So I dont feel anything in particular," Russeau said. Kendall, a former Dallas County prosecutor, lectured the 12 teenagers for 10 minutes before sentencing them for a string of 21 armed robberies committed last spring. Who knew I would have came to Scooba, Mississippi and find Christ and get saved, you know? Allen asked. They stopped calling me. Lucas Black - Mike Winchell This is just part of the story of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary What Carter Lost, which premiered Aug. 24. The Latest NYC Import . Each had faced a maximum sentence of 99 years. Ken Carter was considered a hero in Richmond after the 1998-1999 season. I never even knew that that stuff was going on until its like they were actually out and basically confessed to the crimes.. Parents, teachers and school officials fought back, and in the end Carter was allowed to play. "Carter High" is being released Friday for theaters in Dallas and Houston, and its backers are hopeful of nationwide release in November. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. "But I havent thought about it really. Dallas Carter High School players Gary Edwards (left) and LeShai Maston celebrated their team's victory over Odessa Permian during the State UIL semi-final game in Austin on December 10, 1988. Arguably the greatest high school football team in Texas state history, Carters story is also seemingly made for film or print. Staff writer Brad Townsend conrtributed to this report. He finishes his junior college career as the No. He reconnected with former Richmond students in 2018, and one, Wayne Oliver, went on to be an international basketball player after playing under Carter in high school. The 1988 Carter High School football team won that year's Texas state championship. Teenage boys were sent to prison. Coach Carter True Story: How Much Is Real & What Happened Next, The True Story Of Till Explained (& What The Movie Leaves Out), Hustle: Every NBA Player In Adam Sandler's Netflix Movie, 10 Best Sports Movies Where The Protagonist Loses, The 5 Best Sports Movie Coaches Of All Time (& The 5 Worst), The Fabelmans True Story: How Accurate It Is To Spielberg's Childhood. "I don't think you can fall much further," Hootnick says, "and I say that in part because of the level of the pedestal that, as a Texas high school football star, that's almost as big as it gets. In fact, it was the national news coverage of the story that inspired this realistic sports movie. ', Korean department story using AI to write ads. Clarence Russeau Jr. near Routh Street in the State Thomas neighborhood where he grew up. Things went all downhill from there for the No. Former state District Judge Joe Kendall in his sentencing of Carter High players. The team initially had to forfeit the games Edwards played in, but its playoff eligibility was reinstated for the first postseason game. ET. "We always thought that, 'Wow this would be a great movie, somebody needs to make a movie about this,'" Muhammad says. Carter served a black, middle-class neighborhood in Dallas. While most of these players played either minor roles or none at all on the actual show, they too were able to find their way on from East Mississippi Community College: DE Rasool Clemons, No. I just love it, he said. The actor also seems to have had a strong connection to the story and formed a relationship with the real Carter while preparing for the role. After serving 12 years in federal prison on fraud and insider trading charges . Its what matters more: Your talent on the field or what you do off it? Carter High School is really an afterthought in Friday Night Lights -- the evil, thug-like team that stole a championship. In another, the boys robbed a Mexican restaurant for $11,000. Dallas filmmaker Arthur Muhammad, a junior wide receiver on the 1988 Carter team, dreamed for years of making a film about his teammates and finally was able to do so with the help of financial backers including former Dallas Cowboys player Greg Ellis. Courtesy of ESPN Films March filled with assortment of astronomy events. Released in 1996, he has lived quietly for almost 20 years in Houston, building a steady career in the logistics and office supplies business and serving as a plain-spoken object lesson for the virtues - and pitfalls - of willpower. Lets be real, if that cat wasnt a really good football player we wouldnt be talking to him, Stephens said. Kendall declined to be interviewed for this story, other than to compliment the skills of defense attorneys West and Creuzot. It was a historic season that included a national football championship for the predominantly black school, but not without controversy. Additionally, the audio story, as did a previous Web version, state that six Carter High School football players served time in prison. But it would be a surprise if East Mississippi C.C. In real life, Carter locked the gym and kept his undefeated basketball team (who inspired fictional students like Jason Lyle, played by Channing Tatum in his debut movie) from competing because they did not honor the academic and behavioral contracts that he had them sign at the beginning of the season. Focused on East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Miss., the show captured the win-at-all-costs coach Buddy Stephens, terrific academic counselor Brittany Wagner and a squad of players fighting up from the rungs of small town junior college football to try and earn a shot at the big time. Football has taken Robert Hall from Texas Tech to Houston, Amsterdam and Canada. Ellis said his interest in this film was what it could teach. As the combine starts, the Texans are on the clock and the pressure mounts to solve their quarterback problem, writes Brian T. Smith. When discussing playing Ken Carter (via MovieWeb), Jackson spoke about the similarities he saw between himself the real-life basketball coach, saying, "He believes in education and he believes people should be accountable for things they say they are going to do.". 37 junior college player in 247Sports Composite Troy, S Brian Cole, No. Two months after the big championship win at Texas Stadium, and after overcoming legal challenges due to grading system issues, the Carter High School football team was sent reeling after a number of their players got caught up in a robbery scheme. According to Hootnick, it was "mostly two-parent families, mostly professionals. "What Carter Lost" (CBS11) It was a historic season that included a national football championship for the predominantly black . Their faces may be a little more wrinkled, their hair a little thinner and their memories a lot hazier but . Eva-Marie Ayala/Staff Writer, Mesquite Horn offensive coordinator Robert Hall during football practice at John Horn High School in Mesquite. It was not until football was removed and the hedge, so to speak, was removed that they ventured out and did what they did.. . Coach Carter is a classic movie starring Samuel L. Jackson about a no-nonsense high school basketball coach, but how much of the story is true? I did my own thing and now thats what I gotta do, Wright said. Johnson performed well in the spring, and Kiffin has said hes in competition for Florida Atlantics starting job heading into fall camp. Five days after winning state, three football players robbed a Jack in the Box at 2:30 a.m., pantyhose pulled over their heads. Thats been so long ago, almost 30 years. Thats it. Carter Family FILE - Lillian Carter is flanked by her sons Jimmy, right, and Billy as she met them down at Billy's gas station, where the Carters and neighbors cleaned fish prior to a town cookout . It all depended on how much money you had," Williams said during a presentencing hearing. Nothing could deter the Cowboys on their way to winning the state championship that year. Thats close to a third of players on a team that had just over 60 varsity players that season. Sergio Quintana reports. Not the racial tensions of the time. But the record books dont tell the story of their success. The movie has several Dallas ties. Keith Campbell was one of those players. To this day, former Principal Clarence C. Russeau insists Carter did nothing wrong in regards to the eligibility controversy. Evans has never let his life be defined by the mistakes of his youth. And there are only 62 junior college players currently ranked in the 247Sports Composite. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. 80 junior college player in the 247Sports Composite, Allen is expected to start at Texas Techs WILL linebacker position. They didnt talk to me. But it's not the kind of football movie that Dallas-based writer and director Arthur Muhammad ever imagined he'd be making. Caution, however, can work both ways. Six players from that team, a few of them stars, were sent to jail following a series of arrests for armed robbery. While he states at one point that he wants to go to Georgia to be close to his mother, Carters strong finish to the year ends up with him heading back to Pennsylvania, this time with a scholarship to Pittsburgh. His decision to lock the gym and forfeit games until the players raised their GPAs was unpopular with the community, but when it made national news, then California Governor Gray Davis called him a hero and came to the Oilers first game after improving their grades. So thats the story, the good and the bad. None of the students depicted in the movie are actual students that Ken Carter coached during his time at Richmond, other than his own son Damien, played by Robert Richard. People are going to start taking em from you.. But eventually retirement got to him. A brisk 11-minute daily walk can help you live longer, a new University of Cambridge study reports. DALLAS (CBS11) A private screening of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary "What Carter Lost," was held at the Texas Theatre on Wednesday night. Its a guaranteed story that will be told for generations, with arecord that will be likely painted up on a water tower or on a cityswelcome sign. Health issues have slowed the 91-year-old down, but Russeau usually makes it to his Thursday night bible classes and the occasional fundraising gala. I think that a lot their secondary including Derric Evans, who signed with Tennessee in a hot tub was very talented. Chelsea Watkins. "Derric didn't need to change. The top-rated prospect on the East Mississippi team as the No. That highlight went viral and even made SportsCenter, with Stephens pointing out Wright at a practice and stating, Hes the one that I think is special.. Evans, 44, who in 1988 was talented enough to be considered one of the nation's top high school defensive backs and flamboyant enough to sign his letter of intent while sitting in a hot tub in front of television cameras, served six years of a 20-year prison term for committing four armed robberies in the spring of 1989. Frankly, I was shocked, recalled West, who also represented Edwards in his criminal case. Before, she was a Research & Archives Associate and wrote about the historical happenings from the The News' archives. Not an investigation into their leading scorers algebra grade. Law went down with a knee injury for a couple games. He noted the 21 holdups were more than those attributed to Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who terrorized the South during the 1930s. 12 junior college player in the 2017 247Sports Composite, Rivers arrived in Scooba after he was booted off the Georgia team for three marijuana arrests in a seven-month period. Kailon Davis, defensive end, Season Four. Finally, Coach Carter changed the varsity Oilers' win record to 16-0 before the lockdown. After "Kotter," Hegyes starred in "Cagney and Lacey," as well . March 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday amid ongoing special counsel investigations into the potential mishandling of classified documents by two presidents. Beginning days after the championship and continuing into the summer, several players, along with other Carter students and graduates, committed a string of armed robberies that would cut their futures short. He received a 20-year term for his involvement in four robberies. The team ultimately lost in the second round of their district playoffs instead of the first round of the state tournament. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer). The Lions already have two players ranked in the 247Sports Composite, including defensive tackle Teair Tart-Spencer, the No. He agreed, wow, this is real.". Additionally, keep an eye on quarterback Vijay Miller, who started the first game of the season and had a few positive moments in Last Chance Us second season. 247Sports recruiting expert Bobby Burton covered high school football in the state during Carters run nearly three decades ago. He really missed being around students. Chelsea is an Audience Journalist who promotes Dallas Morning News content on various social media platforms and manages the homepage. I am a former NFL football player, he says, 11 years with the Dallas Cowboys and the last year with the Oakland Raiders.. He was surprised a film was made so long after the fact and that he and others still in the area weren't contacted about the script. Some figures from the Carter High School saga look back on those days: Still devoted to kids Coach Freddie James retired from Dallas ISD two decades ago, finally able to travel and work on his wife's honey-do list. But if he werent a really good football player, his ordeal wouldnt be making the front page of The Sporting News.. (Lisa Davis/Associated Press). You know, be it good or be it bad. I think it shows football actually as the hedge, Muhammad says. 42 overall junior college player in the 247Sports Composite. Carter High in Dallas took the statechampionship in 1988, but thisnew film about the team is not all about victory. Players in Bold are currently in the league. Many of the careers of the teams best talents did end in court. Police connected 21 local armed robberies to 10 Carter neighborhood teenagers, six of whom were a part of the football team. It started as a nonfiction book, then it became a movie (with Billy Bob Thornton as the coach) and finally a TV series. The character names and circumstances were made up so as not to embarrass any of basketball coach Ken Carters real students with implications of criminal activities. Carter was ultimately stripped of its 1988 state title, and there's no doubt that the Carter community's fight to defend its reputation got a lot harder because of what those young men did. (He admitted to smoking weed during Last Chance U, which he said helped him battle attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)). Only three players, including longtime national team fixture Ray Chang, were on its 2017 squad, while Angels prospect Alan Carter is the lone player currently in affiliated baseball. As far as we know, Ken Carter, 61, remains to be a motivational speaker and author today. Williams attributed his involvement in the robberies to a desire for attention. He begins as arguably the teams biggest star, earning offers from Florida State and Auburn before producing the highlight of the season when he went airborne over a defender to score a touchdown against Mississippi Gulf Coast. Wagner calls him the complete package and even notes that after getting to know Allen, she couldnt believe that his charges were correct. A tipster notified UIL, which began an investigation into Carter. DALLAS -- Ten current and former high school students, including five members of Dallas Carter's Class 5A championship football team, were sentenced to prison terms Friday by a judge who told them, 'If stupidity were a crime, you would all deserve life without parole.'. Others reacted with joy because they believed young troublemakers had gotten what they deserved. 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