Movie Mom's 12 Great Movie Coaches

The 12 Best Movie Coaches

By Nell Minow

Movie coaches, most of them real-life characters, have provided some of the most memorable moments in film history, inspiring us in the audience as they inspire their athletes on screen—teaching them that the game or event isn't about scoring or medals or applause; it is about courage, determination, loyalty, and knowing you have given your entire heart to something. And, in our own private, faint-hearted moments, we often think back on those "Win one for the Gipper" speeches for our own sense of meaning, purpose, and confidence. When you feel as though you can use a pep talk, these coaches are always available on DVD.

Nell Minow writes the Movie Mom blog on Beliefnet.

Knute Rockne of 'Knute Rockne All American'

The legendary Notre Dame coach was an innovator who changed the game of football by popularizing the forward pass and set many records including five undefeated seasons. Pat O'Brien plays Rockne in this film, and Ronald Reagan is the player whose death inspired the most famous locker room speech in history.

Quote: "I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years -- None of you ever knew George Gipp. It was long before your time. But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame...And the last thing he said to me -- "Rock," he said -- "sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper."

Click here to purchase 'Knute Rockne All American'

Herman Boone and Bill Yoast of 'Remember the Titans'

When an Alexandria, Virginia school was integrated for the first time, it wasn't just the teammates who had to learn to work together. Coach Boone (Denzel Washington) and Coach Yoast (Will Patton) had to become a team as well. "Remember the Titans" is the true story of their first team and its undefeated season. If you plan to watch, bring a handkerchief. Maybe two.

Quote: "In Greek mythology, the Titans were greater even than the gods. They ruled their universe with absolute power. Well that football field out there, that's our universe. Let's rule it like Titans."

Click here to purchase 'Remember the Titans'

Ken Carter of 'Coach Carter'

The great thing about Coach Carter is that after he turns his rag-tag players into a disciplined, winning team, he benches them. Samuel L. Jackson plays real-life coach Ken Carter, who benched the team and locked the gym to insist that his team members could not play unless they did their schoolwork and got good grades.

Quote: "You really need to consider the message you're sending this boys by ending the lockout. It's the same message that we as a culture send to our professional athletes; and that is that they are above the law. If these boys cannot honor the simple rules of a basketball contract, how long do you think it will be before they're out there breaking the law?"

Click here to purchase 'Coach Carter'

Don Haskins of 'Glory Road'

Josh Lucas plays real-life coach Texas Western Don Haskins, who coached the first NCAA basketball team with an all-black starting line-up in 1966. Haskins did not intend to be a civil rights pioneer. He just wanted the best players he could find. And in that era, there were plenty of black basketball players who were not getting offers from anyone else. So Haskins put together a team with a lot of talent and a lot of passion for the game, and then he showed them how to be better players and an even better team than they had ever imagined.

Quote: "Your dignity's inside you. Nobody can take something away from you you don't give them."

Click here to purchase 'Glory Road'

Herb Brooks of 'Miracle'

No one thought the American hockey players had a chance against the Soviet team in the 1980 Olympics. The Americans were amateurs from different teams. The Soviets were the world champions. The David and Goliath game that resulted--and from then on called "The Miracle on Ice"--was voted the number one international game in hockey history on the 100th anniversary of the game. The American team beat the Soviets because they had coach Herb Brooks, played by Kurt Russell. Brooks said he won because he picked "not the best players but the right players."

And don't miss the documentary: "Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team"

Quote: "Great moments... are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here, tonight, boys. That's what you've earned here tonight. One game. If we played 'em ten times, they might win nine. But not this game. Not tonight."

Click here to purchase 'Miracle' or here to purchase the documentary 'Do You Believe in Miracles? The Story of the 1980 U.S. Hockey Team'