He went back to play football in West Texas at 59. A new movie tells his story
Nearly four years after filming in the area, “The Senior” premiered in North Texas this week.
The cast and crew of the film gathered at LOOK Dine-In Cinemas in Bedford on Monday evening to celebrate the inspirational sports story ahead of its wide release on Sept. 19. The film comes from Wayfarer Studios and Angel Studios.
“The Senior” follows 59-year-old Mike Flynt (Michael Chiklis) as he returns to his alma mater of Sul Ross State University to play one final season of college football. In 1971, Flynt was kicked off the team for fighting and returned to the Alpine, Texas school to play once again in 2007.
Chiklis said he was in the Fort Worth area for two months making the movie years ago and had a “great” time.
“I went to the Stockyards, went to a rodeo, did a lot of the local stuff,” Chiklis told the Star-Telegram on the red carpet. “Went to a Dallas Cowboys game at the stadium, which was amazing.”
‘The Senior’ cast talks filming in Fort Worth
“The Senior” initially filmed in and around Fort Worth in the fall of 2021 and returned the following summer for reshoots.
While in the area, the production took full use of its high school football stadiums. Haltom City’s Birdville Stadium and Fort Worth’s own Scarborough-Handley Field served as main filming hubs.
Chiklis said he was taken aback by the massive size of the stadiums around the area.
“I’ve never seen a high school football field with 20,000 seats. I was like, ‘What college is this?’ They were like, ‘No, it’s high school,’” the actor said. “I’m like, ‘What?’ I mean you take your football seriously, that’s for sure.”
The film’s director Rod Lurie was also shocked by many football stadiums are in the area.
Lurie, who also directed “The Last Castle” and the 2011 “Straw Dogs” remake, questioned if there’s more stadiums in the Metroplex than churches.
“I found the difference between praying in church and praying in a stadium is sincerity,” Lurie said.
Corey Knight, who plays football player Jeremy Cartwright in the film, said being in the Texas heat was new to him as a New York native.
The actors went through a football boot camp before filming to get them camera ready, Knight said. It all turned out to be a good experience for the actor, who was ecstatic to be back in the area.
“It’s a beautiful place. Again, I love the weather,” Knight said. “It gets hot, but I’m grateful for it, truly.”
Rob Corddry, who plays coach Sam Weston in the film, said he stayed in downtown Fort Worth at an unnamed hotel.
“I like, destroyed about a five block radius of my hotel, the name of which I cannot remember,” Corddry joked. “I killed Fort Worth. A tiny, tiny section of Fort Worth.”
Mike Flynt talks about ‘The Senior’
Flynt, the film’s subject, attended the premiere with his wife Eileen, who is portrayed by Mary Stuart Masterson in “The Senior.”
When Flynt took the field in 2007, a film about his life was not something he ever expected. He wrote a book about the experience the following year, but now he will be immortalized forever on film.
“The ground swell kept growing and finally it became a tsunami and now it’s happening,” Flynt said on the 18-year journey from field to screen.
Before Chiklis stepped into Flynt’s shoes, the former football player said several different actors were in talks to play him.
For one reason or another, Flynt said none of the other actors could physically pull off the role. Enter Michael Chiklis.
“Chiklis stepped up, and man, he did the work,” Flynt said. “He was amazing.”
In addition to the film’s cast and crew, several of Flynt’s teammates from the 1970s and 2007 attended the premiere.
Speaking of Sul Ross State, Flynt said there will be a screening of the film at the school sometime soon. That will be a “big deal” for him, since he still has a lot of love for the Lobos.
As the interview wrapped up, Flynt said he was eager to head down the hall and watch the film again.
“It’s just enjoyable to me to watch the movie with a group of people that haven’t seen it before,” Flynt said. “I get excited about their reactions.”
“The Senior” releases in theaters on Sept. 19.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 4:34 PM.
