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(RNN) - "There goes my hero…"
Anyone who hears those words and knows Tweeter was someone who existed before you could talk to the world using 140 characters probably thinks Varsity Blues as a No. 14 seed is a travesty.
It will take a heroic effort for one of the defining movies of millennial youth to advance in the Chitwood Region of this tournament. Third-seeded Chariots of Fire, a seminal sports movie for the more mature generation, is a tough first-round matchup.
Hoosiers holds the No.1 spot in this region, followed by Brian's Song (the original, not that terrible remake) and The Longest Yard (yes, also the original) to round out the top four.
If a No. 9 beating a No. 8 is considered an upset, The Pride of the Yankees could take down The Mighty Ducks, but that's for voters to decide.
No. 1 Hoosiers vs. No. 16 Radio
Hoosiers, 1986
Stars: Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper, Barbara Hershey
Synopsis: Buddy gets the rock to Jimmy Chitwood at the top of the key and he buries it. "Hickory wins! Hickory wins!" Everybody hugs and cries. The eyes of Coach Dale (Hackman) and Myra Fleener (Hershey) meet in the midst of great celebration. The tiny school with six players, a tainted head coach and a drunk assistant (Hopper) make it all the way to the state finals and win by playing their best and letting the rest take care of itself.
Radio, 2003
Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris, Alfre Woodard
Synopsis: A mentally challenged man named Radio (Gooding) is tormented by high school football players, so the coach (Harris) comes to his rescue. Radio starts to help at practices and comes to the games, where he sits on the bench. The townspeople don't like it, but he becomes part of the team and becomes an inspiration to all. Gooding's amazing performance is based on a true story.
No. 2 Brian's Song vs. No. 15 Lords of Dogtown
Brian's Song, 1971
Stars: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams
Synopsis: This made-for-TV drama tells the true story of Chicago Bears greats Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo. They struck an unlikely friendship that broke social barriers during a time when the country was still dealing with racial tensions. That friendship lasted through Piccolo's illness and eventual death.
Lords of Dogtown, 2005
Stars: Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch
Synopsis: This true story about a group of surfers from a Southern California suburb called Dogtown is a tribute to the brilliant ingenuity that can come from youth. The "Z-Boys" adapt the surfing style to empty pools, essentially making skateboarding relevant to those not fortunate enough to live by the ocean.
No. 3 Chariots of Fire vs. No. 14 Varsity Blues
Chariots of Fire, 1981
Stars: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nigel Havers
Synopsis: This film is based on the true story of two British men who compete as runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell (Charleson) is a serious Christian who sees running as a way to glorify God. Harold Abrahams (Cross) is a Jew who runs to justify his place in Cambridge society. The film follows both men as they train for the Olympics and illustrates the obstacles each man faces.
Varsity Blues, 1999
Stars: James Van Der Beek, John Voight, Paul Walker
Synopsis: Jonathan Moxon (Van Der Beek), a second-string quarterback at a Texas high school, gets the chance to start after the starting quarterback suffers a career-ending injury. "Mox" finds that being the starter brings a lot of popularity, along with pressure, in a town where high school football is nothing short of a religion.
No. 4 The Longest Yard vs. No. 13 Wildcats
The Longest Yard, 1974
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert
Synopsis: Former professional quarterback Paul Crewe (Reynolds) is disgraced by a point shaving scandal and sentenced to prison. There he assembles a team of inmates to play against a team of guards. Fueled by their contempt of the guards, the inmates have a solid chance of winning but the warden (Albert) threatens to frame Crewe for a murder if he doesn't throw the game. Crewe agrees, but changes his mind and mounts a comeback when he sees the warden isn't holding up his end of the deal.
Wildcats, 1986
Stars: Goldie Hawn, Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson
Synopsis: A legendary coach's daughter (Hawn) wants more than anything to coach varsity football, so she leaves her job as a girls track and field coach to lead an inner-city team. She must overcome racism and sexism to lead the team to the city championship game while also dealing with personal struggles and trying to gain legal custody of her daughters.
No. 5 Happy Gilmore vs. No. 12 Vision Quest
Happy Gilmore, 1996
Stars: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen
Synopsis: Rejected hockey player Happy Gilmore (Sandler) takes his hockey skills to the golf course to save his grandmother's house. Happy joins the PGA Tour but later learns his hockey player mentality doesn't fit well among professional golfers. Perhaps a fist fight with Bob Barker is one of the many indications Happy is in over his head.
Vision Quest, 1985
Stars: Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Schoeffling
Synopsis: High school wrestler Louden Swain (Modine) decides he needs to do something meaningful with his life after turning 18. He drops two weight classes to challenge the best pound-for-pound wrestler in the state, putting his body through considerable torment in the process. A 21-year-old drifter (Fiorentino) who rents a room from Swain's father decides to move on after realizing her romantic relationship with Louden is distracting him.
No. 6 Friday Night Lights vs. No. 11 Kingpin
Friday Night Lights, 2004
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Tim McGraw, Connie Britton
Synopsis: Based on the successful book by H.G. Bissinger which profiled football in Odessa, TX. The blue-collar community, which has seen better days, relies on the football team to win. That expectation piles extreme pressure on the players and especially the coach (Thornton), but through it all they remember "clear eyes and full hearts can't lose."
Kingpin, 1996
Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray
Synopsis: Professional bowler Roy Munson (Harrelson) loses his bowling hand in a fight to rival Ernie McCracken (Bill Murray) and becomes a traveling salesman. Roy encounters an Amish kid named Ishmael (Quaid) with a bowling gift and becomes his trainer. Of course, Ishmael loves being outside his culture, so fish-out-of-water hijinks ensue.
No. 7 Seabiscuit vs. No. 10 *61
Seabiscuit, 2003
Stars: Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper
Synopsis: Maguire plays Red Pollard, a partially blind jockey with little career success. Businessman Charles Howard (Bridges) puts Pollard in the saddle atop Seabiscuit, an undersized thoroughbred with equally scant racing credentials. Their path to success becomes a symbol for the blue-collar struggle, and America falls in love with the little horse that could.
*61, 2001
Stars: Barry Pepper, Thomas Jane
Synopsis: Babe Ruth had been dead for more than a decade but was very much alive to Yankees fans, and Mickey Mantle was the heir to Yankee royalty who could almost do no wrong. Roger Maris had the misfortune of playing in the outfield next to Mantle and the audacity to chase a record that was sacred to baseball fans - Ruth's single-season home run crown.
No. 8 The Mighty Ducks vs. No. 9 The Pride of the Yankees
The Mighty Ducks, 1992
Stars: Emilio Estevez, Joshua Jackson
Synopsis: Still haunted by his former glory on the ice, big-time lawyer Gordon Bombay's punishment for a DUI is to coach a little league hockey team. The talented but unorganized team of Ducks takes youth hockey by storm and faces Bombay's old team and coach as underdogs.
The Pride of the Yankees, 1942
Stars: Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, Babe Ruth
Synopsis: The biopic of New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, one year after his death from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) otherwise known as "Lou Gehrig's disease." The movie features fellow Yankees Babe Ruth, Mark Koenig, Bill Dickey and Bob Meusel as themselves.
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