The 2019 LSU Football season starts THIS month, and while we have fall camp to get us through the next few weeks without an actual LSU game, I decided to do a little “research” on some of the greatest football movies and shows you can watch to help pass the time.
Thanks to a little help from some of my “internet friends”, I’ve put together the following list in no particular order covering all ranges of football from high school to college and the NFL to help get you get ready for the upcoming season!
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS | Not only is this one of the greatest football shows, but it is also one of the greatest TV shows of all time. There’s a love triangle between QB1, the head cheerleader and the town bad boy (#TeamTimRiggins). It shows Texas high school football at its finest, ultimate #couplegoals between Coach Eric Taylor and his wife, Tami Taylor, plus so many other classic characters and story lines. #TexasForever
RUDY | This is a heartwarming story of working as hard as you can for a goal and ultimately achieving it after a life of trials and tribulations. Spoiler Alert: The good guy wins. If you don’t shed a tear when Rudy finally takes the field, are you even human? And, I don’t care if he was offsides.
REMEMBER THE TITANS| Any movie that includes Denzel Washington, football and a fabulous soundtrack is sure to be a hit, and this movie is the perfect football film. It tackles (no pun intended) integration in football and celebrates the friendships, family and community that comes from the sport.
THE BLIND SIDE | Who doesn’t want to be a BOSS southern mother like Lea Anne Tuohy? I especially like this movie, because it is based on a true story and dives into a lot of particulars surrounding college football, like recruiting. (Coach O even makes a cameo as himself when he was the head coach at Ole Miss!)
VARSITY BLUES | “I don’t want your life” is such an iconic 90’s movie line. This movie shares another depiction of Texas High School football, which probably gets me in my feelings since I grew up there and that’s why I like it despite what Rotten Tomatoes says.
EVERYBODY’S ALL-AMERICAN | This movie is filmed on LSU’s campus with shots inside Tiger Stadium and also has a brief cameo from LSU Director of Football Operations Sam Nader.
LITTLE GIANTS | The “Annexation of Puerto Rico” and Becky “Icebox” O’Shea and are pee-wee classics that stem from a team of misfits who challenge the top team in the county. This movie is totally “kid-approved”.
THE WATERBOY | It might not be a 100% accurate portrayal of football in South Louisiana, but it is sure to make you laugh like most Adam Sandler films.
WE ARE MARSHALL | Most sports movies elicit strong emotions, but this one really hits your heart since it is based on a true story. In 1970, 37 Marshall football players and multiple staff members died in a plane accident, and the film chronicles the rebuilding of the team, university and community.
LAST CHANCE U | This docuseries gives good insight into a big part of college football that most people don’t really understand – Junior College (JUCO) football programs. I think the first season is the best and I am partial to any other season set at East Mississippi Community College.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: THE LONGEST YARD | ANY GIVEN SUNDAY | DRAFT DAY
If you have any others that you feel should be on this list, drop me a comment to let me know! I have two more Sundays off this month during fall camp, so I will probably watch a few of these football flicks myself.
