CUMBERLAND - Coach Herman Boone, who was the inspiration for the Disney Film “Remember the Titans,” spoke to the Fort Hill High School student body Friday about how he managed to unite members of his football team during a time of extreme racial tension.

“I’m going to tell you about some young men who put their differences aside and learned how to talk to each other,” said Boone, who was the head coach of the Titan football team at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., in the early 1970s when three local high schools were consolidated into one.

“In the spring of 1971, racial tension was widespread in Alexandria, and my job as head coach was to make this situation better,” said Boone. “The superintendent told me it would ease the tension if I could make these kids like each other.”

Though it was no quick and easy task, Boone was able to take a racially divided, aversive team and transform it into a state championship-winning team with players who respected and trusted one another.

“I had to have a sense of humor,” said Boone. “I told them, ‘I can’t make you like each other, and I don’t even care if you like each other, but you will respect each other.’ ”

Boone was invited to come to Fort Hill by students in Debbie Jackson’s ninth-grade English classes. The students wrote letters to Boone in March as part of a unit on formal and persuasive writing, and Boone responded to each and every one — all 88 of them.

“They could see the power of writing, and they were excited about getting a real response,” said Jackson.

Each student wrote about something different — some wrote about racial issues; others wrote about the movie “Remember the Titans”; and many of the athletes wrote to ask about the Titan football team.

“I wrote about some of the history of Cumberland,” said Andrew Amousa.

“I just told him stuff about the area, and that I really liked the movie,” said Joey Evans.

“I also wrote about the movie,” said Kelsie Dicken, who was surprised that Boone responded to each letter.

Three former football players, No. 81 Julius “Big Ju” Campbell, No. 76 Darryl Stanton and No. 77 Kerry Lundin, accompanied Boone to the school.

Following the presentation, while the three former Titans were answering questions from Jackson’s students, Boone became ill and was taken by Cumberland Fire Department ambulance to the hospital for treatment. He was released early Friday afternoon.

Contact Jennifer Raley at jraley@times-news.com.