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Writer's pictureJace Shoemaker-Galloway

American Football Day: Best Football Flicks


If you are a sports lover, Nov. 5 is a biggy. It’s American Football Day in the U.S.A!

26-year-old sports fan and son of an oil tycoon, Lamar Hunt, was just plain fed up! After repeated unsuccessful attempts to purchase a National Football League (NFL) franchise and bring professional football to the great state of Texas, Hunt decided to do something about it! On this day decades ago, Hunt launched a league of his own - the American Football League (AFL). And soon after, on November 22, 1959, the first AFL draft occurred.

Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972, Hunt was also the co-founder of the Major League Soccer and World Championship Tennis. While American Football Day celebrates the founding of the AFL, Hunt’s entrepreneurial spirit and his love of sports made such an impact in the world of sports. Lamar Hunt died in 2006 at the age of 74.

Best Football Films

  • Based on a true story, The Blind Side is a heartwarming 2009 film starring Academy-award winning actress Sandra Bullock, Kathy Bates and Tim McGraw.

  • Brian’s Song, the 1971 film based on true events, stars James Caan, Billy Dee Williams and Jack Warden, is a must-see and one of the best football movies of all time. Fair warning – this one is a real tear-jerker!

  • If you tend to root for the underdog, Rudy will have you cheering for this 1993 film starring Sean Astin, Ned Beatty and Charles Dutton.

  • Who doesn't love Jerry Maquire, the 1996 blockbuster film starring Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr? You had me at hello!

  • The Longest Yard, is another must-see football film starring Burt Reynolds and Eddie Albert.

  • The Longest Yard, the 2005 remake version, stars Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds.

  • Knute Rockne All American is a classic football film from 1940 starring one of America’s most beloved Presidents - Ronald Reagan.

  • Cuba Gooding Jr., portrays real-life Robert “Radio” Kennedy in the 2003 film, Radio, which also stars Ed Harris and Debra Winger.

  • Remember the Titans is a 2000 film based on a true story and stars Denzel Washington, Kate Bosworth and Hayden Panettiere.

  • North Dallas Forty is a 1979 film loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys and stars Nick Nolte and Charles Durning.

  • The Express, a 2008 film based on the true story of the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, stars Dennis Quaid.

  • Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear, is a film based on the true story of Vince Papale.

  • Everybody’s All-American has an all-star cast including Jessica Lange, Dennis Quaid, Timothy Hutton and John Goodman.

  • Based on the best-selling book by H.G. Bissinger, Friday Night Lights is a critically acclaimed 2004 film starring Billy Bob Thornton and country-music star, Tim McGraw.

  • Heaven Can Wait is a 1978 film written, produced, directed and starring Warren Beatty, along with Julie Christie and James Mason.

  • All the Right Moves is a 1983 film starring Tom Cruise, Lea Thompson and Craig T. Nelson.

  • Two for the Money has an all-star cast including Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Armand Assante, Jeremy Piven and Rene Russo.

  • Varsity Blues is a 1999 film starring Jon Voight, James Van Der Beek, Ali Larter and Amy Smart.

  • Life gets complicated for Burt Reynolds and Kris Kristofferson, two hunky football pals who have a thing for the owner’s daughter, played by Jill Clayburgh, in the 1977 film, Semi-Tough.

  • Necessary Roughness, a 1991 film about a makeshift football team comprised of students, stars Jason Bateman, Scott Bakula and Kathy Ireland.

  • The entire family will get a "kick" out of this 1994 film about a peewee football team, Little Giants. Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neil star.

  • Wildcats is an 1986 film starring Goldie Hawn, Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes.

  • Air Bud: Golden Receiver proves humans are not the only ones who can play football

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