When a student on a football scholarship decide that education is much more important than the sport, he finds many obstacles coming his way. John Derek, the son of Polish immigrants, has become a football hero, but as he realizes the truth about the goings on behind the scenes in college sports, his whole idea about what got him into college in the first place begins to change. In his film debut, Aldo Ray is a G. I. also in on a scholarship, and there's no way that he's making the grades to remain on the team. But destiny has a funny way of dealing with guys like Ray, and the ending of his story isn't the one he wanted.
Providing the romantic interest is Donna Reed, daughter of one of the school's major financers, Sidney Blackmer, more interested in the college's reputation for sports than its educational standing. Alexander Knox has a smaller role as a tough English teacher, impressed by Derek's skill in his class, initially cynical over the presence of Derek as an athlete he's supposed to monitor. While the focus on Athletics over education in the school system certainly isn't illegal, it definitely asks a lot of moral questions about the educational system and the priorities of some people in power. Performances are basically serviceable but the script makes this better than the average programmer.
Providing the romantic interest is Donna Reed, daughter of one of the school's major financers, Sidney Blackmer, more interested in the college's reputation for sports than its educational standing. Alexander Knox has a smaller role as a tough English teacher, impressed by Derek's skill in his class, initially cynical over the presence of Derek as an athlete he's supposed to monitor. While the focus on Athletics over education in the school system certainly isn't illegal, it definitely asks a lot of moral questions about the educational system and the priorities of some people in power. Performances are basically serviceable but the script makes this better than the average programmer.