We love sports movies! And though our very faves (Hoosiers, *61, Remember the Titans) weren’t filmed in Texas, quite a few fun sports movies have been shot in the Lonestar State.
Here are our five favorite sports movies made in Texas.
1 – Johnny Be Good
This movie is one of my all-time favorite late 80s films… though I’m not sure why. It’s really not good. I do love that Anthony Michael Hall though. Robert Downey Jr’s not so bad either. And let’s not forget, this is the movie that introduced us to Uma Thurman.
The movie was filmed mostly in Georgetown and San Antonio, featuring Thomas Jefferson High School and Alamo Heights High School. Keno’s Drive Inn grocery and bait store in New Braunfels also served as a shooting locale.
2 – Friday Night Lights
The TV show will always be our fave, though the big screen film is more true to the HG Bissinger novel. Shot all over the state, IMDB lists the following as filming locations: Shotwell Stadium (Abilene), Astrodome (Houston), and the city of Odessa.
3 – Glory Road
Set in 1966, the film highlights Texas Western coach Don Haskins as he leads the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
Filmed mainly in Louisana, the production did shoot some scenes in Forth Worth and El Paso.
4 – 8 Seconds
Starring Dylan McKay, I mean, Luke Perry, this film chronicles the life of Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion. Boerne, Del Rio, Helotes, San Antonio and Seguin are all used for filming locales.
5 – Varsity Blues
As I recently re-watched this film, I noticed some familiar shooting locations that hadn’t registered in the past.
Top Notch stands in as the joint where Jules works, Elgin’s Main Street doubles as the town center of West Canaan while Elgin High is the site of the Coyote’s home games. The big game was played on the Old Georgetown High School field that was demolished in 2010. But my favorite filming site? The Landing Strip, where the boys spend all night getting blitzed before game day. Get more details on all of the filming locations here.
And my one to grow on pick is…
Dazed and Confused.
This counts as a football movie, right? Click here for the Austin locales used in this flick. And, remember, just keep livin’!
