Coach (1989–1997): Season 3, Episode 1 - That Shouldn't Happen - full transcript

FEMALE NARRATOR: Coach is
filmed before a studio audience.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Hey, Skip!
Hey, you wanted to see me, Coach?

Yeah, sure did.

Skip, do you remember our
deal at the end of last year?

Remember it? It's all I've
thought about all summer.

After four years
of riding the bench,

you promised me if I
hung in for a fifth year,

you'd make me
starting quarterback.

It's what
I've been living for.

Yeah.
I'd say I remember it.



Huh.

Have a seat, will you?

Is there a problem, Coach?

Well, you know,
we've got Bo Whitley now.

I mean, there was no way at the end
of last year I could have conceived

of getting the best quarterback in the
country to play for Minnesota State.

If I'd have known that,
I'd have let you graduate last year

so you could get on
with your life.

But you promised.
I know.

But I also promised the team
I'd make them winners.

And you know
the law of promises.

You always honor the promise
you make to the most people.

So, here's what
I was thinking.

Now, you've done some
kicking in the past, right?



What would you say
if I told you

that from now on you are
my number one kicker?

I don't know what I'd say.

I feel like I just got
my guts ripped out.

Great. We got a deal?

What choice do I have?

Hey, that's my boy.

Skipper, dipper,
you're my kicker!

(SIGHS)

(KNOCKING ON DOOR)

Hey, Jimbo!
You wanted to see me, Coach?

Sure did.

Jimmy, do you remember our
deal at the end of last year?

Remember it?

I think about it every day.

After three years
on the bench,

I'm finally gonna get to be
the number one kicker.

Huh.

Have a seat, Jim.

(ALL CHATTERING)

Good morning.

(ALL CHEERING)

HAYDEN: Okay,
thanks everybody for being here.

You know, I couldn't sleep
last night.

I started thinking back
to some of the...

The truly happy moments
in my life.

When I put on my first
football uniform,

the day I got my first car,

the day that my grandfather got that
surgery that restored his sight,

God love him.

Of course, none of that even comes
close to the way I feel today.

Because today I...

I get the chance to
introduce to you the young man

who is going to take
Minnesota State all the way.

The new quarterback,

the Screaming Eagles'

Bo Whitley!

(ALL CHEERING)

(FANFARE PLAYING)

(SHOUTING)

Bo! Bo! Bo! Bo!

Thank you.
Yes! Bo Whitley!

How about that?

Thank you all so much
for coming out today.

You know,
I prayed long and hard

about my decision
to come to Minnesota State.

I had offers
at a lot of other schools,

but a voice kept telling me,

"Go to Minnesota State.
Go to Minnesota State."

Heck, Coach Fox must've called
me three times a day for a year.

(ALL LAUGHING)

1 did, too.

And I'm glad he did.
Thank you.

Now, if the good Lord will
just let me stay healthy,

hopefully, I can make you all as
happy about my decision as I am.

Thank you.

(ALL CHEERING)

(MARCHING BAND PLAYING)

HAYDEN: Stop!

Ladies and gentlemen of the
press, he's all yours.

REPORTER: Bo, first question!

I cannot believe
this day's finally come.

Ranked in the top 20 for
the first time in our lives.

Our first real chance
at a bowl bid.

We could even
go undefeated.

I'll tell you, Hayden,
if ll died today,

I'd be happy
for the rest of my life.

Oh, this is so exciting.

I don't think I've ever
seen you this happy.

Well, I've never had anyone come into
my life that's made me this happy.

Present company excepted,
I assume.

No, I mean, this is
the first time ever...

Oh, I know
where you're going.

I know,
except for you.

And you too,
sweetheart.

Congratulations, Dad.

Oh, Kelly,
isn't this great?

Gee, Dad, since you're
in such a good mood,

maybe you could be nice
to my husband today?

He's been sitting in the
corner so as not to annoy you.

Oh, that is
so sweet of him.

Hayden, include him.

What about if I just
wave to him? Hey, Stu.

Jeez,
he's coming over here.

BOB: Coach, can I pull you
away for a second?

You sure can.

Hey, Stu, thanks for
not annoying me.

All right.

Got to hand it to you,
Hayden.

Bo Whitley is a superstar.

You did a masterful job
of recruiting.

Well, gee, Clifton.

I didn't think I'd ever hear
a compliment from you.

I never thought
I'd have one to give.

Let's face it.
You're going to have a fantastic year.

Now, on behalf
of Channel 6,

what would you say this year to
finally agreeing to do a coach's show?

Gee, I don't know, Bob-O.

I've never made a big deal about this,
but I kind of cherish my weekends.

We'll do them
right after the game.

I mean, it'll be fun.

With the kind of year
that you're going to have,

people are going to be calling
you up and singing your praises.

It's probably not going to be
so much a coach's show

as a weekly tribute to you.

I guess that's true.

After 20 years of

being hacked by every slimeball
journalist in the country,

I wouldn't mind
a little tribute.

Then let me be
your tributary.

Huh?

Okay, what the heck.
You got a deal.

Fantastic!
Everybody, guess what?

Channel 6 is finally going
to have The Hayden Fox Show.

(MARCHING BAND PLAYING)

No, no, no! Music!

Hayden, that is great!
It's about time you got your own show.

Hey, thanks, Luth.
Can I be on it?

Nope. Okay.
Congratulations anyway.

Hey.

Listen, as long as you're
in such an agreeable mood,

I'd like to ask you something.

Fire away.
Okay.

I was just thinking that since everything
seems to be going so well this year

and you seem to be in
unusually high spirits,

that now might be
the perfect time for

my mother to come
and finally meet you.

This is something you've wanted
for a long time, isn't it?

Well, it's not so much something I've
wanted as something she's wanted.

I'd say she's mentioned it
60, 70,000 times.

Yeah. Listen,
tell Mildred to come on over.

Really?
Oh, sure.

Well, let's fly Mildred out
here for the first game.

You know,
we'll wine and dine her,

and show her all the sights,

and put her back on the plane.
She'd be home before midnight.

Oh, Hayden!

Oh, I'm just kidding.
I'm in a good mood, honey.

She can stay the night.
Oh!

Then we'll fire her off
in the morning.

CHEERLEADERS: (CHANTING) Coach!
Coach! Coach! Coach! Coach! Coach!

All right, easy!

Thanks everybody for coming to
the first game of the season.

I want you to know,
you are the greatest!

(ALL CHEERING)

LUTHER: I just want you to
know that it's fans like you

that have made the Screaming
Eagles the kind of team...

Hayden? Hayden?

Jeez, Hayden,
I didn't know you'd come in.

(PHONE RINGING)

Coach, the team's ready
for the pep talk.

Got to get this first, Dauber.

It could be the president or
somebody calling me to wish me well.

Coach here.

Yeah, sure.
Luth, it's for you.

Mr. President?

Oh, hi, it's you.
Yeah. You're kidding.

You're kidding!

Hey, thanks a lot for calling
and letting me know, okay? Yeah.

You're not going to believe this.
My loan came through.

What loan?

A home loan.
I bought a house.

You bought a house?

Well, jeez,
why didn't you tell me?

I was afraid if I told
you, I'd jinx it.

I just figured, you know,
with Bo Whitley being here,

if there's ever a time to crawl out
on a financial limb, this was it.

Luth, that's great.
Congratulations.

Thanks. Hey, yeah. From me, too.

Your first house.
Big change, huh?

Hey, don't I know it.

I've rented my whole life.

Being a homeowner is going to be
like going into the great unknown.

When do you move?

Don't have to. I bought
the house I've been renting.

Coach, I'm not trying
to run things,

but I think the guys are ready
for a few words from you now.

Okay, I'll be there in a second, Bo.
All right.

Oh, Bo? Bo, Bo, Bo?

Bo,

you know,
if I haven't said it already

or if I haven't
said it enough

or if I haven't
said it today,

I just want you
to know that

I thank God
every minute you're here.

Right, Coach.
Okay.

Hi.

Hey, Christine.

Is now a good time?

Well, gee, honey, I got
to give the pep talk, but...

Yeah, well, I mean,
we'll make it quick.

I meant to meet my mother.

Oh, your mom?

Well, gee, I don't think
there's time for that.

We've got kickoff
in seven minutes.

Hayden...

No, listen, how about if we just
meet her down here at halftime?

We're gonna have
2 big buffet and everything.

That way Mildred and I can get
a chance to know each other.

Well, okay.
Okay, all right.

All right.

Good luck.

Hey, don't need luck.
Got Bo Whitley.

See you at halftime.

Christine? Here I am,
all fresh and ready to meet that man of yours.

Where is he?
You just missed him.

1 did? Oh, darn those
electric hand dryers.

Gentlemen, each year
at the start of the season

I stand up here and tell
you that I firmly believe

the upcoming season
can be a great one.

Well, this year I'm not
just blowing smoke.

(ALL LAUGHING)

'Cause you are a great team.

And I stress the word "team,”
because that's what you are.

Despite all the hoopla today,

there is more than just
one name in the program.

All your names are in it.

You're all equally important.

Now, for some of you,
this is your first year with me.

Others have been with me
four, five years.

But this is the year
you're gonna remember.

Because this is the year

that's gonna make all those other
years in your life seem meaningless.

What do you say?

Let's get up now as a team,
let's go out there together!

And let's make some history!

(PLAYERS SHOUTING)

HAYDEN: You bet! You bet!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Yeah, yeah! Oh, yeah!
Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!

Bo... Bo...

Son, I have been waiting
along time to do this.

(YELLS)

I can't move my shoulder.

BO: I can't move it.
It's killing me!

What do you mean
it's killing you?

Al did was
high five you.

My whole shoulder
feels like it's on fire.

Oh, jeez! Oh, jeez!

Dauber, go get Doc!
Quick!

Oh, jeez! Oh, jeez!

Hey, Luther!
Just shut up!

It feels like
you tore something!

I couldn't have
torn anything, Bo.

Come on... Hey, Bo.
Just do this. Do this.

I can't even lift it, Coach!

Oh, come on, Bo,
just do that!

Just do this!

What the hell is
the matter with you?

Luth, I think
he's going to faint.

He's going to faint?
My whole life is flashing before me!

I just bought a house!

I've got to sit down.

Doc's coming.
How is he?

I'm a little light-headed.

1 got no time
to wait for Doc.

Get Bo to the hospital.

My whole life, my whole career
is riding on this kid's shoulder.

I've got a mortgage,
for God's sake!

Come on, Bo.
Don't worry about it, son.

Everything is
going to be okay!

What if Bo can't play?

They'll lose every game.

We'll be finished.

Our lives will be over
and I'm gonna owe $62,500.

Now wait a minute, let's not panic.
Let's not panic.

Escrow. I got to
get out of escrow.

Maybe with luck,
Bo will be back for the second half.

Phone, I got to find a phone.

Luther, just stop it.
Stop it!

Is it getting darker
in here?

Luth? Luth, listen to me.

The team is gonna be looking
to us for strength, okay?

We're the coaches,
for God's sake.

We've got to start
acting like coaches.

We can't panic.
Let's just keep our wits about us.

Luth, we got to be strong,
like rocks.

Let's be rocks, okay?
Let's go out there.

Just be strong.
Be strong!

Come on, show it to me.
Give it to me. Strength.

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen,
that's the end of the first half.

That is the

worst half of football

I have ever seen in my life.

I don't remember,
did we ever have the ball?

Any words of wisdom
for the second half?

Not from me.
I'm not going to see the second half.

I'm going to go home,
put on my heavy boots,

tie my car battery around my
waist, and go for a swim.

I bet a swim would
cheer us all up.

Well, I'd better go
check on the team.

Where is Bo?

How come Doc hasn't called?

If he hasn't called,
that probably means he's on his way back.

Like, if he had called,
that'd be bad news, right?

(PHONE RINGING)

Of course, that's just
my opinion. I'm negative.

Maybe it's good news.

Coach here.

Well, that's bad news.

Thanks.

You're going to love this.

Bo's shoulder's dislocated.

He's going to be out
half the season.

You want anything
to eat, Luth?

Good.

Worst day of my life.

Christine, I swear to God,
Hi.

If your mother's out there...

No, no. She's not.

She's not, but she will
be here in a minute.

What happened?

(MUTTERING)

God, I'm really sorry
about the first half.

Any word on Bo?

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Bo's shoulder is dislocated.
He's out five or six weeks.

How did it happen?

I did it.

You did it?
Yeah. Yeah.

I just gave him
a high five, Christine.

I mean, I've done it a thousand
times to a thousand other players,

but because this is the finest athlete that
I've ever had the privilege of coaching,

I just tore up
every muscle in his shoulder.

Oh, Hayden...

Christine,
I just don't understand it.

I mean, I thanked God
every second he was here.

Doesn't somebody keep track
of these things?

Coach, I know you probably
don't feel like talking,

but I think the team really
needs to hear something from you.

They're a little
shell shocked in here.

Hayden, this is so unfair.

You've worked so hard,
you deserve better than this.

Maybe some miracle will
happen in the second half

and the team will rally and
everything will turn around

and you'll have
a come-from-behind victory.

Thank you, Christine.

You're full of cow flop,
but I love you for it.

Well, it's true what they say.

You don't buy beer,
you rent it.

Oh, my!

Who did this?

Hayden. But he's having
a really terrible day, Mother.

The poor guy's
practically in tears.

Yes, watching him
down on the field,

he did seem high-strung.

You know, I'm surprised,
Christine.

You've always been
so calm and poised.

I never thought you'd go
for somebody so emotional.

He's not emotional,
Mother.

He's passionate.

I have never understood you since
the day you came home from college.

I just feel
so sorry for Dad.

This was supposed to be one of
the happiest days of his life.

Now it's just like
all the others.

How do we cheer him up?

We don't.

When Hayden has had
a setback like this,

all you can do
is let him be.

The less said the better.

(CLEARS THROAT)
There he is.

Excuse me.

Forty-one to two.

How do you lose
a football game 41 to two?

I got it all
on film, Coach.

If you want, we can
look at it tomorrow.

Hi.

Hi.

How you doing,
Hayden?

Forty-one to two.

Yeah, I know.

But your friends are here
now, and your family.

People who care about you.

And right now, all everybody's
thinking of is you and your welfare.

By the way,
I got out of the house.

Do you think you're up
to meeting my mother?

Heck, that's why
I'm here.

Yeah, let's get
it over with.

That's the spirit,
Coach.

Hayden, this is
my mother, Mildred.

Mom, this is
the elusive Hayden Fox.

It's really nice
to meet you finally.

It's nice to meet you, too,
Mildred.

I'm really sorry
about the game.

Oh, heck, it's just
the first game of the season.

I'm sure we'll lose
a lot more.

(CHUCKLES NERVOUSLY)

Why don't we all
just sit down?

I'm really sorry
about Bo Whitley, Dad.

I guess cosmically
it just wasn't meant to be.

I guess not.

Sir, I know right now
the last person in the world

you want to be
hearing from is me...

That's right, Stu.

Oh.

If it's any consolation,

I think I understand
what you're going through.

Mother...

Just last fall,

my bridge club lost to
the Paducah County All Stars.

We were this close to winning
the Lyle Moat Award.

So, I know about
disappointment.

Yeah, you've been
to hell and back.

Mother, Mother,
you're not helping.

I was just trying to point out that
we all have setbacks in our life.

It's not
the end of the world.

Life goes on.

Christine, just get her
out of here, will you?

I did not come all the way from
Kentucky to be talked to like this.

Excuse me.
Oh, Mother...

Wait, wait, Mrs. Armstrong.
Please, please, please wait. Please wait.

I didn't mean
to insult you.

Believe me, I don't have
the strength or the time

to explain to you
why winning

is so important to me.

It's my life.

It's who I am,
it's what I live for.

And I was just
trying to point out

it's a game.
It's not that important.

Christine, get her the hell
out of here, would you?

Mother!
No, wait a minute.

Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Mildred, look,
just hear me out.

And don't talk.

Because when you talk,
it just drives me nuts!

You came here because you
wanted to get to know me.

Well, this is who I am.
This is me.

I take things hard.

I don't know why.

I guess it's because maybe
I'm just an emotional guy.

Passionate.
Not in front of your mother.

Let me get to the point.

I mean, I take things
hard, you know.

You're right.
There are things in my life that are...

That are more important than victories, you know.
You are right about that.

Your daughter is
more important.

And my friends are
more important.

My daughter is
more important.

And Stuart's over there.

I mean, you were right
about all that.

And I'm gonna put all that
into perspective.

But not tonight.

Tonight I just
want to feel bad.

I just want to hide
from the world.

Can you understand that?

I'll try.

That's good.

Now, if you don't mind,

I'm just going to kind
of crawl over there, and

sit down, and
lick my wounds,

in private.

All right!
Ladies and gentlemen!

It's show time!

(MARCHING BAND PLAYING)