2023 Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame - Round 1

Matt Saracen

TV Show/Movie Appeared: Friday Night Lights (2006-11)
Actor/Actress: Zach Gilford
Position Portrayed: Quarterback
Played For:: Dillon Panthers
Why you should vote:: Is there not something noble about the reluctant hero?
Why you should not vote:: At the end of the day, this is still the backup, who did not exactly “Jon Moxon” it on the gridiron.
We wonder if Matt Saracen was the favorite character for a lot the viewers of Friday Night Lights. Saracen (Zach Gilford) was the reluctant hero of the field, the socially awkward backup Quarterback, thrust into a starting role due to an injury to the star. Borrowing from another movie, Saracen did not pull off a “Jon Moxon” and was benched in his Senior year. Still, the role was given a lot of arcs, which is better than 99 percent of characters from television.