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Joel McHale To Narrate Sports Doc ‘The Dawgfather: The Legacy Of Don James’

EXCLUSIVE: Joel McHale has signed on to narrate the sports documentary The Dawgfather: The Legacy of Don James.

The doc is set to debut at this year’s Gig Harbor Film Festival. The story follows the life and career of Ohio football coach Don James, who McHale played under at the University of Washington. The official synopsis reads: The Dawgfather: The Legacy of Don James explores the impact of a humble coach from Ohio whose influence on college football and his players extended far beyond the field.

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James served as head coach at Kent State University from 1971 to 1974 and at the University of Washington from 1975 to 1992. He is one of the most successful coaches in college football history. During his 18 years as head coach of the Washington Huskies, James’ record was 153–57–2. He was named Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association in 1977 and the Football Writers Association in 1991 after the team won the national title. His Washington teams won the Rose Bowl game for 14 of his last 16 seasons. He was inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

Narrated by McHale, the film is directed by Kent Loomer and produced by AJ Winslow, Jim Pidgeon, and co-executive producer Mike Martin, with executive producer Micah Bobbink. The Dawgfather is a collaboration between Rocket Soul Studios and Hand Crank Films. Featured in the doc are Nick Saban, Lincoln Kennedy, Gary Pinkel, Bob Stull, Skip Hall, Michael Jackson, Mike Lude, Joe Kelly, and Carol James.

The Gig Harbor Film Festival opens September 27.

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