Legendary ‘Remember the Titans’ coach dead at 84

Herman Boone portrayed by Denzel Washington in film

Dec. 29 - Bryce Gowdy was a talented wide-receiver prospect from Deerfield Beach, Fla., who had signed on to play at Georgia Tech just two weeks prior.

Herman Boone is a former high school football coach at T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. In 1971, when the city decided to totally consolidate its school system, Boone was appointed as its first consolidated head football coach. They won the 1971 state championship. Boone's story was later told in 2000 in the movie, "Remember the Titans." Denzel Washington starred in the film as Boone.

Dec. 17 - Hayden Fry had never been to Iowa before taking over the Hawkeyes in 1979. He coached the Hawkeyes for 20 seasons, winning 238 games and three Big Ten championships. He retired as the school's winningest coach in 1998. He was 90.

Dec. 9 - Pete Frates was a former college baseball player at Boston College whose battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease helped inspire the ALS ice bucket challenge that has raised more than $200 million worldwide. He was 34.

Nov. 30 - Quarterback Pat Sullivan, the 1971 Heisman Trophy winner while at Auburn University, was a second-round draft pick by the Atlanta Falcons. He played four NFL seasons before turning to coaching at Auburn, Texas Christian, Alabama-Birmingham and Samford. He was 69.

Nov. 11 - Zeke Bratkowski was a two-time All-SEC selection and two-time SEC passing champion playing for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1952-53. He was 88. A second-round NFL draft selection, Bratkowski enjoyed a 14-year pro career with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams and as Bart Starr's backup at Green Bay.

Nov. 11 - Charles Rogers, an All-American wide receiver at Michigan State who was the second overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, died at age 38. Rogers played in just 15 NFL games in three seasons before he was cut by the team after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Umpire Eric Cooper pushes Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna to secure a clear view as Mets infielder Amed Rosario runs toward home plate on a flyball off Phillies infielder Carlos Santana in the bottom of 8th inning during the game four between Japan and MLB All Stars Nov. 13, 2018, at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium in Hiroshima, Japan.

Sept. 21 - Jevan Snead was a quarterback who began his college football career at Texas before transferring to Mississippi, where he led the Rebels on two successful campaigns and back-to-back Cotton Bowl wins. Snead signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers as an undrafted free agent, but was released without playing in a regular season game. He was 32.

July 10 - Jim Bouton, the former New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves pitcher who shocked and angered the conservative baseball world with the tell-all book "Ball Four," was 80. Bouton also pitched for Houston in 1970, and made a comeback with the Braves in 1978, going 1-3 at age 39. He finished his 10-year career with a 62-63 record and 3.57 ERA.

July 3 - Jared Lorenzen, a record-setting quarterback at Kentucky who went on the win a Super Bowl as a backup on the New York Giants' team in 2007, died of complications from kidney and heart issues. He was 38. Nicknamed "Hefty Lefty," the 6-foot-4 Lorenzen struggled with his weight during and post-NFL career. He weighed as much as 571 pounds.

July 1 - Tyler Skaggs, a 6-foot-4 lefty who made 96 starts in his MLB career was found dead in a hotel room hours before his team was scheduled to face the Texas Rangers. The Los Angeles Angels starter was 27.

Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner is a picture of dejection as he leaves the field after committing an error on a ball hit to first base by New York Mets Mookie Wilson, which allowed the winning run to score in the sixth game of the World Series, Saturday night, Oct. 25, 1986, in New York. The Mets won the series in the seventh game.

May 26 - Bart Starr, the quarterback who served as the catalyst for the powerhouse Green Bay Packers teams that ruled the 1960s, died at the age of 85 in Birmingham, Ala. Starr was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro. He won NFL titles in 1961, '62, '65, '67 and '68. He was the 1966 NFL MVP and was named to the 1960s All-Decade team. He also was named MVP of the first two Super Bowls.

Rod Bramblett (left) served as Auburn’s lead announcer since 2003, and called Auburn baseball games for 27 seasons.

Havlicek at TD Garden on April 13, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts.

April 9: Marilynn Smith, who helpd found the LPGA Tour and went on to win 21 events - including the 1963 and '64 Titleholders Championship played at Augusta Country Club next to the home of the Masters - died at the age of 89. She won her first LPGA tournament in 1954 and her last in 1972.

Georgia Tech defensive tackle Brandon Adams died March 23, 2019, in Atlanta at the age of 21. (Michelle Hutchins/Georgia Tech Athletics)

March 20 - Ransom Joseph ‘Randy’ Jackson Jr., an All-Star third baseman with the Chicago Cubs in the mid-1950s and the last Brooklyn Dodger to hit a home run, died at home in Athens, Ga., after a brief illness. He was 93.

Feb. 19 - Don Newcombe, the first Major League Baseball player to win Rookie of the Year (1949), MVP ('56) and Cy Young ('56), died at the age of 92. Newcombe pitched 10 seasons with the Dodgers, Reds and Indians, compiling a 149-90 record with a 3.56 ERA.

Feb. 16 - Gene Littler, a Hall of Fame golfer who had 29 Tour championships, died at the age of 88. Littler camp up short at the 1970 Masters, losing to Billy Casper in an 18-hole playoff (the last in Augusta history).

Feb. 7 - Frank Robinson, a Hall of Fame baseball player and manager died at the age of 83. He remains the only player to win the MVP award in both the National and American leagues. In 1975 he became the first African-American manager and went on to lead the Indians, Giants, Orioles Expos and Nationals.

Jan. 18 - Turk Schonert, who preceded John Elway as Stanford quarterback, died at the age of 62 after suffering heart attack near his home in South Carolina. Schonert played nine years in the NFL for the Bengals and Falcons.

Jan. 13 - Mel Stottlemyre, the Yankees ace turned pitching coach for both New York teams, died at the age of 77 after complications from multiple myeloma, an incurable bone marrow cancer.

Jan. 2 - 'Mean' Gene Okerlund, a WWE Hall of Famer who rose to fame as an announcer and interviewer, died at age 76.

1/25

Dec. 29 - Bryce Gowdy was a talented wide-receiver prospect from Deerfield Beach, Fla., who had signed on to play at Georgia Tech just two weeks prior.

By Tim Darnell

Dec 19, 2019

Herman Boone, the T.C. Williams High School football head coach who was portrayed by Denzel Washington in “Remember the Titans,” has died at age 84.

The news was confirmed by T.C. Williams High School Football Boosters:

It is with great sadness that we share the sad news of the passing of former Head Football Coach Herman Boone who lead the Titans to the State Championship in 1971🏈. #RIP @TCWilliamsAD @TCWSports @AlexandriaPatch @AlexandriaNow @AlexGazette pic.twitter.com/4I0DFAAWSF
— T.C. Williams H.S. Football Boosters (@TCTitanFootball) December 18, 2019

According to the school, Boone died just weeks after making a guest appearance at the annual ACPS Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Boone came to Alexandria, Va., from North Carolina as T.C.’s first black head coach. He worked with Bill Yoast, the equally legendary coach at the all-white Francis C. Hammond High School who had been hired as defensive coach at T.C. Williams High School.

The two pulled together to solidify a diverse group of students into Virginia’s most successful football team that year.

Yoast and Boone’s relationship brought together the divided city to support their winning integrated school team.

The two coaches both died this year, seven months apart.

About the Author

Tim Darnell

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Legendary ‘Remember the Titans’ coach dead at 84

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