Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose: TV’s 9 Best Coaches, Ranked
Everyone has an educator who made a deep impact on their lives. Oftentimes, that person is a coach.
TV and movies are replete with their own coaches, from characters based on true stories to fictional ones that end up inspiring (though there is the occasional villain we adore).
Currently, some of TV’s most beloved shows feature a string of memorable coaches. Ted Lasso, with its coaches and players in ample supply, is the sports show of the moment. The addition of club owners, publicists, and other administrative staff also adds a fun dynamic not often seen in the genre.
The Emmy-winning Apple TV+ comedy may be one of the best of the genre, but it’s far from the first. Stories about the trials and tribulations of athletes will likely never grow old. The bond between coaches and their teams, the emotional metaphors behind a team coming together to beat the odds, and the joy of a Cinderella story are just too universally ripe for the TV-narrative picking. But what makes a good TV coach?
Sometimes, it’s simply that they’re hilarious. But when you really dig deep, it’s how they impact the players they lead, both on and off the field (which, depending on how you spin it, can make for comedy gold or dramatic intrigue).
As Ted Lasso would tell you, coaching is a way of life, not just a vocation. A true leader is one who continues the work after the clock runs out. And sometimes, a coach is called to keep leading through dire straits — Coach Ben Scott (Steven Krueger) of Yellowjackets knows that more than most (hang in there, Ben).
Here, we rank our favorite TV coaches of all time, explaining why they’ve made their mark on the fictional players and viewers alike.
9. Johnny Lawrence & Daniel LaRusso, Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai is set 30 years after the events of The Karate Kid, bringing back original stars William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence and Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso; these two sensei end up becoming two sides of the same inseparable coin.
Johnny was the antagonist of Karate Kid, and while his teaching style at dojo Eagle Fang is more aggressive compared to Daniel’s, he’s still a beloved leader.
Daniel opens Miyagi-Do as an alternative to the aggressive style Johnny teaches, but the two coaches mix their styles to give their students the best chance at beating competitors from another dojo. Ultimately, they’re “stronger together.”
8. Coach, New Girl
How could we not include someone who goes by Coach instead of their actual name on this list?
Damon Wayans Jr.‘s goofy New Girl character adopted his athletic leader as his entire identity, adding a frequently hilarious dynamic to the loft in contrast with Nick Miller’s (Jake Johnson) lovable couch potato.
The best part about Coach (real name Ernie Tagliaboo) is he puts on a macho exterior but is a real sweetie on the inside who, despite his moniker, has absolutely no game when it comes to women.
Coach is at his sweetest when he starts to work at Jess’s (Zooey Deschanel) school. His love for the kids he coaches is truly just adorable.
7. Coach Hayden Fox, Coach
So many sports shows and movies focus on the trials and tribulations of high school teams. Fox‘s ’90s sitcom Coach focuses on, well, coaching — college football, to be exact.
Craig T. Nelson‘s Coach Hayden Fox spearheads the then-fictional Minnesota State. Hayden’s struggles with recruitment, his intense schedule, and the interpersonal dynamics with colleagues make for a realistic depiction of leading a college football team that TV doesn’t often see.
6. Roy Kent, Ted Lasso
We adore Brett Goldstein‘s swear-loving British curmudgeon. The all-star player-turned-coach uses the motivation that made him a great athlete as a tool to inspire the lads of A.F.C. Richmond.
The guys only benefit from Roy’s emotional evolution. The more he learns to open up and embrace his sensitive and vulnerable sides, the more the players feel inclined to do the same. The proof is in the pudding: In Ted Lasso Season 3, Roy and former rival Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) actually like each other.
5. Coach Beard, Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) would be up s**t’s creek without a paddle on the pitch if it weren’t for Coach Beard’s (Brendan Hunt) wealth of knowledge of the most beautiful game (although Ted would never call it that).
Coach Beard (does he even have a first name?) has the only quick wit that can rival Ted’s, a result of their years of working together and being the best of buds. Though he tends to be a man of few words, he shows his encyclopedic sports knowledge every time he speaks. He might not always be right in his game-day choices, but like Ted, he leads with care for all the footballers.
4. Billy Baker, All American
Taye Diggs‘ Coach Billy Baker is a great example of how being a team leader requires personal emotional evolution.
He starts All American as the head coach of Beverly High’s football team, recruiting Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) from South Crenshaw. Billy’s leadership is reflected on and off the field as he takes Spencer into his home. Eventually, Billy makes the move to head coach of South Crenshaw, where he once played.
He spends his seasons on the show contending with his concluded NFL career, realizing that to mold his players into better men, he has to do that for himself first.
Billy’s evolution through All American makes his heroic death in Season 5 a gut-wrenching shock for viewers.
3. Sue Sylvester, Glee
I’m going to create an environment that is so toxic…
Glee‘s Sue Sylvester is, bar none, the most unhinged TV coach of all time. How often does Jane Lynch‘s Cheerios leader strike fear in the hearts of McKinley High? Every single day. How often does she make us laugh with her indelible lines like, ”I will no longer be carrying around photo ID. You know why? People should know who I am”? Every single episode.
There has never been a more quotable TV coach, even with Ted Lasso‘s quips thrown into the mix. And among all of the endearing leaders we tend to see on TV, you’ve just got to love the one villain.
2. Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso
Sudeikis’ kooky character is the most lovable coach on TV. As much as people want to find him annoying at first, his genuinely good nature is impossible to deny and even more impossible to dislike. Everyone comes around to Coach Lasso eventually.
Ted’s staunch commitment to his principles gives him an endless supply of patience and understanding. What sets him apart from other coaches is the incorporation of his personal life storyline that highlights his struggles with his mental health.
Ted leads by example on the field and off when leading the Greyhounds to moral victories (even if the victories on the field aren’t as frequent as they’d like). Through his therapy sessions with Sarah Niles‘ Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, the show leads viewers through a mindful display of mental healing that shows men they can and should be vulnerable.
1. Coach Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Has there ever been a better sports motto than “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose”?
When thinking of TV coaches, Kyle Chandler‘s Coach Eric Taylor always comes to mind. Friday Night Lights remains one of television’s greatest sports shows, and much of that is because of Chandler’s Panthers leader.
FNL shows the American phenomenon of a high school football team being the go-to source of entertainment for an entire town. While the Panthers enjoy frequent successes, Coach Taylor’s commitment to making the players good people on and off the field is the real win.
That’s a hallmark of this kind of character, but Coach Taylor sets himself apart by not only being everyone’s coach, but also everyone’s dad. Many of the Panther players either lost their fathers or have absent ones. Taylor takes them under his wing, no questions asked. He gives great advice, shows true care for the team, and is funny to boot. Plus, no one gives an inspirational speech like this guy.
His leadership wouldn’t stick without the added emotional labor from his all-star wife, Connie Britton’s Tami Taylor. Her compassion and sensitivity as Dillon High’s guidance counselor and eventual principal make her as vital a part of the Panthers team as anybody else.
Texas (and Taylors) forever.
