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What are the Bombers’ favourite flicks and books?
Late March is usually the homestretch of the off-season for Canadian Football League players, what with training camps usually opening in May and the curtain lifting on a new campaign not long after the players first gather.
Yet, with the entire world being dropped by a nasty clothesline courtesy of the Coronavirus, routines and schedules have been dramatically altered.
With that in mind, we asked some Blue Bombers players this week to offer up their top five football movies and some recommended reading material, regardless of the subject matter.
Here are their suggestions:
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros speaks to the media after landing in Calgary ahead of the 107th Grey Cup presented by Shaw. (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Zach Collaros
Top 5 football movies (no particular order)
- Remember the Titans
- Friday Night Lights
- Rudy
- Any Given Sunday
- Jerry McGuire
Honourable mentions:
- All The Right Moves
- Brian’s Song
- The Waterboy
- The Replacements
Book recommendations
“I’m always re-reading ‘The Tender Bar’ by J.R. Moehringer. I just finished ‘The Spy and the Traitor’ by Ben MacIntyre and am currently working on ‘Team of Rivals’ by Doris Kearns Goodwin.”
Adam Bighill
Top 5 football movies
- Any Given Sunday
- The Program
- Friday Night Lights
- Remember the Titans
- Invincible
Book recommendation:
‘Simple Wealth, Inevitable Wealth’ by Nick Murray.
Jermarcus Hardrick
Top 5 football movies
- Any Given Sunday
- The Program
- Friday Night Lights
- Remember the Titans
- Invincible
Book recommendation:
‘Unfu*k Yourself’ by Gary John Bishop
Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Andrew Harris leads the team out of the tunnel ahead of the 107th Grey presented by Shaw. (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Andrew Harris
Top 5 football movies (in no particular order)
- Any Given Sunday
- The Waterboy
- The Replacements
- Friday Night Lights
- Little Giants
Drew Wolitarsky
Top 5 football movies
- Remember the Titans
- Friday Night Lights
- Varsity Blues
- Radio
- The Longest Yard
Book recommendation:
“‘Big Sur’ and ‘The Dharma Bums’, both by Jack Kerouac. Kerouac and I must share a soul because he is the wisest, most tragic man I’ve ever had insight to. I’m now reading ‘To Shake the Sleeping Self’ by Jedidiah Jenkins and also some DC comics for leisure.”
Pat Neufeld
Top 5 football movies
- Friday Night Lights
- Remember the Titans
- The Waterboy
- Any Given Sunday
- Varsity Blues
Book recommendation:
‘Kitchen Confidential’ by Anthony Bourdain. I’m a big fan of his in general, so I figure I’d start with his first book.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman Willie Jefferson salutes the crowd in Regina ahead of the Labour Day Classic. (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)
Willie Jefferson
Top 5 football movies:
- Any Given Sunday
- The Replacements
- Friday Night Lights
- Remember the Titans
- Jerry McGuire
Book recommendations:
‘Sweet Jones: Pimp C’s Trill Life Story’ by Julia Beverly; ‘Full-Time CEO’ by Will Roundtree.
Jake Thomas
Top 5 football movies:
- The Program
- Any Given Sunday
- The Replacements
- The Waterboy
- Friday Night Lights/Remember the Titans
Honourable mention: Little Giants
Book recommendation:
‘Tuesday’s With Morrie’ by Mitch Albom; Football book: ‘War Room: The Legacy of Bill Belichick and the Art of Building the Perfect Team’ by Michael Holley.
“Even though I am a Bills fan, cool to see the groundwork and fundamentals of the start of the Patriots dynasty.”
Stanley Bryant
Top 5 football movies:
- Necessary Roughness
- Remember the Titans
- Any Given Sunday
- Jerry McGuire
- The Replacements
Honourable mention: Varsity Blues
Book recommendation: ‘Lebron, Inc: The Making of a Billion-Dollar Athlete’ by Brian Windhorst.
Thomas Miles
Note: we asked Miles for his Top 5 football movies list and he said, “I know this borders on blasphemy, but I don’t actually like football movies.” A voracious reader, we asked him instead for his top book recommendations.
- ‘The Beautiful Bailout: How a Social Innovation Scale-up Will Solve Government’s Priciest Problems’ by Shaun Loney
- ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ by Garth Stein
- ‘The Last Kingdom’ by Bernard Cornwell (#1 in the Saxon Stories/Last Kingdom series)
- ‘Crow Lake’ by Mary Lawson
- ‘Seven Fallen Feathers’ by Tanya Talaga
- ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ by Stieg Larsson
- ‘Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone’ by Richard Lloyd Parry
- ‘The Black Echo’ by Michael Connelly
- ‘Lullabies for Little Criminals’ by Heather O’Neill
- ‘The Guns of Navarone’ by Alistair Maclean
