Underdog role

HIS BEST SHOT: Among the dense catalogue of roles by Gene Hackman (center), 

coach Norman Dale in “Hoosiers” is one of Mike Vaccaro’s favorites.

We will never forget Hackman as Hickory’s Coach Dale in ‘Hoosiers’

28 Feb 2025 - New York Post

Mike Vaccaro - mvaccaro@ nypost.com

HE WON one Oscar for playing Popeye Doyle in “The French Connection,” and all these years later whenever someone props a pork pie hat on his head on a chilly morning, they’re inviting greetings of “Hey, Popeye!” the rest of the day. He won another for “Unforgiven,” which may well be the best Western of them all.

He was nominated three other times, all of them indelible classics: “Bonnie & Clyde,” “I Never Sang for my Father,” “Mississippi Burning.” And as you sifted through the various lists of Gene Hackman’s 10 or 15 or 20 greatest roles after it was learned he’d passed at age 95, some of them never even got around to “Hoosiers.”

That’s a testament to one of the great acting careers ever. So many characters, so much unforgettable work. It’s also a shame. Because for me — and, I suspect, a lot of folks who care about movies every bit as much as they care about sports — the first character I thought of when I heard the sad news was coach Norman Dale, who insisted you pass the ball four times before shooting it, who didn’t care if Jimmy Chitwood played for his Hickory High Huskers or not, and at first didn’t even set up the final shot for Jimmy in the state title game against South Bend Central.

Hackman, by all accounts, was not much of a basketball fan, and by all accounts he was displeased with the “Hoosiers” shoot, at one point insisting to co-star Dennis Hopper that the movie was going to end their careers. (Spoiler: It did not.)

We are closing in on March, and that means that all across the country “Hoosiers” will receive its annual spring renewal, wornout DVDs and VHS tapes going hard to work for a 38th straight year, the streaming services on which it’s available getting a gaggle of clicks.

St. John’s played Butler at Indianapolis’ Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. I defy anyone who watched the game to say they didn’t think of “Hoosiers” at least once.

You know every line. You have every shot memorized. Every time a drunken Shooter wanders into the gym, you scream “Don’t do it!” and it breaks your heart all over again to see him stumble onto the court. And, of course, every time they gather in the locker room one last time, Hackman as Dale gets you revved up to run through a brick wall for him.

“And most important … don’t get caught up thinking about winning or losing this game. If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we’re gonna be winners! OK?!”

And then, later: “I love you guys.”

(I mean, I want to take a charge for coach Norman Dale RIGHT NOW.)

A few years back, I wrote a column about how I’d like the sequels of our favorite sports movies to go. We never got “Hoosiers II,” just an ambiguous comment from Dale not answering the question as to if he’d be returning for the 1952-53 season. This was my shot:

Dale gladly accepts an offer from coach Tony Hinkle to follow Chitwood to Butler and serve as an assistant. He marries Myra Fleener, sees Jimmy become an All-American and later coaches Bradley for five years. The happiest ending, however, goes to Shooter Flatch, who not only kicks drinking for good but is given Dale’s old job, coaches at Hickory for 21 years, wins 412 games and two more state titles. When he dies in 1978, Bob Knight says, “Flatch forgot more basketball than most of the coaches I’ve met ever knew.”

I’ll stick with that one. It was Hopper who in real life received one of the film’s two Oscar nominations (the other was for Best Score), so in the “Hoosiers” universe why not let Flatch get his moment of glory, too.

After all, Norman Dale had already been "Popeye" Doyle and Harry R. Caul ( “The Conversation”) and Max Millan (“Scarecrow”) and Harold, the Blind Man from “Young Frankenstein.” Still ahead of him was Royal Tenenbaum and Sheriff “Little Bill” Daggett and David Brice (“No Way Out”). In his rich, full lifetime, he had a remarkable 101 acting credits in movies from 1961’s “Mad Dog Coll” to 2004’s “Welcome to Mooseport.”

It’s a career for the ages, a talent for the ages. For me, he is forever Norman Dale telling the preacher’s son, deep in prayer, “Strap, God wants you on the floor.” It’s him telling the ref: “My team is on the floor!” and it’s him telling his players, “After Ollie makes his second shot …” then turning to Ollie and adding, “… and you will make your second shot!”

Of course he does. Of course he did. Who in their right mind wanted to disappoint coach Norman Dale?