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Boone to kick off United Way
Northern Colorado Business Report
August 23-September 5, 2002
United Way in the News
Eye recommend it.
The United Way of Fort Collins is bringing Herman Boone, made famous in the 2000 Disney movie “Remember the Titans,” to speak at the annual campaign kickoff event at 6:30 p.m., Sept.26.
Boone, who was played in the film by Hollywood star Denzel Washington, will appear alongside Colorado State University football coach Sonny Lubick.
Boone’s message: respect, teamwork and community involvement.
He speaks from experience.
For the uninitiated, Boone was the coach of the 1971 T.C. Williams High Titans, which won the Virginia State championship that year.
The real story is how Boone got the job, then persevered through hardship to guide the team to success.
Prior to 1971, there were three public high schools in Alexandria, Va., located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Because of racial friction between the three schools, the state decided to merge the schools, believing it would create unity among the students and within the community.
Boone, then a defensive assistant with one of the schools, was given the head coaching job instead of an established head coach, Bill Yoast, from one of the other schools. Boone was black, Yoast was white. More friction.
The movie plays loose with some of the facts, but the essence of the story is true. Black and white coaches learn to respect each other and help black and white players bond into a powerhouse team.
The movie’s success has been a boon to Boone, 67, who is enlisted with the American Program Bureau. He appears up to 20 times a month at schools and corporate team-building seminars.
"I have to pinch myself," Boone told Sports Illustrated magazine.
Boone will speak at Fort Collins High School’s McNeal Theatre. For tickets or information, call (970) 491-6444.
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