NFL history is full of memorable moments. That includes, most recently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl victory behind ageless quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady and company relied on reality. By contrast, the following 10 films turned to the magic of cinema, mixed with some old-fashioned gridiron action, to bring us the best football movies of all time.
T10. Varsity Blues (1999)
The whipped-cream bikini grabs your attention. The hits crunch; the lines crunch harder.
This is a popcorn flick through and through, with Jon Voight chewing the scenery as the sadistic head coach and an array of ascendant actors filling out the roster.
It's also a meditation on the glitzy veneer and rough-and-tumble actuality of high school football in Texas, which inspired another maudlin/eminently watchable movie and television series we'll meet in a moment.
T10. Necessary Roughness (1991)
A disgraced college football program is forced to start from scratch.
Recruits include a mid-30s quarterback (Scott Bakula), a long-in-the-tooth lineman (Sinbad) and a kicker plucked from the women's soccer team (Kathy Ireland).
No points for guessing they overcome obstacles en route to an inspiring finish.
9. The Waterboy (1998)
Adam Sandler takes it to the end zone as stuttering savant Bobby Boucher, a repressed-raged mama's boy who hits like a Mack Truck when cut loose on the gridiron.
Is this a good movie? That depends on how you feel about Oscar winner Kathy Bates frying gators to a crisp.
If the answer is, "Who cares, it's a Sandler movie?", well...kick back and enjoy.
8. Remember the Titans (2000)
A feel-good Disney movie about an integrated high school where the players set aside their differences and ultimately played together.
What could've been boiler-plate treacle is elevated by the presence of Denzel Washington.
He gives an epic performance as a coach who sees past color, solidifies a team and, by extension, unites the rest of us.
7. The Blind Side (2009)
The based-on-a-true-story tale of Michael Oher, who achieved professional success as an offensive lineman despite considerable odds.
Sandra Bullock co-stars as Michael's adopted mother, a role for which she won a Best Actress Academy Award.
This is heart-tugging stuff with the requisite writing, acting and overall moviemaking to make it sing.
6. Brian's Song (1971)
Dismiss this one as a Movie of the Week if you must. But grab your hankie.
James Caan stars as a Chicago Bears player afflicted with cancer. His friendship with Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) provides the backbone for a story of strength, heart and redemption.
Try to get through it with dry eyes. We dare you.
5. Friday Night Lights (2004)
The Lone Star State sets the scene for a football tale that inspired a TV series and captures a singular piece of Americana.
Billy Bob Thornton stars as the coach, with Lucas Black, Derek Luke, Tim McGraw et al filling out the cast.
4. Concussion (2015)
Should the NFL shoulder the blame for football's concussion epidemic?
That's the thorny question tackled by Concussion, the 2015 Will Smith-helmed film that dares to unearth the league's dirtiest, most damaging secrets.
Whatever your stance, this is required viewing for fans and critics of the game.
3. Any Given Sunday (1999)
Oliver Stone takes on pro football with characteristic panache.
Al Pacnio as an over-the-top coach? Yes! LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx among the players? Double yes! Cameron Diaz as the owner? Why not!
This is all the bone-crunching, slickly edited action you'd expect from Stone, with a power-play storyline to boot.
2. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Is this a football movie? Technically, yes, in that co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance as Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell.
Sure, it's mostly about the titular sports agent (Tom Cruise) and his crisis of conscience, plus the travails of love interest Rene Zellweger.
But "Show me the money!" wins the prize for best professional-athlete catchphrase, and there is a climactic touchdown reception.
1. Rudy (1993)
This isn't a great movie when it comes to acting, cinematography or any other measure. Good, yes, but not great.
It belongs at the top of this list, however, because it's the ultimate underdog story, a timeless tale of overcoming insurmountable odds. And it happens to be set on a football field.
If you haven't seen the story of Notre Dame's most zealous booster realizing his impossible on-field dream, well...what are you waiting for?
All together now: "Ruuuud-eeee, ruuuud-eeee, ruuuud-eeee…"
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