Excellent Pre-Game Movies
 
Back in the day, the team used to watch a movie before each home game as part of 
the pre-game ritual. The coaches always chose the movie and the movies we watched all seemed to follow a certain pattern. I don't know what criteria the coaches used in their selections, but the movies they chose always fired up the team. 

Below is a list of what I would consider to be worthy pre-game movies. The criteria I used: 

  • Dramas are good. Romantic comedies aren't. Neither are horror movies or musicals (for obvious reasons).
  • "Feel good" movies are good candidates as long as they aren't sappy. 
  • The movies must have a happy ending. You can't take the field after a downer of a movie.
  • Absolutely no chick flicks. No way. No "Steel Magnolias" and no "Fried Green Tomatoes" - and anyone who asks for these deserves a beatdown.
  • Profound is good. Profane is not. No "Scarface" on my list.
 
All The Right Moves (1983)
Early Tom Cruise performance about high school football in Pennsylvania. I always thought this was the most realistic movie I ever saw about high school football.
Braveheart (1995)
One of my favorite movies of all time. It features Mel Gibson as William Wallace. He is armed only with crude weapons, facepaint, and a great strategy as he leads his army into battle. "They'll never take...our freedom!!"
Gladiator (2000)
Russell Crowe fights for honor and revenge against bigger and stronger foes and only succumbs after vanquishing all his enemies and restoring order to Rome.
Hoosiers (1986)
A great coach with a checkered past is given a second chance and leads his team to a seemingly unachievable goal. A good "David and Goliath" story.
The Matrix (1999)
Feel-good action flick where Keanu Reeves realizes his true calling as the "chosen one" who can lead the other humans in destroying the matrix. 
Remember The Titans (2000)
A movie about team unity in the face of adversity and a new coach struggling to gain acceptance. The football camp scenes were excellent! Based on a true story.
The Replacements (2000)
Underachievers get a second chance at the game they love and they make the most of it. This movie has some very good football scenes in it and is pretty funny.
Rocky (1976) or Rocky II (1979)
These are the ultimate underdog movies. They definitely get the blood boiling. The "never give up" and "pick yourself up off the canvas" metaphors translate well to football.
Rudy (1993)
I'm not a Notre Dame fan, but this movie is a "must see". This is another "never give up" underdog movie. The game scenes at the end are unparalleled. Also based on a true story.