Gerry Bertier ( , with hard "G"; August 20, 1953 - March 20, 1981) is a famous American footballer of Alexandria, Virginia. He is best known for his participation in the 1971 Virginia State Champion soccer team. T. C. Williams High School and their portrayal in the Disney movie Remember the Titans, and became Howard Livingston's niece. He also attended Northern Virginia Community College. After the end of the 1971 season, Bertier was involved in a car accident, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite this injury, Bertier remains an active athlete, participating in the Paralympics and winning several medals, including gold in the shot. In 2006, Bertier's family started "Gerry Bertier Foundation # 42", dedicated to raising money for research on spinal cord injuries. There is also a gymnasium in T. C. Williams that bears his name.
Video Gerry Bertier
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Bertier's parents divorced when she was about 8 years old and she was raised mainly by her mother, until she remarried with Robert Agnew. As a child and youth, Bertier is described as a friendly, goal-oriented individual. Growing up, Bertier often discusses his life goal of winning gold medals at the Olympics, and as an active participant in various athletics, seems to be on track for this purpose.
Maps Gerry Bertier
High school career
Bertier started his high school career at Hammond High School and joined the football team. He became a key player, soon became the backbone of defense. As a second year student, he started the midfielder, a position he won many awards. However, he was only able to play three seasons, when Hammond H.S. combined with two other Alexandria high schools to form T.C. Williams High School. Consolidation means there are many new faces on the football team as well as the coaching staff, which causes racial tension between team members. The new Titans mix is ​​forced to unite as a successful team, dealing with the problem of racial prejudice, a difficult battle for many members of the team. As captain, Bertier, along with friends and defensive teams ending Julius Campbell, supported their teammates through this struggle. Although the team is still struggling with prejudice because of the rolling season opener, disputes are not proven in the T.C. Titans started the 1971 season. The Titans went 13-0, including nine shut outs, and then won the Virginia State Championship. During the unbeaten season of The Titans, they also defeated their opponents by a margin of 357-45. Bertier stats during the season include 142 tackles, 42 bags. Bertier is named Defensive Team Most Valuable Player. He was crowned National Footballer of the Year Preparation, and received the First All-Region, All-State, and All-American All-First Team awards. As he prepares to move to the next level, Bertier receives many offers of football scholarship from leading universities such as Notre Dame and the University of Alabama.
Car crash
On December 11, 1971, Bertier attended a 1971 honoring banquet of performers, T.C. The Williams Titans football team for their unbeaten season. After the banquet, Bertier borrowed his new Chevrolet Camaro 1971. Bertier lost control of the Camaro and fell; The accident was then determined to be caused by mechanical failure in the motor mounting machine. Gerry was transferred to the operating room when he was stable. Although the doctors tried to reduce the pressure on his spine to help him regain feelings, it did not work. Bertier coordinates with Junior Colleges in Alexandria to establish "Walk for Mankind," and he encourages students, adults, corporate executives to donate. Bertier occasionally meets with others who suffer similar injuries, helping them with their rehabilitation. Outside his hometown, Gerry speaks all over the country for the rights of the disabled. He discusses subjects such as making disabled buildings accessible. Bertier works for Abbey Medical to sell medical equipment to disabled people, a position that allows him to attend nationwide wheelchair sports events.
Paralympics
After Bertier recovered from his injuries, he once again became a competitive athlete. According to his sister, Becky Britt, "During Gerry's childhood he mentioned being in the Olympics.The long-term goal is to receive a gold medal." He decided to occupy himself in the Wheelchair and Field, the Wheelchair Basketball League, and the United States Paralympics, establishing state and national records. He was trained all his life by Bill Yoast, winning a gold medal on discs and shot puts.
Death
On March 20, 1981, Bertier was killed in a car accident while returning home from a business trip. Driving alone, Southsmark South 1980 collided with a car to the north, which crossed the center line on Route 20 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Bertier died almost two hours later at the University of Virginia hospital. A man from Schulyer, Virginia was charged with murder and driving under the influence of alcohol in connection with the accident.
Remember Titans
Gerry Bertier is portrayed in the Disney movie Remembers the Titans by actor Ryan Hurst. Although most films are historically accurate, there are certain aspects of Bertier's not entirely factual depictions. The crippling crash happened after the State Championship game, on the eve of the party celebrating the team's success, not a few days before the final game. Bertier's girlfriends and Bertier and Campbell relationships, for example, are misinterpreted. However, Bertier's field drawings are almost completely correct. As the team's defensive captain, Bertier is the dominating force in the linebacking corps and receives the All-American award after the team's championship season. Despite being heralded as an outstanding leader on and off the soccer field, Bertier's task never included cutting off fellow players from the team as shown in the movie.
Gerry Bertier Foundation # 42
After becoming paralyzed, Bertier becomes very active in helping other spinal injured victims. Bertier often visits the spinal cord injury hospital to help victims with their acceptance of injuries and eventually their rehabilitation. After Bertier died in 1981, his sister, Becky Britt, decided to continue her legacy. In 2006, he created "Gerry Bertier # 42 Foundation", to build Bertier tradition to help people with spinal cord injuries. The foundation is dedicated to raising money for spinal cord research and working with Virginia Commonwealth University to host an annual fundraising golf tournament. This tournament attracted the support of many of Virginia's population, including some members of 1971 T.C. Williams championship team. The second annual tournament was held September 29, 2007, at Cannon Ridge Golf Club in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Results were donated to the Center for Rehabilitation and Rehabilitation Center for Spinal Injury from Virginia Commonwealth University Health System (VCUHS). The 2007 tournament garnered about $ 20,000 to donate to VCUHS.
See also
- Herman Boone
- Ronnie Bass
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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