25 Football Films to Love (Even if You Don't Love Football)13 of 25
Knute Rockne All American (1940)
Legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne's sideline successes secured him football immortality, but this 1940 film starring a future President of the United States helped to make him a household name many decades later. The biographical film, which follows the career trajectory of the coach (Pat O'Brien), explains how a Norwegian immigrant landed one of the most prominent coaching perches in the country and helped develop the game through innovations like the forward pass. It also tells the story of one of his most prized players, George Gipp, portrayed memorably by Ronald Reagan, who from his sick bed exhorts his teammates "to win just one for the Gipper." It was an indelible movie line that would ultimately find new life as a presidential soundbite.
Legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne's sideline successes secured him football immortality, but this 1940 film starring a future President of the United States helped to make him a household name many decades later. The biographical film, which follows the career trajectory of the coach (Pat O'Brien), explains how a Norwegian immigrant landed one of the most prominent coaching perches in the country and helped develop the game through innovations like the forward pass. It also tells the story of one of his most prized players, George Gipp, portrayed memorably by Ronald Reagan, who from his sick bed exhorts his teammates "to win just one for the Gipper." It was an indelible movie line that would ultimately find new life as a presidential soundbite.
PeopleRonald Reagan, Pat O'Brien
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