Ranking the 15 Best Ever Fictional Characters From Sports Movies

By Tyler

Picking Out the Best Ever Fictional Characters From Sports Movies

Happy Gilmore best sports movies — There are a number of sports movies that have stood the test of time, genuinely changing the way in which people view sports and life in general. But amongst the plethora of incredible sports movies that have been produced, these 15 characters have established themselves as the best fictional characters from sports movies of all time.

15. Reggie "Reg" Dunlop - Slapshot

reggie dunlop best fictional sports characters

15. Reggie "Reg" Dunlop - Slapshot

reggie dunlop best fictional sports characters — "Slapshot" is considered the best hockey movie of all time by many people, and the character Reggie Dunlop pulled the whole thing together. Dunlop was the player-coach of the legendary Charlestown Chiefs, and his mix of wit and grit brought the organization together and helped make the movie one for the ages.

14. Cal Naughton Jr. -- Talladega Nights

cal naughton jr best sports characters

14. Cal Naughton Jr. -- Talladega Nights

cal naughton jr best sports characters — Naughton was not the main character in the film "Talladega Nights", but he was arguably the funniest. His general stupidity and undying loyalty to Ricky Bobby made him a pivotal part of the film.

13. Peter LaFleur -- Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

peter lafleur best sports characters

13. Peter LaFleur -- Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

peter lafleur best sports characters — A down on his luck business owner, LaFleur brings together Average Joe's dodgeball team in an effort to win $ 50,000 in a dodgeball tournament and salvage Average Joe's gym. LaFleur showed humor and determination on the way to guiding Average Joe's to the Las Vegas dodgeball tournament, saving the gym and destroying Globo-Gym in the process.

12. Ray Kinsella -- Field of Dreams

ray kinsella best sports characters

12. Ray Kinsella -- Field of Dreams

ray kinsella best sports characters — "Field of Dreams" is a must-watch movie for any baseball fan, and the character the movie was centered around is Ray Kinsella. An Iowa farmer, Kinsella builds a legendary baseball field and then watches it come to life in a most legendary fashion.

11. Daniel LaRusso -- The Karate Kid

karate kid best sports characters

11. Daniel LaRusso -- The Karate Kid

karate kid best sports characters — LaRusso was the main character of "The Karate Kid", as he bonds with Mr. Miyagi and fights through numerous obstacles to win a karate tournament over the favored Johnny Lawrence. LaRusso taught fans about the benefits of always working hard, and he left a lasting impact on the genre of sporting films.

10. Kelly Leak -- Bad News Bears

kelly bad news bears sports movies

10. Kelly Leak -- Bad News Bears

kelly bad news bears — The "Bad News Bears" would never have been successful without the presence of Kelly Leak, who served as the team's star pitcher, shortstop and their best hitter. Leak also had an attitude for the ages, serving as a reminder that teenagers can be both rebellious and extremely dedicated to doing good things.

9. Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn -- Major League

wild thing best sports characters

9. Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn -- Major League

wild thing sports characters — The nickname Wild Thing starts out the film "Major League" as a derogatory term, but by the end of the film it is almost a rally cry of sorts for the surging Cleveland Indians. Vaughn certainly wasn't a perfect role model, but he was incredibly funny and served as perhaps the most important piece of glue that kept the Indians together throughout their magical season in the film.

8. Ty Webb -- Caddyshack

ty webb best sports characters

8. Ty Webb -- Caddyshack

ty webb best sports characters — Webb was the main character in the film "Caddyshack", and he was the main reason the film became one for the ages. Webb had a much more extravagant personality than people would expect out of a golf star, and his charisma and humorous approach helped make "Caddyshack" much more than just a movie about golf.

7. Happy Gilmore -- Happy Gilmore

best sports film characters

7. Happy Gilmore -- Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore best sports characters — Happy Gilmore was such a hilarious character in large part because of his ridiculousness, which is typical of any Adam Sandler character. Nevertheless, Gilmore had a personal side as well, and his character made the film "Happy Gilmore" one of the all time great sports films.

6. Crash Davis -- Bull Durham

crash davis sports characters

6. Crash Davis -- Bull Durham

crash davis sports characters — The film "Bull Durham" was almost as much romantic comedy as it was a film about baseball, and Crash Davis made the film as great as it was. Davis' character shows that pitching in professional baseball is not always the fairytale people make it out to be, although the film does turn into a sort of romantic fairytale of itself.

5. Charlie Conway -- The Mighty Ducks

charlie conway best sports character

5. Charlie Conway -- The Mighty Ducks

charlie conway best sports characters — Conway was the captain and leader of "The Mighty Ducks" throughout their three movie journey, growing up as both a hockey player and a person as the team moved from PeeWee champions to playing for Team USA and then going off to prep school.

4. Ricky Bobby -- Talladega Nights

ricky bobby sports films

4. Ricky Bobby -- Talladega Nights

ricky bobby sports characters — The character Ricky Bobby was absolutely hilarious, as he went from being a shy underdog to an unabashed champion and then a humbled person returning onto the NASCAR scene. Bobby surely was a bit ludicrous, but the film "Talladega Nights" was also a bit crazy. This is what made both so great.

3. Paul Crewe -- The Longest Yard

paul crewe sports characters

3. Paul Crewe -- The Longest Yard

paul crewe sports characters — Both in the 1974 and 2005 version of "The Longest Yard", it was clear that the best character on the screen was Paul Crewe. The quarterback of a prison football team, Crewe goes on a journey of personal redemption while behind bars, showing a great sense of witty humor while taking down an entrenched prison system that seemed intent on taking the team down before they could beat the guards in a football game.

2. Rocky Balboa -- Rocky

sports characters Rocky Balboa

2. Rocky Balboa -- Rocky

sports characters — There has never been a more inspiring sports character than Rocky Balboa, who throughout the "Rocky" film series went from being an underdog fighter to an old man. But he never backs down in the ring and goes through a touching personal journey along the way.

1. Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez -- The Sandlot

best sports film characters

1. Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez -- The Sandlot

best sports characters — "The Sandlot" was such a great film because it brought kids back to their childhood days of playing baseball with friends in an empty field, and Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez was the typical best player on the field. Rodriguez was not explicitly flamboyant, but he steals the show by getting the Babe Ruth signed ball from "the beast" and goes on to play in MLB. All in all, Rodriguez was the type of character that any kid would want to be.

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