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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Take 10: The best motivational speeches in sports movies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These are dark times for most of us. We at Take Ten are no exception. The economy is failing. Gas is proving more and more difficult to find. Things just aren’t easy.
It’s during these moments, the trying times, that we find it helpful to hear a good motivational speech. You’ll find several in “The Express,” a film coming out Friday about Ernie Davis. He was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy but had his professional career cut short because of leukemia.
We at Take Ten were lucky enough to see an early screening and enjoyed it. It got us to thinking, though. What are the best film-based sports motivation speeches? OK, so maybe we had to include some that were not high school-related. But we don’t think you’ll mind. Maybe you need to hear these. We sure did.
Photo vote: Pick or pan our top sports movie motivational speeches!
Click on the bolded movie titles to see the film clips of our fave speeches.
Here are the 10 best motivational speeches in sports film:
10: Coach Taylor in “Facing the Giants” — This is as simple as it gets. We’re not supposed to be here. They’re bigger than you. Have faith in who you are. Extra point: Mark Richt made a cameo in this film. This is the exact same halftime speech he gave to his team against Alabama.
9: Coach Gaines in “Friday Night Lights” — We’ve always enjoyed this speech. It’s the classic mold of “Look, we’re going to lose, but you’re winners in my book” monologue so many coaches have given. Extra point: The film and TV series were based on a book by H.G. Bissinger called “Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream.”
8: The Rock in “Gridiron Gang” — We can’t relate to being in detention and trying to field a competitive football team. But listening to the Rock in this speech makes it seem OK. Extra point: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was a member of the 1991 University of Miami national championship team. He eventually played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League but was cut after two months.
7: Coach Brooks in “Miracle” — Hockey isn’t our first love, but listening to Kurt Russell in this film makes us want to fight communism. Extra point: The “Miracle on Ice” wasn’t actually the championship game of the 1980 Olympic games. It was the semifinal and allowed the USA to advance and face Sweden for the gold.
6: Fortune in “Rudy” — There is another speech in this classic film that is more to the point, but Charles S. Dutton knows how to push Sean Astin’s buttons. Listen to the janitor. Extra point: Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger’s sack was against Georgia Tech. The movie depicts Notre Dame coach Dan Devine as a villain, not wanting to put Rudy in at the film’s conclusion. It was actually his idea.
5: Coach Boone in “Remember the Titans” — This was a tough decision. Coach Yoast has another motivational moment we enjoy, but this speech with Denzel Washington is the better of the two. Extra point: The film was shot in various locations around metro Atlanta including Druid Hills High School, Shamrock Middle School and Paulding High School.
4: Gale Sayers in “Brian’s Song” — We acknowledge this is a little sad for a motivational speech, but Billy Dee Williams channeling Gale Sayers is what loving a teammate is all about. If you felt this way about the guy next to you, you’d block better, run harder and play faster. Extra point: Brian Piccolo was not drafted but tried out for the Chicago Bears. He worked his way from practice squad to back-up for Sayers before ending his four year career.
3: Coach D’Amato in “Any Given Sunday” — Classic Al Pacino. If this speech can’t help you erase a 10-point halftime deficit, nothing will. Extra point: Are we the only ones who notice that fake professional sports uniforms look ridiculous in any movie? It’s like they don’t even try. Watch this film and let us know.
2: Coach Dale in “Hoosiers” — Gene Hackman plays the perfect coach. He did the same in “The Replacements.” The movie itself is inspirational enough. Our high school basketball coach must have played it 74 times. Extra point: We have no idea what a Hoosier is. We know it has something to do with Indiana. Please help.
1: Coach Wallace in “Braveheart” — Sure, this isn’t a sports movie. But we challenge you not to be fired up by pre-crazy Mel Gibson. We almost quit our job once after watching this. Not smart, but we were certainly motivated. Extra point: Gibson played a baseball player in his first feature film “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” That’s as close to relating to sports as we could get.
Go on. Take Ten. What are the motivational speeches in film you remember? How was our list? Did it inspire you? Here’s your chance to voice your opinion.
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