This is a TV show idea that a group of us came up with for a class called “The Program.” It centers around a Division II football team and the players, coaches, and others associated with the school.
The Program
Created by:
Griffin Shaffer
Kellen Coleman
Eddie Radosevich
Title: The Program
Logline: A former small college coach takes the head coaching job at the University of Southern California. He battles week-in and week-out to adjust to leading a big time college football program in one of the biggest media markets in the United States.
After long-time USC coach Tom Wakefield is fired prior to the start of the 2008 season, the athletic director along with boosters must find a replacement fast. They decide to hire a coach to take the fall if USC has a poor season, then go after a big-time coach next year.
Coaching at small-division II West Texas University Marshall Kingsley had won many titles and was a town hero. One day, a private jet lands in his town with one mission: to make him the next football coach at the University of Southern California.
At the local diner USC executives explain to Coach Kingsley why he should leave his, “small-town nobody’s and become famous in Los Angeles.” At first Kingsley is very optimistic about the move but eventually gives in and announces he will leave his hometown, his players, and friends behind to chase his dream in Hollywood.
Kingsley arrives to cameras flashing and more media than he had seen in his 4 years at West Texas University. He is a little overwhelmed but one man, head alumni supporter and film tycoon Arthur Stephenson III, takes the new coach under his wing to show the Coliseum (home field for the USC Trojans) and the weight room of which makes his previous weight room back home in Texas look like a rat’s hole.
Then the football boosters take Coach Kingsley to an amazing new home they have just bought for him. Coincidentally, it is right next to the beach and costs to the upper millions. Nonetheless, the small-town Texas coach has been blown off his feet by the hospitality shown towards him by his new advisors and alumni.
A party is ordered in his honor that evening.
Coach Kingsley arrives to a smashing party with celebrities and of the like. The party is wild, with half-naked girls, loud music, and flashing lights. Football boosters introduce him to girls and other wealthy Los Angeles dignitaries.
Coach Kinsley wakes up the next morning with two women in his bed. Doesn’t remember a single event from the night before and is if anything very embarrassed.
He is late for his first team meeting.
Walking in the first thing he notices is the size of the players. A far cry from what he had seen a West Texas University. Should he be intimidated by his own players? As he begins talking to the players he can’t help but notice the anger the players have in their eyes. They are obviously still upset by the dismissal of Kingsley’s predecessor who had won 3 out of the last 5 Pac 10 Championships with four career Rose Bowl wins. About 15 minutes into Kingsley’s meeting, in role temperamental star QB Adrian Kendall. Kendall is a hot head who doesn’t want to listen to the new coach or abide by his rules. He knows he will be a top ten pick in the NFL next year, so he just wants to play for himself.
After an icy introduction to the team Coach Kingsley is hounded by the Los Angeles media. He is straight forward with them and they in turn question his ability to coach a big-time Division I football program like USC.
After the press conference Kingsley retreats to his office on the USC campus. What has he done? He begins to think of what he has left in Texas. Friends, family, and a legacy that he may never be able to have again at a program like USC.
It is here he meets, Makayla Carlyle, who is the team’s academic advisor. She throws a sheet of all the academically ineligible players and tells him he has to deal with it.
He thinks she’s attractive, but they don’t see eye to eye at first and don’t hit it off really that well at all.
The next day is the first practice where a team fight breaks out. The team looks slow, rusty, and the new usually remote coach boils over. Kendall, along with many of the seniors, rips into the coach, calling him a temporary, wanna-be, washed-up ex-player. The team walks out of the practice leaving the new West Texas prodigy on the field by himself, wondering how he can handle his team, win, and keep his job.
Character description:
Head Coach: Marshall Kingsley – Ex-Division I quarterback who blew out his knee and was forced to retire from the Dallas Cowboys. He becomes head coach at West Texas University, a Division II school, in 2004, at the age of only 25. He is an instant success, talk of the town, and wins 3 straight conference championships while at West Texas. The 29 year old coach must now face his toughest test yet in L.A.
Quaterback: Adrian Kendall- The 21-year old former high-school standout and blue-chip number 1 recruiting prospect breaks the USC and NCAA single-season passing yards and touchdown records during his freshmen season. Coming from a troubled past, his father in jail during his childhood and a mother that is not around much, he must maintain his academics while off the field issues have always been trouble for him.
Academic Advisor: Makayla Carlyle- born and raised to be a Trojan, Makayla Carlyle is living her dream of working for the University of Southern California as an academic advisor. As a good looking 28 year old living in Los Angeles she must counter work and her private life. Doing so is hard considering her fondness of the new ‘ball coach on campus.
Head Alumni booster: Arthur Stephenson III – after his playing days at USC this multi-millionaire continues to be an integral part to the private Los Angeles University. Whether it’s buying players cars or setting coaches up with dates Stephenson is the 64-year old ‘dirty’ alum is the one to go to.
Subsequent Episodes:
à Rivalry Week with UCLA
– UCLA player spots Makayla Carlyle at the mall and starts “hitting” on her.
– USC players see this and confront the situation (key now = the players now have the coaches back
à Adrian Kendall starts driving a BMW around Los Angeles. Causing uproar amongst the L.A. media and Coach Kingsley has to confront Kendall to tell him he’s not playing in until he loses the BMW. Kendall responds by claiming he doesn’t need to the coach to intervene in his new found celebrity stardom and that he doesn’t need the team or the coach.
à Backup strong safety gets tired of sitting on the bench, deciding he wants to get bigger and play linebacker. He gets stronger towards the end of the season but not by working hard. He has fallen to the use of steroids and become in debt to steroid providers. He must pay up his or else they will take his rampant steroid use story to the Los Angeles media.
à Arthur Stephenson pressures Coach Kingsley into attending a dinner banquet held by the Alumni Football club. At first reluctant to attend Kingsley is soon swayed into going. Upon hearing the news that the new coach will attend Stephenson takes it upon him to set up the coach with his niece a model from L.A. The coach must now face Makayla Carlyle and decide how he will deal with a.) not taking her as his date to the banquet and b.) not disappointing the big-time booster
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