Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story: Lessons Learned from a Celebrated Coach's Journey As Told to Steve Sullivan - Hardcover

Sullivan, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1589792785 ISBN 13: 9781589792784

Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005

Synopsis

Bill Yoast is the real-life hero of Remember the Titans, the inspirational hit movie that chronicled the struggles of black and white high school football athletes to create a championship season in racially charged Alexandria, Virginia, in 1972. Will Patton played Yoast's role and Denzel Washington played the role of Head Coach Herman Boone. Uniting in a common effort, Yoast and Boone led T.C. Williams High School to an undefeated season, and in the process brought the school and polarized community together. The real-life Yoast is even more compelling than his film version. At one time, the former World War II veteran considered going into the ministry. Fortunately, for the hundreds of young men and women whose lives he helped mold, he found his calling in coaching. To him, the title "coach" always meant more than wins and losses; coaching was a vehicle through which he could help young people. One of Yoast's greatest victories came with Gerry Bertier, his star lineman whose tragic auto accident and resulting paralysis was seen in Remember the Titans. What the film did not include was the fact that, for years after the accident, Yoast worked with Bertier, coaching him to win gold medals in shotput and discus at the Wheel Chair Olympics.

About this title

About the Author

Steve Sullivan is a popular motivational speaker whose books have sold over 100,000 copies. He lives in North Haven, Connecticut.

Reviews

When T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, was desegregated in 1972, Yoast was replaced as head coach by Herman Boone, an African American. Yoast's pride was hurt, but he accepted an assistant coaching position. Together, he and Boone led their school to the state championship. It wasn't all hugs and kisses, but the coaches set aside their egos and worked past any racial tension; the kids followed their lead. If this all sounds familiar, it should. Disney made a successful movie about the 1972 Titans starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton. Yoast offers his personal recollections from that now-immortalized season as well as the coaching philosophy he developed in over 30 years of coaching. As in the how-to books penned by more famous coaches (Pitino, Krzyzewski, et al.), the homilies are standard issue: be honest, demand effort, expect excellence. What's interesting here, though, is Yoast's perspective: the professional memoir of a coach whose greatest rewards were the successful lives of those who learned valuable lessons from their athletic endeavors. The movie was good; this is better. Wes Lukowsky
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Edition details

• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1589792785
• ISBN 13: 9781589792784
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 180