Trivia / Little Giants

• Cast the Expert: Ed O'Neill really was a college football star and briefly was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a defensive lineman, but he ended up being cut (His competition for a roster spot was pretty stiff. Two of his rookie competitors were future Hall of Famer "Mean" Joe Greene and future 6 time Pro Bowler L.C. Greenwood).
• The Red Stapler:
  • The game-winning play at the end of the movie inspired Michigan State Spartans coach Mark Dantonio to make a similar one, faking a field goal for a touchdown in their September 18, 2010 matchup against Notre Dame, bringing them a 31-34 victory rather than a 31-31 score that would have brought the game into a second overtime. After the game, Dantonio said, "By the way, the name of that play is 'Little Giants'." It happened again on December 18th, 2011, when the Carolina Panthers called the play and fullback Richie Brockel scored on a seven-yard run. The Panthers won 28-13. (Ironically, the play itself would later be banned in Pee-Wee and Pop Warner football, though not at higher levels.)
  • A few years after this movie, the real-life New York Giants (whom the Little Giants were named after) introduced a solid-red alternate jersey similar to the ones their pee-wee namesakes wore.
• Scully Box: Devon Sawa was 15 during filming and much taller than his ten-year-old castmates, so he can be seen wearing only socks in some scenes.
• Stillborn Franchise: There were plans to do a sequel which never materialized.
• What Could Have Been: Gary Busey and Randy Quaid were originally cast as the leads.
• Write Who You Know: Kevin O'Shea is loosely based on writer Jim Ferguson's high school football coach Ed Pettitt, who had a contract with the Dallas Cowboys before a career-ending knee injury.

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