 "Photo: Jeremy Aaron / THE DAILY GAMECOCK")
Herman Boone, the coach who inspired the memorable Disney movie “Remember the Titans,” spoke about leadership and teamwork Wednesday evening to a crowd that filled the Russell House Theater.
Boone, who was played by Denzel Washington in the movie, was introduced by one of his former athletes, Ron Bass, who many remember as Sunshine. Bass set the tone for the evening by providing the historical background of the famous Titans football team.
“There was a lot of turmoil,” Bass said of Alexandria, VA in 1971.
At this time, three high schools had to integrate for the first time or lose funding. Not only were the schools racially segregated, but they were also bitter rivals.
“Amongst that challenge, we had to find a coach,” Bass said. “[Boone] was able to bring the team together.”
Boone spoke of his experience at the integrated T.C. Williams High School, where he was named head coach over the prominent white coach of the town, Bill Yoast. He faced the challenge of uniting white and black teammates at a time when diversity was not accepted.
“The white kids didn’t like that I was black and the black kids didn’t like that I wasn’t black enough for them,” Boone said, bringing the audience to laugh.
As many remember from the movie, Boone’s team learned to accept each other and became state champions in the midst of these challenges. Boone attributed the Titans’ success to teamwork and leadership, emphasizing the importance of communication.
“By talking to one another, [the players] got the chance to understand one another,” Boone said, adding that communication fosters trust. “I truly believe that dialogue is the foundation of good relationships.”
Boone said that the Titans should be remembered as an example of how to accept individuals for who they are. He worked this into his life advice to students, which is to foster respect, communication, hard work and a sense of humor.
“In order to overcome adversity, you must have a sense of humor,” Boone said.
At the end of his speech, Boone accepted questions from the audience, several of which concerned the accuracy of the movie. Boone estimated that about 85 percent of the film was true, making sure to mention that the real Sunshine did not actually kiss one of the other players.
Alexandra Rippy, a second-year business student, is the ideas and issues coordinator for Carolina Productions and said that Boone also met with Steve Spurrier and the Gamecock football team Wednesday.
“We wanted to bring some kind of sport speaker to campus,” Rippy said. “We thought [Boone] had the perfect story.”
Those who attended appreciated hearing Boone’s inspirational story and sense of humor.
“It was interesting getting the chance to listen to a legend,” said Drew Culp, a first-year broadcast journalism student who attended the event. “It was very entertaining just because of how funny he was.”
3 comments