A Legendary Fort Worth Football Coach Gets The Hollywood Treatment With New Film The Colonel

If you attended Fort Worth Country Day (FWCD) or have been a part of the Fort Worth community for a while, chances are you already know why the private school’s football field is named Rosacker. With a new film, The Colonel, in the works, the inspirational story of Lieutenant Colonel R.C. “Rocky” Rosacker and his impact on a generation of local youth will soon be shared far and wide on the silver screen.

Founded in 1963, Country Day just celebrated its 60th year. Writer and director of The Colonel, Tim Williams, was in middle school when he first met Rosacker, who arrived on campus in 1969 to both coach football and teach history. Williams credits the legendary coach with mentoring himself and his peers through their adolescence during those turbulent decades.

“It was the 60s, and there was so much going on ― from Apollo 11 to Beatlemania, the Vietnam War, and Civil Rights ― there was a lot of cultural change,” Williams tells PaperCity Fort Worth.

“The Colonel’s presence was so impressive that people wanted to emulate him, not only students but parents and teachers too. He never told me about his accomplishments. He was always about bringing out the best in others.”

For Williams, who still gets choked up at times just recalling his mentor, bringing the story of Colonel Rosacker to theatre audiences has become a passion project.

“I’ve been working on the project for 15 years,” Williams says. “The thing that propelled me was this story about a magical motivator and what he gave each kid through his love and discipline. He rescued me; I was going to turn into something else.”

Neal McDonough Stars As The Colonel

The homegrown story now has some real star power, with writer, actor, and producer Neal McDonough officially on board. Fans will instantly recognize the actor with the silver hair and crystal blue eyes from mega-hits like Band of Brothers, as well as his villainous roles in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone and Tulsa Kings.

Now, cast in the lead role of The Colonel, McDonough brings something else to the team as well ― his relationship with Angel Studios. They distributed Sound of Freedom in 2023 (which grossed over $ 250 million worldwide), as well as several of McDonough’s most recent projects ― The Shift (2023), Homestead (with a December 20 release date), and the upcoming Professional Bull Riding (PBR)-themed The Last Rodeo, which McDonough says will be released in conjunction with PBR finals next spring in Fort Worth.

A Chance To Partner On a Feature Film

As the project continues to pick up steam, Williams brought along McDonough ― the film’s star and producer ― to a fund-raising meet and greet in Fort Worth on Thursday, September 26.

Together, they cast the vision for bringing such an inspiring story to a broader audience and asked for friends to become partners as filming is set to begin this fall in both Fort Worth and Austin. They are casting the kid’s roles now.

McDonough told those gathered that he was in search of good material. After he read the script, he called Williams and said, “Tim, I’m Neal McDonough. I’m the Colonel. We’re going to do this.”

“This is one of those films that talk about all the right things that Hollywood has stopped talking about,” McDonough says.

“There was a breakdown last week from all the studios. And, they said these are the films and TV shows we’re looking for, and eight out of ten of them, at the very bottom (and this would never have been there five years ago) if you’ve got anything faith-based, we’re very interested.”

Equipping a Generation

“I was one of many,” Williams says. “The Colonel instilled the idea that if we gave 110 percent to our pursuits ― success would follow. He could transform people from scared and doubtful teenagers to teach us what we were capable of. The impact he had on a generation was so powerful.”

If you were lucky enough to have a mentor during your formative years, one who believed in you, then you can relate. But, according to the students at Fort Worth Country Day, Colonel Rosacker’s charm was that he not only pushed them with discipline and determination, but he also pulled the best out of them with encouragement ― often delivering just the right word, whispered in their ear, at just the right moment.

“I was a lineman, and when you did something right, Colonel Rosacker took notice,” he recalls. “He would do this hand motion, like pulling a sword out of his belt, and would praise your effort by yelling ‘You Bet’! It was like a bell that rang in your honor, encouraging kids to succeed.”

“He lit a pilot light and then left it to radiate ― allowing us to mature through the decades,” Williams says. “The perfect combination of authority and awareness, the Colonel was the antithesis of apathy.”

As The Colonel finally begins filming this fall, after 15 years of plotting and planning to bring this movie project to life, Tim Williams and his teammates are likely to hear that familiar voice ringing in their ears once more. You Bet.