Patch Picks: Top 5 Football Movies Of All Time

If Rudy and coach Herman Boone can't get you in the competitive spirit, nothing will. Think of this roundup as the dream team of football movies. Any one of them is guaranteed to get you pumped to watch the Falcons vs. Patriots in Super Bowl LI this Sunday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

#5 "Rudy" (1993) — Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty

"Rudy" is based on the true story of how Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger painstakingly aspired to play football at the University of Notre Dame. Despite significant obstacles, Rudy (Sean Astin) followed his dreams to play for the Fighting Irish. It teaches us a lesson that keeping your eyes on the prize with unrelenting passion and determination is the key to success.

Famous Line:
“You’re 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin’ and you have nearly a speck of athletic ability. And you hung in there with the best college football team in the land for two years. And you’re gonna walk outta here with a degree from the University of Notre Dame. In this life, you don’t have to prove nothin’ to nobody but yourself.”

Watch the trailer:

#4 "Friday Night Lights" (2004) — Billy Bob Thornton, Jay Hernandez, Derek Luke

This sports drama film based on H.G. Bissinger’s book, "Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream," stars Billy Bob Thornton (Coach Gary Gaines), and it recounts the details of the 1988 Permian High Panthers football team’s historic run toward the state championship. It is a story of grit, determination, ambition and the close-knit ties among the citizens of the economically depressed town of Odessa, Texas.

Famous Line:

"Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth, and that truth is you did everything that you could; there wasn’t one more thing that you could have done. Can you live in that moment as best as you can with clear eyes and love in your heart?"

Watch the trailer:

#3 "Remember the Titans" (2000) — Denzel Washington, Will Patton

Based on the true story of coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington), it chronicles the coach's ironclad determination to form a racially diverse football team at a Virginia high school after the educational desegregation in early 1970s.

Famous Line:

"This is where they fought the battle of Gettysburg. Fifty-thousand men died right here on this field, fighting the same fight that we are still fighting among ourselves today… You listen, and you take a lesson from the dead… I don’t care if you like each other of not, but you will respect each other. And maybe...I don’t know, maybe we’ll learn to play this game like men."

Watch the trailer:

#2 "Brian's Song" (1971) — James Caan, Billy Dee Williams

The film is a narrative chronicling the close friendship between two players of the Chicago Bears: Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gayle Sayers (Billy Dee Williams), and their wives. Based on Sayers' autobiography, “I Am Third,” it is a depiction of Piccolo’s battle with terminal cancer and Sayers' unflagging support for his teammate and friend.

Famous Line:

"I love Brian Piccolo. And I’d like all of you to love him too. And so tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love him."

Watch the trailer:

#1 "Knute Rockne All American" (1940) — Pat O'Brien, Gale Page, Ronald Reagan

A biopic, it is the story of legendary Notre Dame football player and coach Knute Rockne with Pat O’Brien in the title role. Also starring was the late Ronald Reagan who portrayed one of the players George Gipp. A shining moment for O’Brien, he closely resembled Rockne, even projecting Rockne’s staccato speaking pattern down pat during his motivational speeches.

Famous Line:

"The last thing George said to me, 'Rock,' he said, 'sometime when the team is up against it and the breaks are beating the boys, tell them to go out there with all they've got and win just one for the Gipper."

Watch the trailer:

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures