Jerry Van Dyke, Craig T. Nelson, and Bill Fagerbakke. ABC/Photofest ©ABC
Overview
What is amazing is that fans of Coach actually knew what day and time it was scheduled to air often enough to maintain its standing as one of the top-rated shows of its era. The network bounced it around like a Ping-Pong ball for eight seasons, placing it on every day of the week but Friday and Sunday, and all four time slots between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The fact that it achieved Nielsen ratings in the Top 18 in every season but two and peaked twice at number six is a testament to all involved in the production.
The show revolved around Hayden Fox (Craig T. Nelson), who coached the usually woebegone Screaming Eagles football team at fictional Minnesota State University. Hayden showed a passion for the sport and a yearning to win and maintain discipline, all of which were tempered by his desire to mold his players into young men with a kind, caring approach. He was assisted by bumbling, mindless assistant Luther Van Dam (Jerry Van Dyke) and stereotypical dumb jock Dauber Dybinski (Bill Fagerbakke), a former Screaming Eagles player who joked about his status as a perennial student before graduating with three bachelor’s degrees.
Hayden’s personal life remained in the spotlight as well. He married steady girlfriend Christine Armstrong (Shelley Fabares), who was far more organized and intelligent than her husband-to-be. Christine was only one of the women in his life. Hayden’s love for eighteen-year-old daughter Kelly (Clare Carey) from a previous marriage caused him to be overprotective and suspicious of suitors, including her eventual spouse and mime (of course, everyone hates mimes) Stuart Rosebrock (Kris Kamm). Coach often pitted men versus women in battle of the sexes competitions, with the latter emerging victorious. Along with their strong characterizations of women (Christine and Kelly), that was one reason the show appealed to both men and women.
The sitcom also evolved. Hayden’s hard work finally paid off in 1990, when he guided the Screaming Eagles to a winning season and a berth in the mythical Pioneer Bowl. Soon thereafter, Christine was tempted by a lucrative job offer and nearly left town, leading Hayden to realize just how much he loved and needed her and motivating him to propose to her on the air early in the 1992–1993 season. One can understand why he was far more successful in his love life than Luther, whose inadequacies caused him to bounce from one romance to the next without satisfaction.
Meanwhile, the show bounced from one location to another in its seventh season. Hayden landed a job as a professional football coach with the fictional Orlando Breakers and bolted to Florida, along with his two assistants. A new cast of characters, including bizarre team owner Doris Sherman (Katherine Helmond), failed to revive the foundering program. The comedic tempo was lost, and the show relied heavily on real football stars, including Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, and Mike Ditka, and such broadcasting heavyweights as Larry King and Al Michaels, to survive. The Breakers fared poorly on the field, and Hayden did no better when asked to write a book about dealing with defeat.
Even the birth of Fox baby Timothy couldn’t save the sitcom from extinction. It had become apparent that it had jumped the shark when the Foxes jumped to Orlando. The final episode featured Hayden turning down a $17 million contract to stay with the Breakers and the couple moving back to Minnesota to aid Christine in her career. Dauber hung around to coach the team to two Super Bowls and embark on a new career as a sports commentator.
Coach fell victim to the same malady that weakened the legacy of other sitcoms: the desperation to resuscitate a dying show. But it was fun and funny before its setting went from snowy to sunny.
Dick’s Little Brother
Dick Van Dyke was striking it rich, literally and figuratively, as the title character in one of the most successful sitcoms in television history; however, his brother wasn’t so fortunate. Jerry, who played a somnambulist banjo player in episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show, struggled most of his career to find a television role in which he could maximize his vast talents, which included impeccable timing and delivery. The closest the younger Van Dyke came to finding such a part was as Dave Crabtree in the bizarre mid-1960s sitcom My Mother the Car. He had turned down the title role in Gilligan’s Island and nearly became Don Knotts’s replacement in The Andy Griffith Show. It wasn’t until almost a quarter-century later that Van Dyke found professional fulfillment as Luther Van Dam in Coach.
Did You Know?
Coach creator Barry Kemp, who also launched the popular 1980s sitcom Newhart, based the main character of his new show on University of Iowa football coach Hayden Fry, thus the identical first name of the lead character. Kemp was an alma mater of that school.
They Said It
Hayden: You graduated from college and now you won’t wash my car?
Dauber: Uh-huh.
Hayden: You see, this is why I hate education.
Major Awards
Emmy Award Wins (2)
1992 (1): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Craig T. Nelson)
1996 (1): Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Tim Conway for “The Gardener”)
Emmy Award Nominations, in addition to wins (14)
1990 (2): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Craig T. Nelson); Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Jerry Van Dyke)
1991 (4): Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Craig T. Nelson); Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Jerry Van Dyke); Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series (Tom Poston for “Diamonds Are a Dentist’s Best Friend”); Outstanding Editing for a Series, Multi-Camera Production (Andrew Chulack for “The Break-Up”)
1992 (2): Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Jerry Van Dyke); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series, Multi-Camera Production (Andrew Chulack for “A Real Guy’s Guy”)
1993 (2): Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Shelley Fabares); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series, Multi-Camera Production (Andrew Chulack for “Vows”)
1994 (4): Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Jerry Van Dyke); Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Shelley Fabares); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Series, Multi-Camera Production (Andrew Chulack for “The Luck Stops Here”); Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Comedy Series or a Special (Dana Mark McClure, Charlie McDaniel, and Craig Porter for “Pioneer Bowl”)
Golden Globe Nominations (5)
1992 (1): Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Craig T. Nelson)
1993 (1): Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Craig T. Nelson)
1994 (2): Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy; Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Craig T. Nelson)
1995 (1): Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical/Comedy (Craig T. Nelson)
Further Reading
“Coach.” Common Sense Media. Available online at www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/coach.