Necessary Roughness (film)
| Necessary Roughness | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Stan Dragoti |
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| Music by | Bill Conti |
| Cinematography | Peter Stein |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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108 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $26.3 million (US) |
Necessary Roughness is a 1991 American sport comedy film directed by Stan Dragoti, his final film. The film stars Scott Bakula, Héctor Elizondo, Robert Loggia, and Harley Jane Kozak. Co-stars include Larry Miller, Sinbad, Jason Bateman, Kathy Ireland, Rob Schneider, and Fred Thompson.
The film touches on an up-and-coming season at the fictional higher learning institution of Texas State University and its football team nicknamed the Fightin' Armadillos. (At the time the film was made, there was no Texas State University, but in 2003, Southwest Texas State University changed its name to Texas State University, nicknamed the Bobcats, which coincidentally was the "season opener" opponent of the fictional Texas State Armadillos.)
Texas State's predicament—they are forced to start the season with a host of new coaches and players after the previous staff and players were removed after a scandal—is based on the "death penalty" handed out to the Southern Methodist University football team by the NCAA in 1987 for team violations very similar to the ones that the fictional Texas State is accused of.
The Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos were once one of the most powerful teams in college football. After winning consecutive national championships, massive NCAA violations resulted in the program having to forfeit years' worth of victories. All of the previous players and coaches are banned from returning except Charlie Banks, the only "clean" player, who never got to play despite having "heart".
The new coaching staff, led by Ed "Straight Arrow" Gennero (Elizondo), is forced to build an almost entirely new team with little assistance. No athletic scholarships are available, forcing them to hold tryouts. Along with this, they must worry about Dean Elias (Miller), who wants the team to fail so he can scrap it. The coaches soon have a makeshift team in place.
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