1. Megan McGehee
Mr. Blanco
First Year Seminar
6/16/14
Watched Remember The Titans
Remember The Titans is a movie based on real-life events of racism during the early
1970’s. It takes place in a small town in Virginia. The Jim Crow laws were still a very big part
of everyday life. There are many complex feelings during this movie.
1) It was the first time that these high school football players have ever been integrated at
the same school. Both the white and black players at first did not want a change. They
were all raised with prejudices and biases of other races
2) Even the coach’s little daughter did not want a change. The little girl’s father is Coach
Yates. He is white and has been the head coach for the Titans for years. The school
district made him resign his coaching position and he became the assistant coach. The
school district hired a new black coach for head coach. Secretly, the school officials
hoped he would fail and be fired.
3) ”Doc”, the new head coach took his team to a football camp. He made each and every
player get to know everyone on the team that is of the other race. When they met each
other it had to be one-on-one. One of the white players was asking to a black player, “Do
you have a daddy? Does he at least have a job?”
One day at camp, “Doc” had gotten all of the football players up for a 3:00 a.m. practice.
The coaches led the players running through the woods. When they got to their
destination they were at the Battle of Gettysburg. When ”Doc” started talking he
explained to them; “We are standing here where they fought the same battle we are still
fighting amongst ourselves. Hatred destroyed many families. We have to come together
here and now. We need to respect each other. Or if we don’t (points to the graves), they
all will have died in vain.”
Gary (white All-American) and Julius (black) are the two leaders of the football team.
They were the first ones to accept each other equally. Then everyone else followed their
example and respected each other. They began to truly care about one another.
Everything changed as soon as they came back to school from camp. All the white
parents were holding protests signs against the integration of their child’s school. The two
football players are shown working together, breaking up a black/white fight in school,
because they don’t want football to be cancelled.

2. 4) One night a few of the white and black players were walking around town celebrating a
team win. Then one of the white players, from a military family recently moved from
California, said “Hey, let’s eat here”. They walk in the restaurant and the owner told
them, “There is no more room. No empty tables.” Most of the tables in this restaurant
were empty. Then the owner said with no sympathy, “if you want something to eat, you
can go out back.”
5) “Doc” receives threats (a brick thrown the window of his home) and taunts from other
coaches on television (being referred to as a monkey) on their way to the State
Championship. Coach Yates’ daughter is in the house with “Doc’s” daughter when the
brick was thrown and he gets a glimpse of what it has been like for “Doc” and his family
Yates defies the pressure from school officials to throw the game, putting his nomination
for the Coaches Hall of Fame in jeopardy. “Doc” pushes back by tossing a banana to the
other coach after beating them.
For a town that did not want their high school integrated, they still supported the Titan high
school football team. Most of the schools they played against were all white schools. The
Titans, against all odds, went on to win the state championship. The football team brought the
town together.