By Emily Wax
With "Remember the Titans" flashing on movie screens across the country, fame has swept through T.C. Williams High School. And some folks hope a little fortune will follow--at least for several scholarship funds around the city.
The original members of the now nationally famous 1971 Titans football team have formed a foundation that will raise money to send Alexandria youngsters to college.
"The '71 Original Titans" have already raised about $5,000 by hawking T-shirts and other T.C. football team memorabilia. They also hope to bring in money by speaking about their experiences at schools and community centers.
"Some of us thought, well, we could use this movie to help ourselves, but then we thought we should use it to help others," said Robert Luckett, who was elected president of the group. "We have a wonderful story to tell and a wonderful way to do it is by giving back to the students today."
In a separate effort, the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria held a fundraiser last week, with a special screening of the movie at Hoyts Potomac Yard Cinema. Teachers, school administrators and community members paid $100 a ticket to attend the event.
The event raised $89,000. That money, along with other fundraising, will help send T.C. graduates on to college or another form of postsecondary education.
Even T.C. Williams High School has jumped on the bandwagon. Principal John Porter said the school has raised more than $1,200 by selling T-shirts, bumper stickers and other T.C. gear. The money will go toward helping students with costs for things such as field trips and other needs that come up through the year, Porter said.
"Why be famous if you don't help someone along?" asked Coach Herman Boone, who led the 1971 Titans to victory and is portrayed by Denzel Washington in the film.
Boone even forked over $1,000 so the "'71 Original Titans" could buy the T-shirts. He is a member of the group and hopes to make an impact by helping today's students.
"This is the right thing to do, and it's just the way I was raised," said Boone, with his signature feistiness.
The movie is based on the true story of the first year at T.C. Williams after the city School Board combined three area high schools and ended up with one racially mixed school.
In what was said to be a political move, Alexandria hired Boone, who is black, as head football coach of the new high school and promoted him over Bill Yoast, the senior--and white--coach.
Although the team experienced tension at first, it ended up bringing the town and the school together by playing some furious football, making some lasting friendships and capturing the state championship.
Fast forward almost 30 years to the movie's opening last weekend. Local theaters were packed with cheering students and alumni, teachers and residents. Nationally, the movie debuted in first place at the weekend box office with $20.9 million.
For months before the opening, the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria worked on calling Disney, which made the film, and asking them to donate a screening of the movie for the charity.
Disney agreed and printed glossy invitations with the movie's poster on the front. Hoyts agreed to host the screening, and afterward, ticketholders attended a reception at Alexandria Toyota.
Six area businesses donated food for the event, and the car dealership was made to look like a football field through donations by Lowes and Bonitt Builders.
The funds from the event will allow the scholarship fund to grow significantly larger than in years past. Last year, they raised $412,000. With the movie fundraiser, organizers hope the fund will come close to a half-million dollars this year.
"This kind of thing does not happen every year," said Gwen C. Mullen, executive director of the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. "This movie really has been a wonderful opportunity."
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