Dec 10. Remember the Titans

Remember the Titans is a film based on the true story of Coach Herman Boone, who tries to integrate a racially divided team. In 1970, the Supreme Court ruling in Swann v Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education permits busing students to achieve racial integration.In 1971, T. C. Williams High School hires a black head coach, Herman Boone , to lead the school's newly desegregated football team. Bill Yoast , a nominee for the Virginia High School Hall of Fame, becomes the team’s defensive coordinator. During their practices, black and white football team members often clash in racial conflicts. The biggest fights occur between the white captain, Gerry Bertier , and black player, Julius Campbell. In time, Boone is able to achieve racial harmony on the team. Bertier and Campbell become close friends. Many people in the community do not want a black coach at their high school. The loss of even a single game will result in Coach Boone losing his job. The Titans go through a winning season and the team slowly gains support from the community.T. C. Williams High’s football players and their coaches confront not only the internal pressures of integration, but also the external pressures of political unrest due to the Vietnam War. To become champions despite formidable odds against them is a tribute to the character of T. C. Williams High, its football team and their coaches. It is also a testament to the power of the human spirit in overcoming the most extraordinary obstacles imaginable. In this story behind the movie, go back in time to experience what it is like to be in the middle of a school that is being integrated for the first time. Meet the T. C. Williams High School football players and coaches from the historic 1971 season. Learn about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War and decide for yourself if America had a place in this controversial war.