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10 greatest fictional football players of all time

By Russell S. Baxter

Kino. Die Kampfmaschine, Longest Yard, The, Die Kampfmaschine, Longest Yard, The, Burt Reynolds, 1973. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images)
Kino. Die Kampfmaschine, Longest Yard, The, Die Kampfmaschine, Longest Yard, The, Burt Reynolds, 1973. (Photo by FilmPublicityArchive/United Archives via Getty Images) /
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Charlton Heston  played Saints’ QB Cat Catlin in “Number One” (Photo by Mike Moore/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Film study is an important part of the game of football. The following 10 players had a better shot of winning an Oscar as opposed to a championship.

There have been some legendary films as well as television series that have focused on the game of football. From motion pictures such as North Dallas Forty and The Program to TV shows such as Coach and Friday Night Lights. Of course, there are many more and those will be addressed in this piece, with the onus on some great characters.

Remember, it’s the greatest “fictional” players. So, if you are looking for Michael Oher, George Plimpton and Rudy Ruettiger, they all existed. Just not in this tribute.

The 10 greatest fictional football players of all time:

10. QB Ron Catlin (New Orleans Saints)

Fiction or foresight? The film is titled Number One. Legendary figure Charlton Heston plays Ron “Cat” Catlin, a talented quarterback who has already led the New Orleans Saints to a championship and then begins to age – and not so gracefully. The film was released in 1969, just two years after the Saints began their debut season in the National Football League.

The movie ends on an ominous note as Catlin is sacked hard by numerous Dallas Cowboys and lies on the ground somewhat motionless and with a little blood near his ear. Did it really end for the Catlin? It makes you wonder.

9. DB Stefen Djordjevic (Ampipe High School)

Imagine a high school football coach blackballing a player, citing attitude problems? The movie All the Right Moves deals with high school football in Western Pennsylvania. Heady defensive back Stefen Djordjevic of Ampipe High School was a talented performer for Coach Nickerson (played by Craig T. Nelson).

He could also be a little outspoken. After Ampipe fell to Walnut Heights on a last-second fumble (after Nickerson made the decision to run a play instead in the pouring rain), Djordjevic barked back at his coach after listening to him play the blame game with everyone but himself.

The outburst the young defensive back in the dog house and Nickerson started spreading the word that Stefen was a discipline case. When it’s all said and done, a humbled Nickerson gets a college job and gives Djordjevic a scholarship. That was certainly the right move.

Next: Nos. 8 and 7