1971 TV Film, Winner of 5 Emmy Awards, Ranked Among ‘Best Sports Movies of All Time'
In 1971, Brian's Song became one of the biggest events on television. The ABC Tuesday TV Movie of the week, starring James Caan and Billy Dee Williams as real-life Chicago Bears teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers, originally aired on Nov. 30, 1971. The made-for-TV film, which also featured Shelley Fabares, Judy Pace, and Jack Warden, attracted a massive audience and won five Emmy Awards out of a whopping 11 nominations.
Vulture described "Brian's Song" as the "picture-perfect example of the manly sports-movie weeper" on its list of the greatest sports movies of all time.
In addition, Collider ranked the film at No. 10 on a "best sports movies of all time" list that included Rocky, A League of Their Own, The Hustler, and Raging Bull. The outlet noted that because Brian's Song was based on true events "that had only happened a very short time before the movie came out ….it likely hit home even harder" for viewers in 1971. "When watched today, it does have its limitations as a TV movie, but it shines bright because of the tearjerking story at its center, as well as for the lead performances by Caan and Williams," Collider added.
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Brian's Song told the story of the interracial friendship between Brian Piccolo (Caan) and his teammate/roommate Gale Sayers (Williams) before and after Piccolo was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The movie, based on Sayers' writings about his friendship with Piccolo in his 1970 memoir I Am Third, aired on ABC a little more than a year after Piccolo died at the age of 26. The beloved running back, who died on June 16, 1970, had played with the Bears for four years, per the team's official website.
Brian's Song became the highest-rated made-for-TV film at the time and was even plugged by then-President Richard Nixon as "one of the great motion pictures" that every American should see, according to USA Today.
Speaking with The Guardianin 2024, Williams said the movie still holds a special place in his heart. "That whole experience was an act of love," the actor said. "When James Caan and I met each other there was an immediate chemistry, and then working with Buzz Kulik, the director, turned into a wonderful, beautiful and very special experience."
Brian's Song is still remembered in the sports world as the ultimate movie tearjerker more than 50 years later. NBC sportscaster Bob Costas noted on ESPN's Sports Century, "There's no question that Brian Piccolo's story was amplified by the movie. And now generations later, you don't know how many guys who ordinarily would be loath to admit that they shed a tear, will tell you at the drop of a hat, I still cry every time I see Brian's Song."
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 12:31 PM.