Gerry Bertier

Gerry Bertier (, pronounced like "Gary"; August 20, 1953 – March 20, 1981) was a high school American football player and Paralympian.

He became known for his participation on the 1971 Virginia State Champion football T. C. Williams High School team, and their portrayal in the Disney film Remember the Titans.

Bertier was also the nephew of Howie Livingston.

After the conclusion of the 1971 season, Bertier was involved in an automobile crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down.

Despite this injury, Bertier attended Northern Virginia Community College and remained an active athlete, participating in the Paralympics.

Even though the team struggled with prejudice as the season opener rolled around, the strife was not evident in how the T.C. Titans began the 1971 season.

The Titans went 13–0, including nine shutouts, and went on to win the Virginia State Championship.

During the Titans' undefeated season, they also outscored their opponents by a 357-45 margin.

Bertier's stats during the season included 142 tackles and 42 sacks.

Bertier was named team Defensive Most Valuable Player.

He was named National Prep School Football Player of the Year and received First Team All-Region, All-State, and All-American honors.

As he prepared to move to the next level, Bertier received many football scholarship offers from prominent colleges like Notre Dame and University of Alabama.

Bertier was portrayed in the Disney film Remember the Titans by actor Ryan Hurst.

While some elements of the film have a historical basis, certain aspects of Bertier's portrayal are not completely factual.

The crash that left him paralyzed happened after the State Championship game, on the night of a banquet celebrating the team's success, rather than a few days before the final game.

The name of Bertier's girlfriend, and Bertier and Campbell's relationship, were misrepresented.

Bertier's on-the-field portrayal in the film, however, is almost entirely correct.

As the team's defensive captain, Bertier was a dominating force on the linebacking corps and received All-American honors following the team's championship season.

Although heralded as an exceptional leader on and off the football field, Bertier's duties never included cutting fellow players from the team as he was shown doing in the film.

On December 11, 1971, Bertier had been at a banquet honoring the players of the 1971 T.C. Williams Titans football team for their undefeated season.

After the banquet, Bertier borrowed his mother's new 1971 Chevrolet Camaro.

Bertier lost control of the Camaro and crashed.

He was moved to the operating room when he was stabilized.

Although doctors tried to relieve pressure on his spine to help him regain some feeling, it was unsuccessful.

Bertier coordinated with junior colleges in Alexandria to set up a "Walk for Mankind," and he encouraged students, adults, and company executives to donate.

Bertier occasionally met with others who survived similar injuries, helping them with their rehabilitation.

Outside of his hometown, Bertier made speeches across the country for the rights of the disabled.

He addressed subjects such as making buildings accessible to disabled people.

In 2006, Bertier's family started the "Bertier #42 Foundation", dedicated to raising money for research on spinal cord injuries.

There is also a gymnasium at Alexandria City High School (formerly T.C. Williams High School) that bears his name.

Bertier's parents divorced when he was around age eight and he was raised primarily by his mother until she remarried Robert Agnew.

As a child and young man, Bertier was described as an amiable, goal-oriented individual.

Growing up, he frequently discussed his lifetime goal of winning a gold medal in the Olympics, and, as an active participant in various athletics, seemed to be on track for this goal.

Bertier began his high school career at Hammond High School and joined the football team.

He became a key player, soon becoming the backbone of the defense.

As a sophomore, Bertier was starting linebacker, a position for which he won many honors.

However, Bertier was only able to play three seasons, when Hammond H.S. was merged with two other Alexandria high schools to form T.C. Williams High School.

The consolidation meant there were many new faces on the football team and the coaching staff, which caused racial tension between team members.

This new mixture of Titans was forced to come together as a single successful team, dealing with the issue of racial prejudice, a difficult battle for many members of the team.

As a captain, Bertier, along with friend and teammate defensive end Julius Campbell, supported their teammates through this struggle.