| Image Upright: | 1.0 |
| Director: | Don Medford |
| Starring: | Robert Conrad Erin Gray |
| Music: | Pete Carpenter Mike Post |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Producer: | John Ashley |
| Cinematography: | Paul Vombrack |
| Budget: | $1 million[1] |
| Network: | NBC |
Coach of the Year is a 1980 American TV film about a paraplegic coach, starring Robert Conrad, Erin Gray, Red West and Daphne Reid.[2] [3] It aired on December 20, 1980 on NBC.
Jim Brandon, a former player for the Chicago Bears, is a returning veteran who has been paralyzed in the Vietnam War. Upon his return to his home town, he tries to get a job as a football coach, but does not get it. He comes up with the idea of becoming the football coach at the Illinois State Training School for Boys in St. Charles after a visit there. Coach Brandon tries to become accepted by the young delinquents at the prison, while coaching them to succeed on the football field.
The movie was filmed in Batavia, Illinois, including a scene in Dick's Townhouse Tavern, and St. Charles, Illinois, including scenes at the Illinois Youth Center.
It was produced by John Ashley, a former actor who was an old friend of Conrad's.[4]