Coach of the Year is the pilot film for a potential
Robert Conrad TV series. Conrad plays Jim Brandon, formerly a star athlete, now a wheelchair-bound Vietnam vet. The embittered, self-involved Brandon is hired to coach a team of teenagers at a correctional facility. Once he's "reached" these so-called incorrigibles, Brandon begins to see his own life in a different light. The film was co-produced by
John Ashley of Filipino horror-flick fame. Originally titled The Coach, then 4 Down Behind Bars, Coach of the Year debuted December 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide