I hadn't watched this film for 47 years until just the other day, and it's still an excellent film that really packs a punch. I was 8, almost 9 when I first saw this and the impact is still the same.
Billy Dee Williams is Gale Sayers and James Caan is Brian Piccolo. Sayers shows up at camp for the Chicago Bears football team and is befriended by and talkative running back named Brian Piccollo. Over time the two become very good friends and by the start of the 1965 NFL season Sayers is a star running back and Piccolo remains in the background. Finally Halas allows Piccolo to start in games as well and he and Sayers make a championship combination.
Their friendship gets even stronger and the NFL makes them the first roommates in NFL history that are black and white. Yes, even the Football league did not let blacks and white room together until 1965!
Piccolo helps Sayers recover from a near career ending knee injury and soon begins to get very sick himself. He is diagnosed with cancer and it changes everyone's life.
Everyone in this film gives an excellent performance. Jack Warden is George Halas the head coach, Shelley Fabres is Joy Piccolo, the always beautiful Judy Pace is Linda Sayers, Bernie Casey is J.C. Caroline and David Huddleston is Ed Makasky.
This is a top notch film that I can't recommend enough. It's a touching film about friendship, love, and human caring, and man, there ain't lot of films that deal with that anymore and I believe that is because filmmakers have left their humanity at the door.
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