Sports drama starring Billy Bob Thornton. In the 1988 American football season, the Permian High Panthers hold the hopes of their economically depressed town on their shoulders, and with each game hope to get closer to mainstream success. Their dedicated coach Gary Gaines (Thornton) tries to keep the team focused and together in the face of the increasingly tense expectations of the town, but when they lose their star player it's all he can do to stop the team falling apart.