If you are like me, you will watch a movie that’s based on a true story and you will wonder what’s actually the truth.
In the great movie, Remember the Titans, the actor playing Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) walked up to the actor playing new head coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) with the intent of making things right. He told coach Boone that he was the only All American that he had on this team as if Bertier was going to run the show. Boone, of course, was having nothing of it, according to the way it was fictionalized for the movie. I loved the movie and that’s kind of rare for me on football flicks, because this one was done very well.
If you haven’t seen Remember the Titans, it took place in 1971 Alexandria, Virginia and was about integration. They were basically combining the white and black schools together which had always been separated because of racial barriers.
I’m not young, but I am happy to say that I barely missed those integration years much like I am glad I
barely missed Vietnam. My first year in high school was 1973 and combining schools had been done already where I lived.
No matter what happened to me, it was still a troubling time in America and it’s still going on with race riots happening after another shooting. Happens way too often for my particular taste and I believe in getting along with others and loving my brother.
Those discussions are for other blogs, but just how good was All American Gerry Bertier in real life? How realistic was that portion of the movie? We all know that Hollywood has to sell tickets for movies and the made up stories usually do better in sales than the truth.
The new high school was called T.C. Williams and when they combined the schools (there were 3 schools involved) they became something of a powerhouse in Virginia High School football. Other than one game, they blew out everyone on their schedule. The team which gave them issues was George C. Marshall High School which the movie had them beating in the state championship game with a miraculous finish. T.C. Williams actually played Marshall High during the regular season. They did score late to beat Marshall, but there were about 5 minutes left in the game.
The defense on that team, led by Bertier and Defensive End Julius Campbell was sensational. They shut out 9 teams while outscoring opponents 338 to 38 and finished 13-0 on the season. The state championship game was a 27-0 blowout of Andrew Lewis High School. But, blowout wins in state championship games just doesn’t make a very interesting movie.
But, still that Gerry Bertier guy, just how good was he?
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The big boys were coming around like Alabama, Notre Dame and the rest of them to recruit him. He was one of the top Linebacker recruits in the country and he might have even been the very best.
He is credited with 142 tackles during this magical 1971 season. But, the incredible stat and I checked around and around to see if this was wrong and several internet sites had the same number. He had an
astounding 42 Quarterback sacks during the season, according to everything that I found. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that number and I’m not sure I have seen anyone with 42 sacks on any level.
Also, and this is a big also, it should have even been a capital lettered ALSO. Bertier was driving his mom’s cool Camaro and was in a wreck and he was paralyzed. But, that happened after the state championship game. Sadly, he was indeed confined to a wheelchair and he was hit and killed 10 years later just like the movie.
The only player from that team that played big time college football was Quarterback Ronnie Bass who went to South Carolina. Bass had been a junior on the 1971 team and was a freshman at South Carolina in 1973. Starting as a junior and senior at South Carolina, Bass did get playing time as a true freshman and a sophomore. He only threw for just under 3,000 yards and 14 Touchdowns during his 4 years of eligibility, but those were different days and times. College football teams just didn’t throw that much back in the 1970’s. Bass also ran for over 1,000 yards with his biggest seasons coming before he was the starting Quarterback.
Gerry Bertier would have been big time and there’s no telling what he could have accomplished at the school of his choice. Who knows, he may have starred for Joe Paterno at Penn State since they are Linebacker U and they have recruited well out of Virginia for years. He could have been huge at Notre Dame, I don’t know if he was Catholic, but a lot of great players have gone to Notre Dame. He might have gone south and played for Bear Bryant although the SEC was not all that big of a deal back in
1971.
The injury to Gerry Bertier is one part of the movie that I wish was not true. It would have been exciting to see what he could have done at the college level and beyond.
A high school Linebacker with 42 Quarterback sacks in one season just has to be a guy that can make it as a college football player.