The majority of the Titan players in the film are based on real people (see the Titans' team photo here). However, actor Ryan Gosling's character Alan Bosley is not a real person. The movie shows Alan giving up his spot to Pete (Donald Faison) during a game. This scene was added to emphasize the selflessness of the players. Ray Budds (Burgess Jenkins) is also a fictionalized character. The film depicts a bigoted Ray being kicked off the team by captain Gerry Bertier. This never actually happened. Former Titan players have stated that this type of player would have been kicked off the team during training camp, before the season ever started. -'71 Titans Website

In real life, did Coach Herman Boone integrate the buses before leaving for football camp?
Yes. This really happened. "I forced them on each other," Herman Boone says. "I forced them to learn each other's culture. I forced them to be a part of each other's lives."
-ESPN.com

Did the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans really go to camp at Gettysburg College?
Yes. This part of the film is true. The team spent a week at Gettysburg College where they practiced up to three times a day, as depicted in the movie Remember the Titans.
-ESPN.com

Was the racial tension at training camp depicted accurately in the film?
No. Coach Boone, Coach Yoast, and many players have said that there was tension at camp, but it existed primarily because of competition for positions on the team. "I wanted to make the team," Ronnie Bass says in an interview. "I think that's where most of the kids' minds were. We were just trying to play football." In a 2000 USA Today article, Remember the Titans screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard rejects the current position of the players, "Yeah, right," Howard says. "Who wants to say, 'I hated (black people)?' Who wants to say, 'I hated white people?' Who wants to say, 'We hated each other.' "
-ESPN.com

Did Herman Boone really wake the team up at 3 a.m. and make them run to the Gettysburg Cemetary?
No. This did not happen. The team did tour the battlefields on the Sunday they were at camp. The guide did most of the talking though, not Herman Boone. This isn't to say that Coach Boone never gave motivational speeches to his team. In fact, he delivered many speeches to inspire them. Often, his speeches were not about the importance of winning, but about the importance of playing your best. -'71 Titans Website

In the movie, Coach Boone tells his team that 50,000 men died during the Battle of Gettysburg. Is this true?
Not exactly. There were approximately 50,000 casualties (killed/wounded/missing) at the Battle of Gettysburg. The actual number who lost their lives was much lower. -IMDB

Did Gerry Bertier and Julius Campbell become best friends in real life?
They were friends, but their relationship was not such a pivitol example of integration like it is in the movie Remember the Titans. Gerry and Julius were friends just like many of the other players were friends. Theirs was not the only new friendship. -'71 Titans Website

Was Gerry Bertier's girlfriend Emma (Kate Bosworth) based on a real person?
No. The character of Emma Hoyt (Kate Bosworth) is purely fictional. She was created to demonstrate some of the negative traits and beliefs instilled in the youth of that time.
-'71 Titans Website

Did Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass really kiss Gerry Bertier on the lips?
No. In the movie, Sunshine (Kip Pardue) jokingly kisses Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst) on the lips. This did not happen in real life. The film also implies that Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass might possibly be gay. This is also untrue. In fact, like Ronnie Bass, most of the other players on the team had long hair in 1971, including Gerry Bertier. -'71 Titans Website

Was Ronnie "Sunshine" Bass really a long haired hippie from California?
Titan quarterback Ronnie Bass did come from California, but portraying him as a long haired hippie is a bit of an exageration. "I was never quite like that," Bass told the Greenville (SC) News. "But that's Hollywood. I'll say for the record my hair was never that long." Also for the record, Ron never did Tai Chi outside the school.

Did protesters stand outside of T.C. Williams on the first day of school?
Unlike what is seen in the movie, there were no protestors outside of the high school on the first day. Nearby George Washington Junior High School did have some fights and a rock-throwing incident. -'71 Titans Website

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