Brian's Song

Brian's Song is a 1971 made-for-TV movie, recalling the details of the life of Brian Piccolo (James Caan), a football player stricken with a deadly illness and his friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) who helps him through the difficult struggle. It was such a success on TV it was later shown in theatres. A remake was made in 2001 for ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney starring Mekhi Phifer and Sean Maher. The movie is based on Sayers' autobiography, I Am Third.