Animals were harmed in these films
One of the few female coaches on this list, Molly McGrath (Goldie Hawn) does a terrific job with an inner-city high school football team in 'Wildcats' (1986).
And of course, we have Mr Miyagi's own disciple, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), as another well-intentioned sensei on the show.
Coach Sue Sylvester's (Jane Lynch) tracksuit collection is as iconic as her role in 'Glee' (2009–2015).
Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) may have been the villain in 'The Karate Kid' (1984), but he turned out to be a generous sensei in the TV series 'Cobra Kai' (2018–).
Ernie Pantusso, best known as simply "Coach," is a baseball coach turned barman. The character was played by Nicholas Colasanto from 1982 to 1985 in the sitcom 'Cheers.'
An example of a great football coach is Al Pacino as coach D'Amato in Oliver Stone's 'Any Given Sunday' (1999).
Patches O'Houlihan (left), played by Rip Torn, is the dodgeball coach for the Average Joe's in 'Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story' (2004).
Paul Newman won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as pool master "Fast Eddie" Felson in 'The Color of Money' (1986).
Sam Winters (James Caan) tries to help a college football team achieve success in 'The Program' (1993).
Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) is a crew chief of a NASCAR racing team. He's the man who shows Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) how it's done in 'Days of Thunder' (1990).
Burt Reynolds plays Judge Walter Burns who takes on an Alaskan amateur hockey team and trains them to play a match against the New York Rangers in 'Mystery, Alaska' (1999).
Rick Mellor (Bryan Callen) is the coach at William Penn Academy in 'The Goldbergs' (2013–2023). He is tough but sensitive, and overall a great character.
Japanese coach Uchiyama (Ken Takakura) takes the career of baseball player Jack Elliot (Tom Selleck) to another level in 'Mr Baseball' (1992).
Kyle Chandler plays the inspirational high school football coach Taylor in 'Friday Night Lights' (2006–2011).
Basketball fan Eddie Franklin (Whoopi Goldberg) becomes the coach of the New York Knicks in 'Eddie' (1996).
Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) is probably the most iconic fictional karate sensei of all time. His legacy started in 'The Karate Kid' (1984) where he taught underdog Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and turned him into a champion.
It's not every day that we see Tom Hanks playing a coach managing a wartime female baseball team. The movie is called 'A League of Their Own' (1992).
Gene Hackman plays yet another great coach, this time a football one called Jimmy McGinty in 'The Replacements' (2000).
Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) wouldn't have achieved the success he did without the help of Mickey Goldmill (Burgess Meredith). Mickey stars in a number of 'Rocky' movies.
Based on a true story, John Candy plays Irv Blitzer, who becomes the first coach to take a Jamaican bobsled team to the Winter Olympics. 'Cool Runnings' (1993) is definitely worth a watch.
Jackie Moon is a rather unique character who is both a basketball player and a coach. Moon is played by Will Ferrell, and the movie is called 'Semi-Pro' (2008).
Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) has a pretty tough job: he is both a hockey player and a coach in 'Slap Shot' (1977).
Of course, we have to include football coach Hayden Fox (Craig T. Nelson) on this list. After all, the show is called 'Coach' (1989–1997).
Coach Morris Buttermaker does a great job in leading a young team of misfits in California's Little League. Buttermaker is played by Walter Matthau in the 1976 movie 'The Bad News Bears.'
There are numerous coaches in the world of sports movies and TV shows, but there's only a select few that are truly worthy mentioning. In fact, some of these coaches, are not even characters in sports-related films or series. Regardless of whether they coach at professional level or amateur, these men and women became iconic in their own right for a variety of reasons.
Click through the gallery and get to know the greatest fictional coaches of all time are.
Norman Dale is a high school basketball coach who takes on a small team in Indiana. Played by Gene Hackman, coach Dale from 'Hoosiers' (1986) has what it takes.
Jedi Master Yoda might not coach sports, but he is the ultimate coach. The 'Star Wars' character knows a thing or two about coaching Jedis to use the Force.
Sources: (Screen Rant) (Bleacher Report) (Yardbarker)
A former pro hockey league player takes on a new challenge of coaching a junior hockey team. Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) does a great job in 'D2: The Mighty Ducks' (1994).
Coach Ken Carter takes the job of basketball coach for his old high school. 'Coach Carter' (2005), starring Samuel L. Jackson, is based on a true story.
We never really get to know Coach Klein's (Henry Winkler) first name in 'The Waterboy' (1998), but he's good at spotting new talent, that's for sure.
Ted Lasso is arguably the most famous coach in TV history. Jason Sudeikis plays the American football coach trying to help a British soccer team in 'Ted Lasso.' The show first aired in 2020 and is still ongoing.
The greatest fictional coaches of all time
From football to karate
MOVIES Film and tv
There are numerous coaches in the world of sports movies and TV shows, but there are only a select few that are truly worth mentioning. In fact, some of these coaches are not even characters in sports-related films or series. Regardless of whether they coach at professional level or amateur, these men and women became iconic in their own right for a variety of reasons.
Click through the gallery and get to know the greatest fictional coaches of all time.