The cast of 2005's The Longest Yard includes a talented bunch of comedic actors, many of whom have worked with leading man Adam Sandler on multiple projects. Directed by Peter Segal, the sports comedy is a remake of the 1974 film of the same name. Revolving around a washed-out quarterback serving time in prison, The Longest Yard deals with the protagonist’s chance at redemption as he assembles a team of fellow incarcerated to play against the guards. While the remake lacks the political subtext of the original, the 2005 version of The Longest Yard still draws laughs from Sandler’s fans and stands in the ranks of the best football movies.
While The Longest Yard cast a number of comedy veterans, the Adam Sandler sports movie also features actors known for their work in other genres like action star Burt Reynolds and character actor William Fichtner. Reynolds’s casting serves as an interesting Easter egg as he had played Sandler’s role in the original. The movie also prominently features ex-football players like Terry Crews and Bill Goldberg. Even musicians like Nelly and pro wrestlers like Dalip Singh Rana and Steve Austin feature in the ensemble. Here's a look at the cast of the remake of The Longest Yard, the characters they play, and what else the actors are known for.
Adam Sandler As Paul "Wrecking" Crewe
Adam Sandler leads the cast of The Longest Yard as disgraced NFL quarterback Paul Crewe. Accused of shaving points and arrested after a drunk driving incident, Paul is introduced as a foul-mouthed and self-obsessed sports star. However, upon making new friends in prison and standing up against an authoritarian warden, Paul finds a new shot at playing football. The Longest Yard reunited Sandler with his 50 First Dates and Anger Management director Peter Segal. Although known mostly for his comedic performances, Sandler’s diverse and underrated career also includes serious roles such as Barry Egan in the romantic drama Punch-Drunk Love and Howard Ratner in the tense crime thriller Uncut Gems.
Chris Rock As James "Caretaker" Farrell
“Caretaker” is one of Paul's first friends in prison. Even though he doesn’t play on the field, the friendly character is crucial to the football match as he helps Paul in the tryouts. "Caretaker" is played in The Longest Yard by stand-up comedian Chris Rock. He rose to fame alongside Adam Sandler as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and they have since co-starred in a number of other movies, including Grown Ups and The Week Of. Outside their collaborations, Chris Rock’s most popular movies include 2 Days in New York, the animated Madagascar features, in which he voices the zebra Marty, and his 2014 directorial effort Top Five.
Burt Reynolds As Coach Nate Scarborough
The cast of the 2005 version of The Longest Yard includes the original's lead, Burt Reynolds. Instead of playing Paul this time, Reynolds is credited as Coach Nate Scarborough. A former college football star, Nate is a seasoned veteran in the game who allows inmates a chance to get back at the abusive guards. Reynolds was a Hollywood icon in the 1970s with his breakout role being Lewis Medlock in the thriller Deliverance. Other prominent action-comedy roles include Bo Darville in the Smokey and the Bandit movies and racer J.J. McClure in The Cannonball Run. In 1997, he received an Oscar nomination for his supporting performance in Boogie Nights.
Nelly As Earl Megget
Earl is a running back on Paul’s team. He's a passionate player and very mature in terms of his personality. Even when the guards abuse him with racial slurs, Earl doesn’t fight back and waits for an opportunity to defeat them in the gridiron. Primarily known as a rapper and singer, Nelly joined the Longest Yard remake cast as Earl and also contributed to the soundtrack with two songs, “Errtime” and “Fly Away." The artist also played a comedic version of himself in the satire Real Husbands of Hollywood and featured in his own reality series, Nellyville. He has also had guest appearances on the shows CSI: NY and 90210.
William Fichtner As Captain Brian Knauer
Captain Brian Knauer is the head guard of the prison and the movie's secondary antagonist. Loyally following the orders of his warden, the character doesn’t have a moral compass and mercilessly inflicts damage on the prisoners. Captain Knauer is another sinister addition to William Fichtner’s filmography, which includes supporting roles as many villainous characters. Among such roles are John Carlyle in Elysium, Shredder in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, and Satan’s accountant in Drive Angry. Fichtner is also known for portraying positive characters such as FBI Agent Alexander Mahone in Prison Break, special-ops soldier Jeff Sanderson in Black Hawk Down, and retired stunt performer Adam Janikowski on Mom.
James Cromwell As Warden Rudolph Hazen
The sadistic prison warden Rudolph Hazen serves as the main villain of The Longest Yard. Masterminding the game between the inmates and the guards, he controls the prison with an iron fist and often ignores the abusive behavior of his staff. James Cromwell was cast in this role for the remake of The Longest Yard. The actor and animal rights activist is primarily known for his Oscar-nominated turn as farmer Arthur Hoggett in Babe. If there's a character in his filmography that can match Warden Hazen’s villainy, though, it's James Cromwell’s Emmy-winning performance in American History: Asylum as the barbarous Dr. Arthur Arden. He also plays Ewan Roy on Succession.
The Longest Yard Supporting Cast & Characters
Bill Goldberg as Joey "Battle" Battaglio - Former NFL defensive tackle and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg appears in the cast of The Longest Yard as the prison team’s linebacker, Joey "Battle" Battaglio. Goldberg also played Romeo in Universal Soldier: The Return and the DC Comics character Big Sir in two episodes of The Flash.
Tracy Morgan as Miss Tucker - Popular comedy star Tracy Morgan appears in The Longest Yard 's cast as the prison team’s cheerleader, Miss Tucker. Morgan played the titular character in the comedy series The Last O.G. and Detective Paul Hodges in Cop Out. Like his Longest Yard co-stars Adam Sandler and Chris Rock, he is also an accomplished Saturday Night Live alumnus, later appearing as Tracy Jordan in the satire 30 Rock​​​​​​, which featured a number of former SNL actors.
Courteney Cox as Lena - Paul’s girlfriend, Lena, is played by Courteney Cox in The Longest Yard. She is best known for her roles as Monica Geller in Friends, Lucy Spiller in Dirt, and Jules Cobb in Cougar Town. Apart from these acclaimed TV comedies, Cox has also starred in such movies as Masters of the Universe, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and the Scream franchise.
Terry Crews as "Cheeseburger" Eddy - The inmate “Cheeseburger” Eddy is a tight end for the prison team. He is played in The Longest Yard by Terry Crews, who was a linebacker and defensive end for several teams in the NFL. After a brief role in Training Day, Crews went on to co-star in White Chicks, Friday After Next, and The Expendables. However, his most recognizable roles were on TV, playing Chris Rock’s fictionalized father on Everybody Loves Chris and the detective squad supervisor Terry Jeffords on Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Steve Austin as Guard Dunham - Another pro wrestler to act in The Longest Yard, WWE icon Steve Austin plays the prison guard Dunham, who takes the fullback position on his team. After his tenure as a wrestler under the title “Stone Cold," Austin rebranded himself as an action star with prominent roles in The Expendables, The Condemned, and Damage. He reunited with Adam Sandler in Grown Ups 2 playing the character Tommy Cavanaugh.
Nicholas Turturro as Brucie - The inmate Brucie plays for the prison team in different positions such as quarterback and wide receiver. Nicholas Turturro plays Brucie in The Longest Yard. Even though he plays a prisoner in the movie, this Longest Yard cast member is best known for his law-enforcement characters on television, namely Sgt. Anthony Renzulli in Blue Bloods and Detective James Martinez in NYPD Blue.
Michael Irvin as Deacon Moss - A wide receiver for the prison team, Deacon Moss is portrayed by sports commentator and former football player Michael Irvin. He is an occasional actor with a guest appearance in the Adam Sandler comedy Jack and Jill and playing sleazy sports agent Terrell in the basketball drama Slamma Jamma.
Bob Sapp as Switowski - Another sportsperson in the Longest Yard cast, mixed martial artist and former football player Bob Sapp co-stars as the prisoner and defensive end Switowski. He has acted in a few action films, including the 2011 Conan the Barbarian remake, in which he played the warlord lieutenant Ukafa, and the martial arts film Blood & Bone, in which he portrayed the street fighter Hammerman.
David Patrick Kelly as Unger - A prisoner who spies on his peers for the guards, Unger is played by actor and musician David Patrick Kelly. Debuting as the villainous Luther in the cult action film The Warriors, he is best known for The Crow, Commando, and his numerous collaborations with directors Spike Lee and David Lynch, including the former's Malcolm X and the latter's series Twin Peaks. He also played President Harry S. Truman in Clint Eastwood’s war drama Flags of Our Fathers and Charlie the Cleaner in the first two John Wicks movies.
Cloris Leachman as Lynette Grey - The Longest Yard remake cast also features the legendary eight-time Emmy awardee and Oscar-winning actress Cloris Leachman as the alcohol-guzzling prison visitor Lynette Grey. Leachman previously collaborated with Sandler as the jazz-singing grandmother Evelyn in Spanglish. The late screen legend was best known for playing Ruth Popper, the neglected wife of a closeted teacher in The Last Picture Show. She also had major roles in the Mel Brooks movies Young Frankenstein and History of the World, Part I playing Frau Blücher and Madame Defarge, respectively.
Rob Schneider as Punky - Punky is an inmate who cheers for the prison team during the final game. He's played by regular Adam Sandler collaborator Rob Schneider, who has co-starred in 50 First Dates, Big Daddy, Grown Ups, and Bedtime Stories. He's also known for supporting roles in the Sylvester Stallone vehicles Demolition Man and Judge Dredd along with playing the title character in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
Lobo Sebastian as Torres: Distinguished by his mohawk and strategic gameplay, Torres is the prison team’s defensive back. The character is played by actor and stuntperson Lobo Sebastian, who appears as Lil Joker in Next Friday and Bug in The Mule.
Joey “Coco” Diaz as Anthony “Big Tony” Cobianco: Cuban-American stand-up comedian and actor Joey “Coco” Diaz delivers his brand of laid-back humor as Big Tony, an inmate who serves in the defensive line for the prisoners’ team. Diaz’s famous TV and film roles include Joey the Bar Criminal in My Name is Earl, pizzeria owner Sal in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the mobster Pussy Bonpensiero's father Buddha in the Sopranos prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark.
Brian Bosworth as Garner - Former NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth co-starred as one of the players on the prison guard team. Bosworth marked his acting debut as John Stone in the action film Stone Cold. He also appeared in What Men Want as Nick Ivers — which also featured fellow The Longest Yard cast member Tracy Morgan — and guest-starred in an episode of CSI: Miami.
Kevin Nash as Sergeant Engleheart - WWE wrestler Kevin Nash plays the prison guard Sergeant Englehart. Nash, who began acting with a role as Super Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, is also known for his appearances in John Wick as the bouncer Francis and Magic Mike as the stripper Tarzan.
Dalip Singh Rana as Turley - Dalip Singh Rana, a.k.a. The Great Khali, is a former WWE wrestler from India who played the physically dominating yet friendly convict Turley in the cast of The Longest Yard. He reunited with director Peter Segal in the spy comedy Get Smart as the assassin Dalip. The first Indian-born WWE Heavyweight Champion, Rana also had a role in MacGruber as car mechanic Tug Phelps.
Steve Reevis as Billy "Baby Face Bob" Rainwater - The inmate Billy Rainwater doesn't play on the field but is a supporter of Peter's team. He's played by the late actor Steve Reevis, who after a non-speaking part as a Sioux warrior in Dances with Wolves, earned popularity as the ex-con and car mechanic Shep Proudfoot in Fargo. He also played the Apache scout Chato in Geronimo: An American Legend.
Bill Romanowski as Guard Lambert - Former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski aptly plays the guard team's linebacker in The Longest Yard. He briefly appeared in the cast of Get Smart as a federal air marshal and as himself in Jack and Jill.
Eddie Bunker as "Skitchy" Rivers - The aged inmate Skitchy Rivers is a veteran in the prison who observes Peter and his team's game from a distance. Interestingly, this character is played in The Longest Yard cast by ex-convict Eddie Bunker. After being released in 1975, Bunker embarked on a career of writing crime fiction and acting. He appeared in and wrote the movies Animal Factory, Straight Time, and Runaway Train and also played Mr. Blue in Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs.