This week we get HIM, a new football film being released. It’s also the midst of football season, a time when you might want to fill your hours between games with football stories! Below are my six favorite football films in honor of the season. Films appear in chronological order.

Necessary Roughness (1991)
About: Look, I get this isn’t a classic. It has a terrible Rotten Tomatoes score, too. It’s a crazy plot about Scott Bakula going back to college to get another shot at his dream. Hector Elizondo and Robert Loggia are fun as the coaches, and the team includes Sinbad and model Kathy Ireland. I don’t know, I enjoy it.

Varsity Blues (1999)
About: This is the classic football film from when I was in high school. It features a hot, young cast including James Van Der Beek, Paul Walker, and Scott Caan, and it’s got some iconic sequences. Look, I just love it.

The Replacements (2000)
About: The tale of replacement players called up to cover a professional football strike. Keanu Reeves is great as the quarterback, and I enjoyed Gene Hackman as the Head Coach. This is a fun and pretty funny film.

Friday Night Lights (2004)
About: This is the adaptation of the non-fiction book. It comes from Peter Berg and follows the Perriman Panthers during an iconic season. Billy Bob Thornton is good here as the coach. I ended up loving the fictional TV show a bit more, but the movie is quite good.

We Are Marshall (2006)
About: This is a somewhat forgotten and under-rated film. It’s based on a true story that is incredibly emotional. I loved Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox in this film, too. If you haven’t seen it, this is worth checking out.

Draft Day (2014)
About: This remains the hero story of the Cleveland Browns to this day. I watch this film every year near the NFL Draft. It’s an incredible piece of filmmaking and a really fun ride, and I won’t hear otherwise.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.