Gerry Bertier
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 20, 1953 |
| Died | March 20, 1981 (aged 27) Charlottesville, Virginia |
Gerry Bertier (pronounced with a hard G sound (like Gary); August 20, 1953 – March 20, 1981) was a prominent Virginia high school American football player. He is best known for his participation on the 1971 Virginia State Champion T. C. Williams High School team and their portrayal in the Disney film Remember the Titans. After the conclusion of the 1971 season, Bertier was involved in an automobile accident, that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite this injury, Bertier remained an active athlete, participating in the Paralympics and winning multiple medals. Bertier was killed on March 20, 1981 at the age of 27 in a second car crash involving a drunk driver. Today, the Gerry Bertier #42 Foundation is dedicated to raising money for research on spinal cord injuries. There is also a gymnasium at T. C. Williams which bears his name.
Bertier's parents divorced early in his childhood (around age 8) and he was raised primarily by his mother, until she remarried to Robert Agnew. As a child and young man, Bertier was described as an amiable, goal-oriented individual. Growing up, Bertier 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, he was starting linebacker, a position for which he won many honors. However, he 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 as well as on 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 time of struggle. Even though the team was still struggling with prejudice as the season opener rolled around, the strife was not evident in the way the T.C. Titans began the 1971 season. The Titans went 13-0, including nine shut outs, 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, 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.
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