In Norman Dale, Gene Hackman, whose death was announced Thursday, created a man with understated strength, a taskmaster with emotional intelligence and a tormented winner.

When I heard that Gene Hackman had died, I thought of the movie “Hoosiers.” I thought of Coach Norman Dale at Hickory High. I thought of so many scenes from the movie when stopping in the “Hoosiers Gym,

Hackman's portrayal of coach Dale's transformation — and redemption — throughout "Hoosiers" was the heartbeat of the box-office classic.