Matthew Dellen
Z494 Honors Leadership Seminar
Hoosiers
1. In what ways is Coach Dale a stereotypical “American” hero? In what ways is he different from the heroes we typically see in this kind of story?
Coach Dale fits many of the stereotypes of the American hero in Hoosiers. The first stereotypical “American” hero icon that comes to mind would be that of John Wayne’s characters in his old Western genre movies of the 1950s. A similar, albeit extreme, example would be Clint Eastwood in many of his roles as the “American Cowboy.” These characters arrive on the scene without much but the clothes on their back and their past, which has been filled with high-pressure experience and many personal mistakes along the way. Coach Dale appears in Hickory with the exact same situation; he coached on the collegiate level (presumably much more intense than high school basketball) for 10 years, spent another 10 in the navy. Furthermore, we typically see the “American” hero’s personality at conflict with his new environment. Coach Dale was all but removed from his coaching position at Hickory, without apology for sticking to what he believed to be the fundamentals of basketball. In other ways, though, Coach Dale is different from the typical “American” hero; typically their regrets come from some heroic dilemma in which a judgment call wound up with a tragic end. Coach Dale’s regrets came from a non-traditional, aggressive lack of judgment – he struck a former player in the face! 2. What sources of power does Coach Dale possess? Cite examples from the film of where he uses each type of power you identify.
Obviously power can be interpreted as many different things. As the head basketball coach, Norman Dale has an authoritative power (as long as he’s employed) to run the team as he sees fit. Whereas many coaches require this source of power to influence his players, Coach Dale called upon his authoritative role to fend off the angry mob of Hickory fans each