My younger brother was a high school football star, and then went on to play in college and then pro in Europe. Because of this, I have a strong connection with stories about football players and football fans.
I love Christian movies, so combining football and faith-based films is a great combo for me.
American Underdog
I have never played football, but I have been married for 21 years. The one thing I know is that supporting the dreams of your spouse is essential.
Football is a game, but marriage is the real life. This is a football movie, but even more so it is a movie about marriage.
This is the true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi) and his wife Brenda (Anna Paquin). Brenda is a single mother, dealing with trauma from her past, Kurt is a football player with crushed dreams of playing in the NFL.
Kurt and Brenda marry and to support his family Kurt works at a local grocery store. He continues the hard work he needs to pursue his football dreams, and with the support of his wife, he does the unthinkable.
This story shows how both Kurt and Brenda’s faith in God helped them do the impossible. This is truly a story of a miracle.
The 5th Quarter
I have had to deal with grief. And recovering from the loss of a loved one can seem impossible.
My daughter had a friend die in high school, and then two more students in her class were diagnosed with cancer. I watched as her high school class dealt with the reality of death.
In this true-life story, we watch Wake Forest School mourn the loss of a friend and find a way to heal. The 5th Quarter is an inspiring story of grief, family, faith, and football.
While this is a story of football it is also a story of restoration and rebirth of broken people. This is a faith-based movie that will inspire you to live again after grief.
Woodlawn
I was born in the late 70s, and raised in the 80s, and 90s. The idea of racial tensions seemed like something from a past lifetime. We did not experience any of these issues.
However, it seems like my children are suddenly facing racial tensions. I don’t know how the world has reversed itself, but someone it has.
If you are wanting to help your children understand the history behind the current unrest, movies such as Woodlawn are a great way to share the Christian world view of race relations.
This is the true-life story of a school body in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1970s.
The community was dealing with racial tensions and when the Woodlawn high school was given 500 black students the school community was not sure how to deal with it.
The football team coach Tandy Gerelds works to unite the team. When Hank, a sports chaplain comes to help things begin to change. Sean Austin plays Hank and does a great job.
Hank teaches the team the only road to peace is through Jesus Christ.
Facing the Giants
If you liked the movies War Room, Overcomer, Courageous, and Fireproof, then you love movies made by the Kendrick brothers. I personally enjoy watching Kendrick-made movies.
I have a friend that we always make sure we go and see any Kendrick movie together that comes out in the theater.
You can’t talk about Christian movies without mentioning an Alex Kendrick movie. This Christian film is about a high school football team and Coach Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick) who has struggled with his coaching job.
For the six years he has worked as head coach with Shiloh Christian Academy he has never had a winning season. His marriage is also a struggle as they struggle with infertility.
Prayer, determination, and hope in God lead the coach on and off the field.
Run the Race
I adopted two teenagers after their mother passed away. I saw firsthand the effects of trauma on teenagers when they lose a parent.
In the movie Run the Race we see the story of how to deal with the loss of a loved one. High school seniors Dave and Zach Truett struggle with trauma after their mother dies and their father abandoned them.
They deal with the pain in very different ways. Dave looks to God for help and guidance, and Zach becomes angry and bitter and puts all his energy into the game of football.
But when he is pulled from the game after a knee injury, he faces a crossroads. Will he follow a path led by anger or a path led by God?
This is a great story to watch with your youth group.
Hometown Legend
Jerry B. Jenkins is famous for his “Left Behind” series that follows the life of men and women left behind after the rapture.
I am a fan of Jerry B. Jenkins novels, and this one on the list of Christian football movies was written by Jerry. It tells the fictional story of a football team that has not had a winning season.
But then a coach comes out of retirement to bring a community together for a football season they will never forget.
When The Game Stands Tall
As I was looking for football movies with a Christian world view I came across the story of Bob Ladouceur. I was shocked and inspired to hear their story.
What an amazing story. You are going to want to see this! When the Game Stands Tall is the true story that follows the high school football coach Bob Ladouceur.
The De La Salle High School Spartans played a 151-game winning streak that broke every American sports record, and the movie When the Game Stands Tall tells their story.
Season of a Lifetime
One of the things I love about this movie is that Jeremy Williams plays himself! He tells the motivational tale of triumph over adversity. As the Greenville Patriots high school coach Jeremy Williams battles numerous obstacles.
Coach Williams refuses to let his terminal ALS diagnosis get in the way of his goals. He keeps running the football program.
He serves as more than simply a coach to his players; for many of them, he also serves as a father figure.
As they fight for the title of Georgia State football champion, his squad needs him to show them not only how to play football but also how to live a life of courage.
23 Blast
Friday nights I like to sit on the couch and watch a movie with my husband. That means Friday afternoon I am often found researching Netflix for a good movie option.
If you are looking for a Christian football movie available on Netflix, here is an option. Another true story-based Christian football movie, this one offers viewers a wonderful treat at the conclusion when several characters from real life emerge.
Life isn't always fair, as we are all aware. The biggest setbacks may appear out of nowhere. A popular wide receiver with college aspirations is unexpectedly rendered blind in this movie due to a medical issue.
The young man must learn to cope with his new situation and move forward to a better life with the help of his community and his faith.
His coach is confident that despite losing his vision, he can still contribute to the squad and help them have a winning season.
Tim Tebow: On A Mission
If you don’t know anything about football you probably still know the name Tim Tebow.
My brother who is a Christian Football Player has looked up to Tebow as an example of being a Christian athlete.
The NFL star Tim Tebow is probably the most famous Christian athlete. In this Documentary film, Tebow shares how hard work, faith, and courage have let him both on and off the field. This story of faith will inspire you.
Catching Faith
As a mother myself I have seen firsthand the temptations to put a perfect looking display of your life on social media. Sometimes we can get so caught up on looking like the perfect movie, we don’t see the problems bubbling up in our family.
Garrett Westton, Lorena Segura York, and Bethany Peterson star in this movie about a young woman named Alexa Taylor who looks like she has everything anyone ever wants in life.
Her son is the high-school football star, her teenage daughter is the picture of perfection, and her husband is the CFO of one of the newest start-ups that everyone is excited about.
Her seemingly ideal existence on social media is actually not so wonderful. When her daughter Ravyn is tempted to cheat on an exam and her son Beau is caught drinking, she is forced to take a serious look at what faith and family really mean.
As Alexa helps her family get through these difficult times, she must give God control and rely on Him.
Reggie’s Prayer
Before we adopted a sibling group, I worked for an organization that ran Bible Clubs in neighborhood that most people avoided.
The areas were high crime locations, and once a father of one of the children was shot and killed outside the location of our club. I saw firsthand the effects of gangs and drugs on the children living in the neighborhood.
In the movie Reggie’s prayer was see the reality of what these children face on a day to day basis. NFL player Reggie White stars in the movie Reggie’s Prayer where he plays NFL star Reggie Knox.
Reggie is forced to retire and finds himself teaching high school history and coaching an inner-city high school football team.
As the local gang lord seeks to enlist students into his gang, Knox learns about the difficulties his players and students are having while there. Knox must intervene when one of his players' lives is in danger.
Throughout the movie, Knox's trust in God provides him with an anchor during his struggles and tribulations.
Rudy
Rudy is one of my husband’s favorite movies. According to him it is the only movie that a man is allowed to cry while watching.
This movie tells the true story of Daniel Eugene “Rudy” Ruettiger.
Sean Astin stars in the movie that tells the story of Rudy as he works to fulfill his dream of playing college football for the University of Notre Dame.
King’s Heart
This is the story of Joey, a high school football player that is forced to grow up quickly when he faces extreme difficulties. What would destroy most people, inspires Joey to work hard to succeed?
He becomes the smallest starting offensive lineman on the team. He meets opponents that are physically much bigger than him, subsequently, he is accustomed to depending on his talents rather than his size.
But three days before his team's state championship game, his family is attacked, leaving him devastated.
Either he will let his team down or he will face his worries and get through his situation. He prays to God for guidance and fortitude to come to a choice.
Blind Side
We watched this movie as a family about a year after we brought two teenage girls into our home. Our children had an adjustment to make as they now suddenly had two new siblings.
We also had our girls in a private Christian school and had to navigate explaining to teachers and coaches how to treat a teenager who was not raised in a Christian home. I related to the movie in many ways.
This movie starring Sandra Bullock is one of the most famous football movies. It tells the story of a whole family that invites a young homeless man into their lives.
He begins to attend the private Christian school where the other children in the family attend and joins the football team.
On the football field he finds his skills for protecting his family makes him a football star.
