Coach of the Year (film)

Coach of the Year is a 1980 American TV film about a paraplegic coach, starring Robert Conrad, Erin Gray, Red West and Daphne Reid. It aired on December 20, 1980 on NBC.

Plot
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.

Cast

 * Robert Conrad as Jim Brandon
 * Erin Gray as Paula DeFalco
 * Red West as Superintendent Turner
 * Daphne Reid as Merissa Lane
 * David Raynr as Munroe Sweetlife Johnson
 * Ricky Paull Goldin as Andy DeFalco
 * Alex Paez as Hector Estrada
 * Richard Marx as himself (credited as Richard Marks)

Production
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.