#Grid iron wars 2000s college teams movie#

Was Coach Yoast's daughter Sheryl really a football fanatic like she was portrayed to be in the film? The real Coach Bill Yoast (left) and actor Will Patton (right) in the film. This scene was fictionalized for the movie, as was Coach Tyrell (Brett Rice). ĭid Coach Herman Boone really toss a banana to rival Coach Tyrell at the end of a game? In reality, all of the other schools that the Titans faced during the 1971 season were integrated schools. īefore the first game, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) tells his players, 'Like all the other schools in this conference, they're all white.

told me Disney had taken liberties with the facts, suggesting an overheated atmosphere of racial animosities and fears at the school and in the community that just hadn't existed.' Yet, it was clear that the Titans championship run did help the community to further come together. In an interview with the Greenville News, the real Ronnie 'Sunshine' Bass said, 'They (the movie) had a community divided down black and white, and it really wasn't like that in 1971 Alexandria.' In a Washington Post article, Bill Yoast's friend Patrick Welsh commented on the movie's position, 'My friend Bill Yoast.

Former students state that many of the racial barriers had been broken down by 1971, when federal pressure resulted in the consolidation of three high schools, one of which was T.C. Williams High School saw the integration of black and white students when it opened in the fall of 1965, not in 1971. Although racial tension did exist in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971, it was significantly embellished for the movie. Nearby George Washington Junior High School did have some fights and a rock-throwing incident. Unlike what is seen in the movie, there were no protestors outside of the high school on the first day. I'll say for the record my hair was never that long.' Also for the record, Ron never did Tai Chi outside the school.ĭid protesters stand outside of T.C. 'I was never quite like that,' Bass told the Greenville (SC) News. Was Ronnie 'Sunshine' Bass really a long-haired hippie from California?ĭuring our investigation into the Remember the Titans true story, we confirmed that Titan quarterback Ronnie Bass did come from California, but portraying him as a long-haired hippie is a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, like Ronnie Bass, most of the other players on the team had long hair in 1971, including the real Gerry Bertier. The film also implies that Ronnie 'Sunshine' Bass might possibly be gay. In the movie, Sunshine (Kip Pardue) jokingly kisses Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) on the lips. Kate Bosworth's character, Emma Hoyt, is fictional.ĭid Ronnie 'Sunshine' Bass really kiss Gerry Bertier on the lips? Often, his speeches were not about the importance of winning, but about the importance of playing your best. In fact, he delivered many speeches to inspire them. This isn't to say that Coach Boone never gave motivational speeches to his team. The guide did most of the talking though, not Herman Boone. The team did tour the battlefields on the Sunday they were at camp. and make them run to the Gettysburg Cemetery? 'Who wants to say, 'I hated (black people)?' Who wants to say, 'I hated white people?' Who wants to say, 'We hated each other.' ' ĭid Herman Boone really wake the team up at 3 a.m. We were just trying to play football.' In a 2000 USA Today article, Remember the Titans screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard rejects the current position of the players, 'Yeah, right,' Howard says. 'I think that's where most of the kids' minds were. 'I wanted to make the team,' Ronnie Bass says in an interview. Coach Boone, Coach Yoast, and many players have said that there was tension at camp, but it existed primarily because of competition for positions on the team. Was the racial tension at training camp depicted accurately in the film? Former Titan players have stated that this type of player would have been kicked off the team during training camp, before the season ever started. The film depicts a bigoted Ray being kicked off the team by captain Gerry Bertier. Ray Budds (Burgess Jenkins) is also a fictionalized character. This scene was added to emphasize the selflessness of the players.

#Grid iron wars 2000s college teams movie#

The movie shows Alan giving up his spot to Pete (Donald Faison) during a game. However, while researching the Remember the Titans true story, we learned that actor Ryan Gosling's character, Alan Bosley, is not a real person.

The majority of the Titan players in the film are based on real people (see the Titans team photo below). Were all of the Titan players in the movie based on actual people? Reporter Ben Morris, Alexandria Gazette, 1978 It all came about and was possible through the hard work and sacrifices of these young men and their coaches who worked together proving to everybody that different ethnic groups can mesh unanimously for a singular ambition.