who plays the female football coach on glee
Beiste (Glee) Coach Shannon Beiste (later Sheldon Beiste) is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Dot-Marie Jones, and has appeared in Glee since its second season premiere "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010. Coach Beiste is introduced as female championship-winning football coach Shannon Beiste, brought in to make the McKinley High football team successful. Coach Beiste immediately comes into conflict with cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and glee club director Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), though Beiste and Will eventually become good friends. In Beiste's first year, the coach successfully steers the team to its first championship. When the character returns in the third season, in addition to coaching football, Beiste co-directs the school musical and runs the elections for senior class president. Beiste's first boyfriend is Ohio State football recruiter Cooter Menkins (Eric Bruskotter), though Beiste initially faces competition from Sue for him. Beiste and Cooter eventually marry, and the coach later finds support from Sue after becoming the victim of domestic abuse, ultimately leaving and then divorcing Cooter. In the sixth season, Beiste comes out as transgender (being diagnosed with gender dysphoria) and undergoes gender confirmation surgery, taking on the new name Sheldon Beiste.
Shelby Corcoran Shelby Corcoran is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Portrayed by actress Idina Menzel, Shelby was introduced in the fourteenth episode of the show as the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, a rival show choir to New Directions, the show's primary musical group. Fans had lobbied for Menzel to be cast as Rachel Berry's (Lea Michele) biological mother, due to the strong physical resemblance between Menzel and Michele. After it is revealed that Shelby is, in fact, Rachel's biological mother, Shelby discloses that she had signed a contract that stated that she could not seek out her daughter until she was eighteen. She tells Rachel that instead of trying to act like mother and daughter, they should just be grateful that they have met, and maintain their distance.