The White Shadow

Ken Reeves

Morris Thorpe (54 episodes, 1978-1981)

Warren Coolidge

Mario 'Salami' Pettrino

Sybil Buchanan (53 episodes, 1978-1981)

James Hayward (42 episodes, 1978-1981)

Milton Reese (40 episodes, 1978-1981)

Abner Goldstein (40 episodes, 1978-1981)

Ricky Gomez

Curtis Jackson (39 episodes, 1978-1980)

Nick Vitaglia

Jim Willis / ... (33 episodes, 1978-1980)

Manager Phil Jefferson / ... (25 episodes, 1979-1981)

The character of Jackson never graduated from Carver because he was shot and killed by armed robbers holding up a liquor store, as he tried to talk the robbers into giving up. According to writer Marc Rubin, executive producer Bruce Paltrow originally wanted Jackson to be killed while committing the robbery.

Coach Reeves attended Boston College, which is where he met principal Willis, who was on the basketball team with him.

Byron Stewart was hired for the part of Warren Coolidge after Ken Howard saw him on TV in the movie Fire Sale (1977). Howard immediately phoned Bruce Paltrow to hire Stewart, who is 6'8" tall, because Howard wanted at least one "player" taller than himself on the Carver team (Howard is 6'6").

At the end of the following episodes, "Wanna Bet?" and "That Old Gang of Mine". The roman numeral of the year 1979 at the end of the credits, was MCMLXXVIX. There was confusion of that because, the "V" should've been removed. The remaining first season episodes were finalized as MCMLXXIX, which was 1979 when the "V" was deleted.

Jim Willis: You had it easy sonny boy. You'll never know what it's like have to sit in the back of the bus and then give up your seat to a white man or pee in your pants because you can't find a bathroom that'll take you... Now I know a racist when I see one. And I'm looking at one right now.

Harold: [after Ken Reeves has done a student reporter a favor] Did you do that as a reward for me writing a positive article?

Ken Reeves: [Coach Reeves has just pulled all of his starting players from a game except his center] I'd pull you too Coolidge but you're so fat, you need to run.