Everybody's All-American
Louisiana football star Gavin Grey had it all. He was an All-American champion who married his high-school sweetheart, homecoming queen Babs Rogers, and who was a hero to his hometown. Yet after a failed professional career, Gavin realizes that fame and success have passed him by and that he no longer is the hero everyone keeps reminding him he should still be. His dissatisfaction with his life leads to strains in his marriage, and Gavin begins to wonder who he is, if he's not a hero anymore.
The film earned $12.6M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Everybody's All-American (1988) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Taylor Hackford's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 7 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes 1956 Louisiana. Gavin "The Grey Ghost" Grey is a legendary college football hero at LSU, adored by fans and dating the beautiful Babe. He is at the peak of his glory, living the American dream of athletic stardom.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when Gavin graduates from college and enters the NFL draft. He is drafted by the Washington Redskins, forcing him to leave behind the familiar world of Louisiana where he was king and enter the professional ranks where he must prove himself all over again.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Gavin commits fully to his NFL career and the professional lifestyle, having some success with the Redskins. He and Babe embrace their new identity as a professional football couple, accepting that this is their path forward., moving from reaction to action.
At 63 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Gavin suffers a serious injury on the field. This is a false defeat - while he recovers, it's the beginning of the end. The stakes raise: his body is aging, younger players are coming up, and his time as a player is clearly limited., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 94 minutes (74% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Gavin's business partnership with a shady associate collapses, losing significant money. His marriage to Babe reaches a breaking point. The "whiff of death" - the death of his dreams, his identity as "The Grey Ghost," and potentially his marriage. He is financially and emotionally bankrupt., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 101 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Gavin has a moment of clarity and reconciliation with Babe. He realizes that his worth isn't defined by football glory but by his relationships and character. He accepts who he has become and stops chasing the past. The synthesis of the B-story (love/family) with his journey., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Everybody's All-American's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Everybody's All-American against these established plot points, we can identify how Taylor Hackford utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Everybody's All-American within the drama genre.
Taylor Hackford's Structural Approach
Among the 9 Taylor Hackford films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.1, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Everybody's All-American represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Taylor Hackford filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional drama films include Eye for an Eye, South Pacific and Kiss of the Spider Woman. For more Taylor Hackford analyses, see Bound by Honor, Ray and Dolores Claiborne.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
1956 Louisiana. Gavin "The Grey Ghost" Grey is a legendary college football hero at LSU, adored by fans and dating the beautiful Babe. He is at the peak of his glory, living the American dream of athletic stardom.
Theme
Donnie (Gavin's intellectual friend) observes that "being a hero is a young man's game" - foreshadowing the central question of what happens when the cheering stops and glory fades.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Gavin's world at LSU: his relationship with Babe, his friendship with Donnie, the adoration of fans, the pressure and excitement of being a college football star. Gavin proposes to Babe after a big game.
Disruption
Gavin graduates from college and enters the NFL draft. He is drafted by the Washington Redskins, forcing him to leave behind the familiar world of Louisiana where he was king and enter the professional ranks where he must prove himself all over again.
Resistance
Gavin and Babe marry and move to Washington. Gavin struggles with the transition to professional football - the game is faster, harder, and he's no longer the biggest star. Donnie visits and observes their new life. Gavin debates whether he can recapture his college glory.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Gavin commits fully to his NFL career and the professional lifestyle, having some success with the Redskins. He and Babe embrace their new identity as a professional football couple, accepting that this is their path forward.
Mirror World
Babe becomes pregnant and they start a family. She represents the emotional and relational life that exists beyond football glory - the subplot that will teach Gavin what really matters when the cheering stops.
Premise
The "glory years" of Gavin's professional career. Success on the field, parties, fame, endorsements. Gavin lives the promise of being a professional athlete - the lifestyle the audience came to see. But time passes and cracks begin to show.
Midpoint
Gavin suffers a serious injury on the field. This is a false defeat - while he recovers, it's the beginning of the end. The stakes raise: his body is aging, younger players are coming up, and his time as a player is clearly limited.
Opposition
The long decline. Gavin retires from football and struggles to find his identity. Business ventures fail. He makes poor financial decisions. His relationship with Babe strains. Donnie becomes successful while Gavin flounders. The opposition is time itself and Gavin's inability to let go of his glory days.
Collapse
Gavin's business partnership with a shady associate collapses, losing significant money. His marriage to Babe reaches a breaking point. The "whiff of death" - the death of his dreams, his identity as "The Grey Ghost," and potentially his marriage. He is financially and emotionally bankrupt.
Crisis
Gavin's dark night. He confronts the reality that his football glory is gone forever and it's not coming back. He must process the loss of his identity and decide who he is without the cheering crowds. Babe considers leaving him.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Gavin has a moment of clarity and reconciliation with Babe. He realizes that his worth isn't defined by football glory but by his relationships and character. He accepts who he has become and stops chasing the past. The synthesis of the B-story (love/family) with his journey.
Synthesis
Gavin rebuilds his life on more honest terms. He takes a modest job, reconnects genuinely with Babe and his family, and makes peace with Donnie. He stops pretending to be "The Grey Ghost" and starts being Gavin Grey - a man, not a legend.
Transformation
Final image: Gavin at a small gathering or family moment, no longer the center of attention or chasing glory, but genuinely content. He has transformed from someone defined by external validation to someone who knows his worth comes from within and from genuine relationships. The contrast to the opening shows the cost and wisdom of time.