FS1’s THE WHITE SHADOW Marathon Honors the Late Ken Howard and His Iconic Character Coach Ken Reeves
As the sports and entertainment worlds mourn the recent passing of actor Ken Howard, FS1 pays tribute to “The White Shadow” with a 13-episode marathon celebrating Howard’s most iconic role – high school basketball coach Ken Reeves.
“The White Shadow,” which aired for 54 episodes over three seasons from 1978 to 1981, was developed with Howard’s personal experiences as inspiration, as the actor earned the nickname “The White Shadow” as the only white player on his high school basketball team. In the television program, Howard’s Reeves suffers a serious knee injury, derailing his NBA career, leading him to accept a position as a basketball coach at an inner city high school. “The White Shadow” was not just a show about basketball, however; but also focused on growing up and overcoming obstacles while tackling issues confronting young men and women, including crime and drugs, in a realistic way. “The White Shadow” earned praise from several educational organizations and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing and garnered two nominations for Outstanding Drama Series.
FS1’s “The White Shadow” marathon includes 13 episodes from the show’s first season and begins Thursday, March 31, at 6:00 AM ET with six back-to-back episodes. The marathon continues with two episodes following THE HERD WITH COLIN COWHERD Thursday afternoon at 3:00 and 4:00 PM ET, followed by the conclusion from 1:00 AM through 5:00 AM ET on Friday, April 1. A full schedule with episode descriptions is below.
FS1 “The White Shadow” Marathon Schedule:
|
Date |
Time (ET) |
Episode Number: Title |
Episode Description |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
6:00 AM |
1: The White Shadow |
A white basketball ex-pro faces near impossible odds when he becomes coach of a wise-cracking, inner-city high school team. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
7:00 AM |
2: Here’s Mud in Your Eye |
Coach Reeves discovers that one of his star players is a secret alcoholic and tries to convince him to seek psychiatric help. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
8:00 AM |
4: Bonus Baby |
Ignoring Coach Reeves’ warnings, Coolidge plunges blindly into a shady career scheme that could ruin his chances for playing professional basketball. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
9:00 AM |
5: Pregnant Pause |
Teenage basketball star Reese is faced with fatherhood and the loss of a college scholarship. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
10:00 AM |
6: Wanna Bet? |
Coach Reeves finds himself involved in burglary, bookies and murder when he recruits a sensational new player for the team. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
11:00 AM |
7: That Old Gang of Mine |
Coach Reeves uncovers prejudice at Carver when Gomez, dropped from the team due to poor grades, joins a violent gang. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
3:00 PM |
8: Airball |
The plane carrying the Carver High basketball team develops serious mechanical trouble and appears to be headed for a crash. |
|
Thursday, March 31 |
4:00 PM |
9: Just One of the Boys |
A transfer student is mercilessly taunted by his schoolmates when rumors circulate that he is homosexual. |
|
Friday, April 1 |
1:00 AM |
10: We’re in the Money |
The Carver basketball team goes to a tournament in Las Vegas, where they gamble and lose money entrusted to them by other students. |
|
Friday, April 1 |
2:00 AM |
11: Spare the Rod |
When Coach Reeves refuses to file charges against a delinquent boy who forced a fight on him, the consequences include peer pressure and a sag in team morale. |
|
Friday, April 1 |
3:00 AM |
12: The Great White Dope |
Salami appears headed for annihilation when he quits the team to become a low-paid bar fighter. |
|
Friday, April 1 |
4:00 AM |
13: Mainstream |
When the mainstream program for handicapped children places an autistic boy on the Carver basketball team, Coach Reeves learns a new lesson in tolerance. |
|
Friday, April 1 |
5:00 AM |
14: Little Orphan Abner |
An orphaned and overeager boy, Abner has difficulty making friends with his teammates on the Carver High basketball team until he learns to make a stand for himself. |
