famine wildcatter whose put up with no bull, execute to perfection demeanor that has softened slightly with age stands him in stark contrast to Pittman and Fisher. Players don't exactly line up to fill his office shooting the breeze. However, they swallow their fear because they know he can sharpen them into statistical winning machines with his no-nonsense approach.

So, with three real larger-than-life leaders of great athletes appearing on both home television screens and the giant video board at AT&T Stadium that keeps those in the stands from being able to look at the field, it raised a question. Who are the best fictional leaders of athletes who might pop up on television screens this weekend also who could give these men a run for their money?

Honorable Mention
SEAN PORTER, "Gridiron Gang"
^{Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson}

It was hard to put this one in honorable mention. Johnson plays a powerful coach who has an unending heart for young men whom very few people would give the time of day. Porter stands strong in difficult circumstances in this movie that got its opportunity to be told following a documentary about the Kilpatrick Juvenile Detention Center in Los Angeles in the early '90s. This is the one time where Johnson simply being "The Rock" on screen works because he tapped into a different part of that persona that existed before the wrestling persona that has essentially been every character he's played since took over.

Honorable Mention
ED GENNERO / WALLY RIGGENDORF, "Necessary Roughness"
^{Hector Elizondo / Robert Loggia}

Something may feel a little familiar about the scenes from this movie to Arkansas Razorback fans. That's because it was filmed at what was then North Texas State, now known as the University of North Texas. That's the team that pretended to fair catch the punt and then ran Chad Morris' Hogs right onto the wrong side of the Sportscenter Top 10 with a touchdown return that spurred a blowout.

Ed "Straight Arrow" Gennero is the no compromising coach of integrity and dry quips as he leads what is.a thinly veiled reference to what the SMU Mustangs would have been if they had fielded a team after getting the death penalty from the NCAA. Meanwhile, Riggendorf, the defensive coordinator and only other coach because of sanctions, is a standard gruff Texas coach with a Sam Pittman sense of humor about him. The speech he gives after Gennero ends up in the hospital with what turns out to be indigestion is not only epic, it would be right at home being delivered by Bugs Bunny in an old school Looney Tunes production. Still, somehow it's fitting and doesn't take away from what the film is trying to accomplish, which is a good time poking fun at every trope college football and Texas have.

#10
HERMAN BOONE, "Necessary Roughness"
^{Denzel Washington}

Had anyone else portrayed Coach Boone, one of the honorable mentions would have been on this list. However, Washington breathed so much life into the gum abusing coach that there was no way to leave him off the list. It's unfortunate the trailer Disneyfied the character of Coach Boone to make him feel a little more cornball than he actually is in the movie.

There was an intensity and love from Boone that carried throughout the film. So much of this character reminded me of a coach we had back in Warren who was the parent to two future Razorbacks. He was tough, uncompromising and demanded much, but no one doubted he would have stepped between us and anyone who intended to harm us and dealt with it in a decisive way. That demeanor is exactly why Boone slides into the final official spot on this list.

#9
GORDON BOMBAY, "The Mighty Ducks"
^{Emilio Estevez}

The greatness of Gordon Bombay as a coach is not in his ability to make a group of kids who didn't care much about hockey become champions. His greatness is that he made me, someone who spent a year fighting cancer, yet considers the one time I had to cover a Dallas Stars game my life's low point, care about hockey for roughly two hours on three separate occasions.

Who doesn't want a coach who will hook you up with a cool equipment sponsorship, break you out of detention, take you on limo rides, quack at his boss and date your mom? OK, that last part is a little odd, but, unlike pretty much any other trainer or coach on this list, Bombay gets to evolve as a character. He's almost as hatable as the villain by design when the trilogy starts, but is allowed to grow and not be super generic throughout the process.

Estevez made such a huge on-screen impact as Bombay that Disney Plus brought him back 30 years later for a TV series.

#8
COACH NORMAN DALE, "Hoosiers"
^{Gene Hackman}

There are some people who will want Coach Dale further up this list, but he's a bit more watered down than the basketball coach who ranks higher. However, that still doesn't make the fallen college coach with a checkered past unworthy.

Dale is a no-frills defensive coach who wants to instill discipline in his team on the grounds it will pay off in the long-run. This includes no talking back and no shooting before four passes even if it means playing without a full five players on the court. Slowly, he builds loyalty with the players while the people of Hickory turn on him to the point of wanting to fire him.

If Hackman had brought just a little more fire to the character, he might have placed higher, but Coach Dale still an iconic character. His choice to bring on a player's dad if he will quit drinking to make life better for the kid and also the measurement of the basketball goal in the championships are moments that will never be forgotten in sports cinema.

#7
COACH BUD KILMER, "Varsity Blues"
^{John Voight}

Having met one of the coaches Kilmer is supposedly based upon, Voight has done a solid job of ripping both a Texas legend and about half the coaches from the '90s right out of history and onto the big screen. In a movie known as much for its bad Texas accents, quality soundtrack that bleeds the pure essence of the '90s, and a willingness to ignore basic rules in high school football, Kilmer stands out as a villain who is supposed to be hated for wanting to win championships and expecting his players to run the plays he calls.

Sure, he's a little rough on the back-ups and lets his stars get away with everything, but that's pretty much high school sports in a nut-shell from that era. The "You're the dumbest smart kid I know!" line was a fairly common back then and rather tame for the most part. The helmet grabbing was just how a coach made sure you were listening to something important.

When it all falls apart for Kilmer, it's hard not to feel for him. He's just a coach who knew how to how to put together a winner and wanted to see it done. If anything, the whiny back-up quarterback played by Dawson's Creek's James Vanderbeek is who many want to see taken down a notch despite being the supposed hero who leads a mutiny against his coach.

Kilmer's comments to the local cops could be uttered by many of the coaches running programs in various parts of Arkansas to this day.

#6
COACH KEN CARTER, "Coach Carter"
^{Samuel L. Jackson}

Jackson is at his best in this one. Carter is a coach showing tough love to a group of players in need of discipline and parents who need it even more. His back to basics approach and use of humor while relating his endless list of sisters to the plays the team runs makes him hard not to like.

He's the kind of coach helicopter parents and players looking for a way to coast would hate, but the kind of tough coach balanced with good heart mixed with a touch of stubbornness who draws loyalty from players who care about their futures.

Jackson was the perfect actor to embody one of the more memorable in a long list of basketball coaches to touch the silver screen. Plus, Carter is the perfect foil to a loaded cast, many of which were just starting in their careers hoping for a shot.

#5
MICKEY, "Rocky"
^{Burgess Meredith}

Mickey is one of the most well known characters ever put on screen in a sports movie. For a time, he rivaled even Rocky until they killed him off in "Rocky III." The man was a master motivator with his words, always knowing whether to go positive or negative in the moment.

Without Meredith's portrayal, how would we know it's possible to eat thunder and crap lightning or that women weaken legs? Who would have the guts to tell a fighter he's a tomato and he's not running a soup kitchen? And who doesn't find inspiration to get up when it looks like all is lost "because Mickey love you."

The blunt honesty and true heart make him easily the greatest boxing trainer to ever be on screen.

#4
TED LASSO, "Ted Lasso"
^{Jason Sudeikis}

It is impossible to watch a single episode of Ted Lasso and not instantly begin rooting for the guy. Much like Gordon Bombay made people who hate hockey care about it for a short while, Lasso does the same for soccer.

He's a surrogate for every American who neither cares about, nor understands the most popular sport in the world. Having him be an actual football coach makes him even more perfect since he reflects the majority of the United States so well in this instance. It's his blend of ignorance of soccer and endless optimism that drag him farther up this list than any recent coach or mentor. Once he hits the screen, it's simply impossible to turn off.

#3
LOU BROWN, "Major League"
^{James Gammon}

Tire salesman turned Cleveland Indians coach Lou Brown has the perfect "What are they gonna do, fire me?" attitude coupled with a dry inspirational delivery. It's hard to not want to follow him off a cliff if that's where things ultimately are headed.

Besides, how many coaches are willing to have a cut-out made of their boss and then slowly reveal almost everything underneath with each win as inspiration to get to a championship. He's the ultimate us against the world underdog coach who rivals former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson in that respect. Did Richardson secretly have a cut-out of Frank Broyles wearing strategically placed pasties underneath velcro covers in 1994?

#2
Mr. Myagi, "Karate Kid"
^{Pat Morita}

It was borderline impossible to not love Mr. Myagi when "Karate Kid" came out in the '80s. Dads everywhere were yelling "Wax on! Wax Off!" and "Paint the Fence! Up! Down!" to their sons while avoiding endless failed crane kicks.

Myagi was a fighting Yoda back before CGI made it possible for Yoda to fight. His methods of home renovation for teaching self defense were equally as mysterious.

Everything from his passion for catching flies with chopsticks, beating up teenagers, tricking Daniel into remodeling his house and restoring his cars under the guise of training, to his views on belts and willingness to give away classic vehicles made him endlessly likable. He even gave Daniel a free vacation to Okinawa and filled in as a surrogate father.

Pat Morita's portrayal of the janitor who also happens to be a karate master is one of the best fits for a character ever. Even the great Jackie Chan couldn't fill the shoes of such an iconic on-screen mentor in the reboot.

#1
COACH ERIC TAYLOR, "Friday Night Lights"
^{Kyle Chandler}

Without question, this was the easiest decision on the list. There has never been a more real coach portrayed on the screen in any form. The performance by Chandler each week is one of the most iconic in American pop culture. It didn't matter where Coach Taylor went, he always did two things:
1) Gave epic speeches that made people want to run through walls both on screen a at home for him.
2) Led young men to championships.

On top of all of that, he knew every player on a deep level and lived a life so familiar to actual coaches and teachers. He's married to a school counselor who helps him raise a daughter as they move from school to school in a very real fashion. They deal with the small town gossip, disrespectful parents, and endless pressure while also pouring their whole hearts into the kids of Dillon.

Speaking of hearts, who hasn't watched a Coach Taylor pregame or halftime speech and spent the rest of their lives having "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" leap into their brains like an annoying pop song at the most random of times.

There are coaches and mentors on this list who went on to be a cliche. However, Coach Eric Taylor will never be anything less than an icon.