As much as this movie had a lot of characters that stood out, only the one of Luther “Shark” Lavay had that feeling of deja-vu. Lavay was billed as the Linebacker who changed the way the position was played; the very statement that was given to the man who portrayed him, Lawrence Taylor. Taylor was not a great actor here, but he was given some of the more poignant gridiron related speeches in the film. With a chainsaw, he taught “Steamin” Willie Beamen offense and defence, and he taught the young Quarterback about emotion in the game. Lavay’s career ended on the field due to making a vital hit (it turned the ball over on downs), but he was stretchered off the field, where it was implied that he may be paralyzed; essentially due to all the damage he took on the football field. Somehow, in the new injury aware National Football League, this scene seems to hold a little more impact than it did when it was filmed. The Bullet Points: Movie Appeared: Any Given Sunday (1999) Actor: Lawrence Taylor Position Portrayed: Linebacker Played for: Miami Sharks Why you should vote for him: Much like Lawrence Taylor changed linebacking in the NFL, Lavay changed it in the AFFA. (Pacino said the latter, so IT MUST BE TRUE) Why you should not vote for him: Much like Taylor himself, Lavay’s best days were behind him. {youtube}
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We could have nominated Sinbad as the second person from this movie, but then we remembered that it was Sinbad. 
For our money, our favorite supermodel of the late 80’s/early 90’s boom of that profession was Kathy Ireland, which is why we are giving her a nomination here. It wasn’t a great role, but she looked good doing it, which was good enough for us….actually it may have been the only time we can remember looking forward to a Place Kicker in a Football game. The Bullet Points: Movie Appeared: Necessary Roughness (1991) Actor: Kathy Ireland Position Portrayed: Place Kicker Played for: Texas State Fighting Armadillos Why you should vote for her: She could be the hottest nominee. Why you should not vote for her: Kickers can’t get into the Football Hall of Fame; that probably transfers over here. {youtube}
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An underappreciated sports movie (it is more known for Madonna’s hit song, Crazy for You, which was on the soundtrack) Vision Quest was the story of Louden Swain (Matthew Modine) and the standard coming of age of story of an eighteen year old trying to find himself. For him, (in addition to getting the girl) making that mark is challenging the top wrestler (Brian Shute) in the region. It gives us the sports moments we want, with Swain putting himself through physical torture to make the weight to contest against Shute. The end (spoiler alert) has Swain win over Shute at the last second in perfect sports drama. We don’t think this entry will get a lot of support, but it probably should receive a little more than it will.
The Bullet Points:
Movie Appeared:
Vision Quest (1985)
Actor:
Matthew Modine
Played for:
Thompson H.S.
Why you should vote for him:
He was successful in his goal in the end.
Why you should not vote for him:
This movie has been largely forgotten.
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Although we had no real issue with the character of Lou Collins, it was his portrayer, Timothy Busfield that bothered us a bit. It was not that he was bad in the role, but at no point could we really buy the guy who was Poindexter in Revenge of the Nerds and one of the whining guys in Thirtysomething as a Major League First Baseman. The Bullet Points: Movie Appeared: Little Big League (1994) Actor: Timothy Busfield Position Portrayed: First Base Played for: Minnesota Twins Why you should vote for him: Well, he banged the owner’s mom. That is a real life fantasy for….ok, nobody. Why you should not vote for him: Poindexter {youtube}
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