According to new coach Steve Williams, his football team couldn't whip Vassar at tiddlywinks. Clearly, he must recruit a new team fast! John Wayne tackles the role of Williams, a big galoot of a coach with a bigger heart when it comes to his young daughter (Sherry Jackson). Williams has been banned from the major conferences and is making ends meet as an oddsmaker. Then tiny St. Anthony's College calls. For St. Anthony's and it's likable Father Burke (Charles Coburn), Williams is a last resort to make the school profitable by establishing a top football program. For Williams, it's a way to prove to a Children's Court officer (Donna Reed) that he's a fit parent. It's a sporting match made in heaven. With some Trouble Along the Way.