"Coach" tidbits & facts - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

mickeymouseclubfan · 04-18-2014, 02:52 PM

1. Craig T. Nelson's real name is Craig Richard Nelson, born on April 4, 1944 in Spokane, Washington. However, due to TWO different actors named Craig Nelson (including character actor Craig Richard Nelson) who registered FIRST with the Screen Actors Guild, Craig added the middle initial T. to his professional name and registered as Craig Theodore Nelson.

2. Dick & Jerry Van Dyke are the proud parents of 7 combined adult children, including Jerry's daughter Kelly (known professionally in the porn industry as Nancee Kelly), who committed suicide by hanging at age 33 in 1991, and Dick's son Barry, who co-starred with Dad on "Diagnosis Murder" for 8 seasons, exactly how long his uncle Jerry's show "Coach" aired on ABC.

3. Despite being the exact same age, Shelley Fabares, born on January 19, 1944, is 2 1/2 months older than Craig T. Nelson; Shelley's aunt, Nanette, played her mother in a handful of "Coach" episodes.

4. Originally scheduled to debut in September 1988, the pilot episode of "Coach" was postponed to Spring 1989 due to a Writer's Strike; the show eventually debuted after "Roseanne" on Tuesday, February 28, 1989 at 9 P.M. ET/PT on the ABC Television Network, a timeslot it would share until the end of the Fall 1996 TV season (except for the Fall 1994 TV season when it aired Mondays at 8 P.M. ET/PT), after which "Coach" began its 8th & final season airing Saturday nights at 9 P.M. ET/PT, before moving to its final timeslot on Wednesday nights at 8 P.M. ET/PT on ABC; despite it still being a popular show, ranking #64 out of 160 network TV shows that season in prime-time, ABC canceled "Coach" after 8 successful seasons.

5. The first episode of "Coach" telecast on February 28, 1989 was the episode "Kelly and the Professor." The following night, March 1, 1989, the pilot episode of "Coach" was telecast.

6. Though not necessarily based on a true story, "Coach" was, however, based on a real person--Hayden Fry, the head football coach at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa (where series creator & showrunner Barry Kemp attended as a college student). Hayden Fry became Hayden Fox for the series.

7. In September 1994, at the start of its 6th season, "Coach" became syndicated by MCA TV (now NBC Universal Television Distribution).

8. The first 6 seasons of "Coach" took place where Hayden worked at the fictional Minnesota State University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the last 2 of 8 seasons took place in Orlando, Florida after Hayden Fox left Minneapolis to coach Pro Football. Despite the setting change, all 8 seasons of "Coach" were filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California in front of a live studio audience. "Coach" was distributed by Universal Television.

04-18-2014, 02:52 PM	#1
mickeymouseclubfan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 05, 2013 Posts: 145	"Coach" tidbits & facts 1. Craig T. Nelson's real name is Craig Richard Nelson, born on April 4, 1944 in Spokane, Washington. However, due to TWO different actors named Craig Nelson (including character actor Craig Richard Nelson) who registered FIRST with the Screen Actors Guild, Craig added the middle initial T. to his professional name and registered as Craig Theodore Nelson. 2. Dick & Jerry Van Dyke are the proud parents of 7 combined adult children, including Jerry's daughter Kelly (known professionally in the porn industry as Nancee Kelly), who committed suicide by hanging at age 33 in 1991, and Dick's son Barry, who co-starred with Dad on "Diagnosis Murder" for 8 seasons, exactly how long his uncle Jerry's show "Coach" aired on ABC. 3. Despite being the exact same age, Shelley Fabares, born on January 19, 1944, is 2 1/2 months older than Craig T. Nelson; Shelley's aunt, Nanette, played her mother in a handful of "Coach" episodes. 4. Originally scheduled to debut in September 1988, the pilot episode of "Coach" was postponed to Spring 1989 due to a Writer's Strike; the show eventually debuted after "Roseanne" on Tuesday, February 28, 1989 at 9 P.M. ET/PT on the ABC Television Network, a timeslot it would share until the end of the Fall 1996 TV season (except for the Fall 1994 TV season when it aired Mondays at 8 P.M. ET/PT), after which "Coach" began its 8th & final season airing Saturday nights at 9 P.M. ET/PT, before moving to its final timeslot on Wednesday nights at 8 P.M. ET/PT on ABC; despite it still being a popular show, ranking #64 out of 160 network TV shows that season in prime-time, ABC canceled "Coach" after 8 successful seasons. 5. The first episode of "Coach" telecast on February 28, 1989 was the episode "Kelly and the Professor." The following night, March 1, 1989, the pilot episode of "Coach" was telecast. 6. Though not necessarily based on a true story, "Coach" was, however, based on a real person--Hayden Fry, the head football coach at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa (where series creator & showrunner Barry Kemp attended as a college student). Hayden Fry became Hayden Fox for the series. 7. In September 1994, at the start of its 6th season, "Coach" became syndicated by MCA TV (now NBC Universal Television Distribution). 8. The first 6 seasons of "Coach" took place where Hayden worked at the fictional Minnesota State University in Minneapolis, Minnesota; the last 2 of 8 seasons took place in Orlando, Florida after Hayden Fox left Minneapolis to coach Pro Football. Despite the setting change, all 8 seasons of "Coach" were filmed at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California in front of a live studio audience. "Coach" was distributed by Universal Television.