Best NCAA Football Movies

With the recent news that funny man Jack Black will be producing and making a cameo in a college football related movie, and We Are Marshall thundering toward theatres soon, it made me think of some of my favorite college football movies.

Now, it would be a lot easier to make a list of all the best football movies, college, pro, or pee-wee. But that would be unfair to every other movie trying to compete with The Little Giants. I’ve yet to see a play grab victory from the jaws of defeat like the “Annexation of Puerto Rico.”

But we talk about NCAA Football here right!? Right, so I’m going to do my best to recount some of the best, well, better…ok, just my favorite movies having to do with college football in absolutely no order whatsoever because, they are all equal in my heart.

The Waterboy. This Adam Sandler comedy about a bumbling bayou boy who hits like a Mack truck, was set at fictional South Central Louisiana State and included a trip to the Bourbon Bowl. It’s always better when you can get actual schools in the movies, but I can certainly understand why NCAA Football shied away from this one. No harm done as it actually made sense that ESPN would cover the Bourbon Bowl. And Fonzie was in it.

Rudy. Obviously. I don’t want to hear one bad word from anyone about this masterpiece. Yes, Rudy was played by a hobbit, but let’s not forget he was a Goonie as well, so he gets a pass for that. Admit it, you cry when he gets that sack! You know you do! This also features a very young Vince Vaughn, and a very robust John Favreau. I actually know someone who was a Notre Dame student during the Rudy days and he is a real person. This is a must have for all Irish and NCAA Football fans.

Everybody’s All-American. I must admit, just caught this movie a few years ago but every time it comes on I have to watch it. Dennis Quad plays an absolute stud running back from LSU with a sweet nickname…The Grey Ghost (ghost…ghost…ghost). Basically this is the story of the Ghost and his sweetheart from college fame, through the pros and into retirement. Gets sappy at times but John Goodman is great and Quad delivers some all-time great lines in his character’s southern drawl.

The Program. Overly cliched? Maybe. Based on a certain tomahawk-toting team in the Sunshine State? Possibly. Entertaining as all get out? Heck Yes! It is worth it to watch Lattimer, possible the largest human every captured on film, smash car windows with his forehead after he his put on first team defense yelling, “SEAT AT THE TABLE!” Game shots were filmed at the University of South Carolina’s Williams-Brice Stadium on an actual game day so bonus points for that.

Necessary Roughness. Come on, you can’t leave off this. Texas State? The Fighting Armadillos? “Straight Arrow” Gennaro? Scott Bakula as the over-hill-QB and Sinbad as a science-teaching lineman? Sinbad, seriously. Oh my goodness, if you can’t enjoy this movie and love college football you probably root for the Dean Alias in this one. It’s good stuff.

If I catch any of these while flipping channels the next two hours are done. These aren’t all the good movies about college football, they’re all pretty recent actually but let me know if I’ve left any off that are worth a look.