By the early 70's Richard Crenna was settling in as one of the top "Go To" actors for the growing industry of Made For TV Movies. In fact, although he would make numerous appearances in motion pictures, particularly in the 80s & 90s, his TV work was prolific during that time. "Footsteps: Nice Guys Finish Last" is one of the better TV Movies on his resume and one of his best performances on film.
"Footsteps" is the story of highly talented and successful football coach Paddy O'Connor (Crenna) who's career has been derailed by his drinking and womanizing. Big time college and pro jobs avoiding him, O'Connor reluctantly agrees to take a Defensive Coordinator job at a small school with a recent history of losing when it's offered by the team's Head Coach, former college football teammate (and rival) Jonas Kane (Clu Gulager, highly effective as Kane, who struggles with his disdain for O'Connor, and on some levels jealousy, but realizes he needs his coaching expertise to revive his floundering program). Joanna Petit co stars as Kane's girlfriend who takes more than a passing interest in the complicated O'Connor, much to Kane's chagrin.
Along the way O'Connor convinces the team's top offensive player to switch to defense, subsequently designing an entire defensive scheme around him that confuses opponents and elevates that young man to the top of pro scouts attention as the season wears on the NFL teams are looking at potential draft picks. The defensive success of course sets the team on a winning path, seemingly saving Kane's job, while helping to resurrect O'Connnor's fortunes, making him once again a candidate for high profile college and pro jobs. Unfortunately success comes at a price. O'Connor doesn't mind playing the college boosters against each other to pressure Kane into accepting his changes but he draws the line at gambling and point shaving (the practice of teams purposefully keeping scores low to benefit by gambling on the lower scores). Kane can barely hide his disdain for O'Connor's arrogance and isn't pleased when he starts romancing his girlfriend but with team winning (and his own once tenuous job now secure) he grudgingly bites his tongue.
Bigger problems arise when the new star defensive player JJ Blake (played by Bill Overton) appears to suffer a concussion. In what ironically today is a highly topical storyline, O'Connor struggles with forcing Blake to play for the good of the time with a key late season game on the horizon, just as calls start coming in about potential top tier coaching jobs, unsure if Blake's injury is severe and if playing could potentially harm him worse. Crenna, who excels throughout this film, is at his best trying to convince himself (against his better judgement) that Blake can play, especially in one scene where he lies to Blake's mother about his health (he's proud of himself for how well he did conning her but still guilty about betraying Blake's well being). Complicating matters worse or increased calls from the boosters to help their gambling fortunes and Blake himself, who clearly wants to play, but is convinced the side effects he is suffering are more serious than O'Connor is letting on. Ned Beatty appears as an assistant coach who has to decide to stop O'Connor from risking Blake's safety or go along with him (and the promise of a plum job on his staff when he lands his next job).
It's unclear until the ending if O'Connor will do the right thing by Blake, although he repeatedly shuns any involvement in gambling he is a hard drinking womanizer and he clearly lied and conned Blake's mother, IE O'Connor shows enough failings that it's believable he could betray Blake for his own self gain in the end, but he shows enough decency, not just with the gambling but also when he realizes how much Blake looks up to him, that it's hard to predict which way he'll turn when he finally meets the proverbial fork in the road. Making it all come together is Crenna, who is excellent at portraying the anti hero and self destructive O'Connor, balancing his lust for success with his feeling of remorse for lying to the injured (and trusting) Blake. The supporting cast is also strong, particularly Gulager, though he isn't given near as much to work with as Crenna.
If you can find it this is an engaging film, and with all the recent exposure to head injuries, long term side effects, etc going on with today's NFL, a surprisingly topical film despite it's age.
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