The man whose story inspired my favorite movie of all time, Remember the Titans, Coach Herman Boone, has passed away at the age of 84. Reunited with Coach Yoast in Heaven. Yoast passed away in March at 94.
It's sort of weird writing about a man who you best know from a movie, that came out when you were 8. For the most part Remember the Titans paints an accurate picture of Coach Boone's story; at least in 1971. He was the first black Head Coach in a very tumultuous time in the Mid-Atlantic at newly integrated school (even though if Brown vs. Board of Education was a person it could've had its learners permit by now). While the movie make take some liberties with what really went down by peppering in a man-on-man locker-room smooch or underselling how dominant the Titans actually were in 1971; 9 of the T.C. Titans 14 wins were shutouts according to wiki. Its depiction of the struggles African Americans faced were real. The racism was real. The adversity Boone faced while coaching was real. The lives he touched were real. I'd imagine Herman Boone must've been a pretty solid man to not only have this movie get made, but to have the ultimate honor of portrayal by the one and only, Denzel. After 5 minutes of research; the least I could do for the man who is indirectly responsible for entertaining me for months of my life. Here's some factual Herman Boone information. Boone was a pillar of the community and a trail blazer; the only black head coach in 1971 North Virginia. Not only was he the football coach but he also taught PE and drivers Ed. Boone is responsible for bending racial division in the shadow of Jim Crow. Herman battled lung cancer and made a public appearance only a few weeks before his death. 2019 has not been kind for the T.C. Titans; Julius Campbell, Coach Yoast, Petey Jones, Coach Boone's wife Carol all died.
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