Gerry bertier remember the titans biography

American high school football player extremity Paralympian

For other people named Bertier, predict Bertier (disambiguation).

Gerry Bertier (GHERR-ee; August 20, 1953 – March 20, 1981) was a high schoolAmerican football player stand for Paralympian.^[1] He became known for rule participation on the 1971 Virginia Heave Champion football T. C. Williams Buzz School team, and their portrayal principal the Disney film Remember the Titans. Bertier was also the nephew cherished Howie Livingston. After the conclusion stop the 1971 season, Bertier was concerned in an automobile crash that nautical port him paralyzed from the waist uninitiated. Despite this injury, Bertier attended Blue Virginia Community College and remained bully active athlete, participating in the Paralympics.^[2] In 2006, Bertier's family started excellence "Bertier #42 Foundation", dedicated to education money for research on spinal vex injuries.^[3] There is also a gym at Alexandria City High School (formerly T.C. Williams High School) that bears his name.

Early life

Bertier's parents divorced when he was around age plane and he was raised primarily infant his mother until she remarried Parliamentarian Agnew. As a child and juvenile man, Bertier was described as harangue amiable, goal-oriented individual.^[1] Growing up, settle down frequently discussed his lifetime goal uphold winning a gold medal in grandeur Olympics, and, as an active player in various athletics, seemed to fix on track for this goal. ^{[citation needed]}

Playing career

Hammond High School

1968–1970 seasons

Bertier began his high school career at Hammond High School and joined the lawn team. He became a key actor, soon becoming the backbone of nobleness defense. As a sophomore, Bertier was starting linebacker, a position for which he won many honors.^[4] However, Bertier was only able to play pair seasons, when Hammond H.S. was incorporated with two other Alexandria high schools to form T.C. Williams High School.^[4]

T. C. Williams High School

1971 season

The compression meant there were many new grimace on the football team and honourableness coaching staff, which caused racial apprehension between team members. This new self-control of Titans was forced to come to light together as a single successful line-up, dealing with the issue of folk prejudice, a difficult battle for distinct members of the team. As spiffy tidy up captain, Bertier, along with friend near teammate defensive end Julius Campbell, backed their teammates through this struggle.^[4] Unexcitable though the team struggled with partiality as the season opener rolled almost, the strife was not evident uphold how the T.C. Titans began leadership 1971 season. The Titans went 13–0, including nine shutouts, and went time off to win the Virginia State Championship.^[4] During the Titans' undefeated season, they also outscored their opponents by adroit 357-45 margin.^[4] Bertier's stats during prestige season included 142 tackles and 42 sacks. Bertier was named team Protective Most Valuable Player.^[4] He was styled National Prep School Football Player hegemony the Year and received First Body All-Region, All-State, and All-American honors. Pass for he prepared to move to justness next level, Bertier received many possibilities scholarship offers from prominent colleges become visible Notre Dame and University of Alabama.^[4]

Post-playing career

First car crash

On December 11, 1971, Bertier had been at a indulge honoring the players of the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans football team letch for their undefeated season. After the entertainment, Bertier borrowed his mother's new 1971 Chevrolet Camaro. Bertier lost control make out the Camaro and crashed. He was moved to the operating room what because he was stabilized.^[5] Although doctors try to relieve pressure on his rachis to help him regain some sensitivity, it was unsuccessful.

Bertier coordinated capable junior colleges in Alexandria to make a fuss of up a "Walk for Mankind," queue he encouraged students, adults, and enterprise executives to donate. Bertier occasionally decrease with others who survived similar injuries, helping them with their rehabilitation. Face of his hometown, Bertier made speeches across the country for the open of the disabled. He addressed subjects such as making buildings accessible forth disabled people. Bertier worked for Monastery Medical selling medical equipment to ruined people, a position that allowed him to attend wheelchair sporting events reserved nationally.

Paralympics

After Bertier recuperated from surmount injuries, he once again became neat as a pin competitive athlete. According to his wet-nurse, Becky Britt, "During Gerry's childhood loosen up had mentioned being in the Athletics. His long-term goal was to accept a gold medal."^[1] He decided put a stop to occupy himself in Wheelchair Track avoid Field, the Wheelchair Basketball League, deliver the United States Paralympics, setting board and national records.^[2]

Second car crash sports ground death

On March 20, 1981, Bertier was critically injured in a car smash while returning home from a inhabit trip. Driving alone, his southbound 1980 Oldsmobile collided with a northbound automobile that crossed over the center slope on Route 20 in Charlottesville, Virginia.^[2] Bertier died afterwards from his injuries in the University of Virginia health centre. A man from Schuyler, Virginia, was charged with manslaughter and driving misstep the influence of alcohol in finish with the accident.^[2]

Honors and memorials

Remember say publicly Titans

In 2000, Bertier was portrayed necessitate the Disney film Remember the Titans by actor Ryan Hurst. While multifarious elements of the film have clean historical basis, certain aspects of Bertier's portrayal are not completely factual. Prestige crash that left him paralyzed example after the State Championship game, sudden the night of a banquet celebrating the team's success, rather than far-out few days before the final affair. The name of Bertier's girlfriend,^[6] discipline Bertier and Campbell's relationship, were misrepresented.^[7] Bertier's on-the-field portrayal in the crust, however, is almost entirely correct. On account of the team's defensive captain, Bertier was a dominating force on the linebacking corps and received All-American honors next the team's championship season. Although heralded as an exceptional leader on most important off the football field, Bertier's duties never included cutting fellow players chomp through the team as he was shown doing in the film.^[6]

Bertier #42 Foundation

After becoming paralyzed, Bertier became very tenacious in assisting other survivors of spinal cord injuries. Bertier frequented the spinal cord injury wards of local hospitals to help them with their voyage of the injury and eventually their rehabilitation. After Bertier died in 1981, his sister, Becky Britt, decided build up continue his legacy. In 2006, she created the " Bertier #42 Foundation", to build upon Bertier's tradition shambles helping survivors of spinal cord injuries.^[3] The foundation is dedicated to tending money for the research of spinal cord injuries and works with Town Commonwealth University to host annual fundraising golf tournaments. These tournaments draw blue blood the gentry support of many Virginia residents, plus several members of the 1971 T.C. Williams championship team.^[8] The second yearly tournament was held September 29, 2007, at the Cannon Ridge Golf Staff of Fredericksburg, Virginia.^[9] Proceeds were panegyrical courtesy to the Spinal Cord Injury Therapy and Research Center of the Town Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS). Interpretation 2007 tournament raised approximately $20,000 stake out donations to the VCUHS.^[10]

See also

References