The players were arrested, tried and convicted. Urban and suburban schools had just begun to play each other, he said, which brought out racial tensions. You know, be it good or be it bad. Looking back on their involvement while serving time, Edwards and Evans came to a similar conclusion to their mindset while being a part of the football team. Some in the community agreed with West that prison sentences seemed harsh for young men who had made mistakes. It would be the first of 21 robberies that police connected to 15 Carter neighborhood teenagers, including six from the football team. Not an investigation into their leading scorers algebra grade. Thats close to a third of players on a team that had just over 60 varsity players that season. In order to ensure high school athletics didn't disrupt their long-term future, Carter has the players sign a contract, promising to keep a strong GPA and adhere to a Code of Conduct. A lot of people already know the story of Friday Night Lights, in which a West Texas high school fights for the state football title. But. Former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis worked as executive producer, and former Carter High football player Arthur Muhammad wrote the script. A protective father figure to his Carter players, he led them on to be one of the nation's best high school teams. Three Carter players from that team - Le'Shai Maston, Jessie Armstead and Clifton Abraham - played in the NFL 247Sports recruiting expert Bobby Burton covered high school football in the. Thats close to a third of players on a team that had just over 60 varsity players that season. "I just wanted people to notice me. "We always thought that, 'Wow this would be a great movie, somebody needs to make a movie about this,'" Muhammad says. Law went down with a knee injury for a couple games. Nine of the teens were high school football players, three of whom played for Hillcrest but lived in the Carter neighborhood. That team also produced three NFL players. Thats been so long ago, almost 30 years. Hundreds of friends and relatives of the defendants wedged into a corridor outside the courtroom, and several began screaming and throwing their hands into the air after the sentences were announced. They didnt talk to me. He also went on to carry the Olympic torch in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Among those sentenced was Derric Evans, 17 years old, an all-America defensive back last year at Dallas Carter High School who lost a full scholarship to the University of Tennessee. It's the true story of the 1988 Dallas Carter football team, the manner in which it won - and lost - a state championship and the subsequent descent into crime by some of its most talented athletes. 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When Kyler Murray was a senior, that Allen team was maybe in that league as well.. 80 junior college player in the 247Sports Composite, Allen is expected to start at Texas Techs WILL linebacker position. At the courthouse, it simply doesnt matter that you can run the football. Parents, teachers and school officials fought back, and in the end Carter was allowed to play. Starring movie icon Samuel L. Jackson as real-life high school basketball coach Ken Carter, and tells the story of how he changed the lives of the student-athletes on the basketball team at an inner-city high school in Northern California. 46 JUCO in 247Sports Composite Mississippi State, CB TJ Jallow, No. 57 JUCO in 247Sports Composite Purdue, OG Tyre Phillips, No. Ken Carter is still very much in the full stride of his career having continued his work as a motivational speaker and author since the mid-'00s. Carter High hits theaters here Oct. 30. I was a junior that particular year. I move on." Bonner, who transferred from Louisville to East Mississippi, was seen as one of the teams great raw talents, a player with tremendous burst off the line. 247Sports recruiting expert Bobby Burton covered high school football in the state during Carters run nearly three decades ago. The CEO. "I didn't have respect for the law at that time and now I look at life in a more humble way," said Campbell. He was a wide receiver who served seven-and a-half years of a 25-year sentence for armed robbery. David Barron reported on sports media, college football and Olympic sports for the Houston Chronicle until his retirement in January 2021. Arguably the greatest high school football team in Texas state history, Carters story is also seemingly made for film or print. Yates defense in 1985 allowed 4.8 points per game and pitched eight shutouts in a season in which it went 16-0. "Anybody can make a mistake, and it can cost you," Evans said. He agreed, wow, this is real.". Click to open player flyout to access more features. But it's not the kind of football movie that Dallas-based writer and director Arthur Muhammad ever imagined he'd be making. The sentences were handed down before a courtroom packed with relatives of the 12 defendants, one of whom received a deferred sentence and one of whom was sent to a Texas Department of Corrections 'boot camp' for 75 days. Johnson performed well in the spring, and Kiffin has said hes in competition for Florida Atlantics starting job heading into fall camp. "I've never gone around worrying about getting in trouble again. But the real issue for opponents was not many people could stop the pass rush. Teenage boys were sent to prison. True to the Last Chance U name, Rivers made the most of his opportunity, playing well, earning a bushel-full of offers and signing with Mississippi State as an early enrollee. I just love it, he said. Coach Carter also only shows Richmond High School as having a varsity basketball team. It Was Money for Prom Night, Some of the youths had testified that they had committed at least one robbery each so they could have extra money for prom night. Or you could see somebody like Derric Evans or Gary Edwards, who had that level of talent but failed to take advantage of the opportunity.". According to the real Ken Carter in an interview with The Chicago Sun-Times, most of the story from the movie is accurate (via MTV). Gavin Evans is a contributor for Complex Media. Over the course of one month in the spring of 1989, six Dallas Carter players, including Edwards and defensive back Derric Evans, were charged with committing a series of seven armed robberies. The case went before Kendall, who rejected pleas for leniency and ordered most of the defendants to prison for sentences that ranged from two to 25 years. But Allen is one of the shows more positive stories. Hes also baptized, causing him to muse on his unique situation. 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.'. All of us can think back to when we were teenagers and the decision processing of teenagers, Ellis says, that part of our brain is not fully developed until youre about the age 25.. The success and failures in life are a lot of times in our control, he said. She is a writer and theatre artist who is a lover of all things comics, fantasy, and sci-fi. ", The legacy of this team is somewhat of a cautionary tale. He finishes his junior college career as the No. But eventually, retirement got him. Judge Kendall said he was a ringleader. 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. ", In the film, Hootnick interviews Texas high school football stars who went on to play professionally. That title, until it was forfeited, belonged to Dallas Carter High School. Clifton Abraham was good. But after the season, a group of Carter students that included Edwards, Evans and four teammates committed a string of armed robberies before being arrested and sentenced by a judge who told them, "If stupidity were a crime, you would all deserve life without parole.". New on 77WABC. About the time Derric Evans was signing a college letter of intent in a hot tub, he was involved with other Dallas Carter students in a string of robberies. Instead, the message is that both the movie and the real Ken Carter taught their students is that sports aren't all that matters. It started as a nonfiction book, then it became a movie (with Billy Bob Thornton as the coach) and finally a TV series. Sergio Quintana reports. He made some bad choices, but he didn't have a bad character. Millions of Texans have rare diseases. It never crossed my mind after I got out about doing something wrong.". Nothing could deter the Cowboys on their way to winning the state championship that year. Carter, in 1988, allowed 7.9 points per game and never surrendered more than 24 points in any contest. Evans has never let his life be defined by the mistakes of his youth. A grade-changing scandal and accusations of player ineligibility tainted their championship run that almost didn't happen, because of rulings made by state athletic officials. Texas Tech proceeded to cut him loose, and it put a serious limitation on his recruitment after joining EMCC. But soon after he became governor in 1971, Carter's team envisioned him as a national player. He looked my name up in class to show his friends. He has long been devoted to his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, overseeing the local chapter's economic development dealings. He wanted to be sure that the film showed a story as close to the truth as possible, making it clear that winning wasn't everything for this team. 41 dogs rescued from hoarder conditions in Missouri. We would actually say that back then in high school, never to think that one day I would do it but thats exactly what happened.. Most Americans with diabetes don't get recommended new medications. Not the ensuing legal battle that nearly kept them out of the playoffs. But while this is a film about some football players making some bad decisions, its also a film about many other players who didnt go down the wrong path. 'When I compare you with a typical young offender who comes before me, you are especially without excuse,' Kendall added. Carter High School is really an afterthought in Friday Night Lights -- the evil, thug-like team that stole a championship. I would appreciate it if you commented . Le'Shai Maston was a really intriguing player because he was all over the field and so active. With the exception, he said, of a speeding ticket, he has kept a clean record ever since. In another, the boys robbed a Mexican restaurant for $11,000. The No. It started with an plan to rob a local Jack in the Box and led to a string of others. Just days after winning the state championship, a handful of Carter High players robbed a fast food joint. March 1 (UPI) -- Britain's former health secretary allegedly rejected critical advice from the country's top medical officer to test elderly people for COVID-19 and keep them segregated prior to admitting them to care homes. However, there is a happier ending unfolding away from the screen, where former Carter standout Derric Evans continues to craft a productive life free of the spotlight that made him a teenage celebrity, in ways both good and bad, two decades ago. Jul 20, 2018. Chelsea Watkins. You dont even get a chance to think about the past, trying to think about the present, he said. It didnt matter where. But even after a great season and after Wagner said she hadnt seen any EMCC players still penalized for their previous transgressions before heading to campus the offers didnt materialize. You stay pretty busy. Eva James says the movie tells people how it really was back in the late 1980s. Kailon Davis, defensive end, Season Four. Six players from that team, a few of them stars, were sent to jail following a series of arrests for armed robbery. I was younger, he says. He continued to coach at Richmond High School until 2002, at which point he left to coach the LA Rumble, a professional SlamBall team. He really missed being around students. The other, mostly white schools fought a legal battle to kick Carter out of the playoffs. Muhammad, who renewed acquaintances with Evans when he began work on the movie, said Evans is still the same character he remembers from Carter days. One of the players from the 1998-1999 season that Carter coached was Courtney Anderson, who became an NFL tight end and played for the Oakland Raiders, the Detroit Lions (the team both Eddie Brock and Axel Foley support), and the Atlanta Falcons from 2004 to 2007. Starring movie icon Samuel L. Jackson as real-life high school basketball coach Ken Carter, and tells the story of how he changed the lives of the student-athletes on the basketball team at an inner-city high school in Northern California. Anyone can read what you share. He called me crying that night, Carter said. He often refers to her as Vivica now, after actress Vivica Fox who plays her in the movie. Derric Evans, Gary Edwards, Keith Campbell, Patrick Williams and Carlos Allen were all sentenced to serve time in prison. One Gets 20 Years. Clarence Russeau Jr. near Routh Street in the State Thomas neighborhood where he grew up. State District Judge Joe Kendall ordered that an 11th youth be sent to a prison boot camp for young offenders. Here's a look at the composite top high school basketball player each year during the 2010s and where they are right now. A prime candidate for a sports comedy like Dodgeball, SlamBall is a form of basketball that is played on four trampolines that also has a professional league that originally aired games on Spike TV. Carter High is a football movie. August 16, 2017 / 9:40 PM He's most known for locking his undefeated basketball team out of the Richmond High School gym in 1999 due to poor academic performance. hide caption, The 1988 Carter High School football team won that year's Texas state championship. Ken Carter was considered a hero in Richmond after the 1998-1999 season. Sentenced one by one, most of the defendants hung their heads as the judge ruled. In fact, five players served time and one got probation. Campbell said he hopes the film, which was shown to a crowded audience of young athletes, sends a strong message to them about the importance of making the right decisions. Inflation, interest rates see British house prices suffer largest fall since 2012. Williams attributed his involvement in the robberies to a desire for attention. ', Korean department story using AI to write ads. Kamonte Carter, defensive lineman, season two: Carter, known as "Kam," committed to Penn State out of high school. The Coach Carter true story is what helped the sports movie classic reach its iconic status. Its what matters more: Your talent on the field or what you do off it? One player famously signed his letter of intent to play college ball while lounging in a hot tub, adorned in gold jewelry. "Derric is the same Derric," the director said. So the way that those parents were undercut after everything they did to keep that team on the field and to try to put forward their version of who they were to have that all undone, you know, I think that's the story that's never been told.". Stephens returns after seeing himself in the first season and vowing to curse less and empathize more see how long that lasts while Wagner begins to worry about whether shell reach her potential in Scooba. 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. Parents need to know that Carter High is a 2015 movie based on a true story about a group of players for a championship football team whose lawbreaking actions off the field drastically altered their lives. But the long retired Russeau doesnt spend his time dwelling on the past. It serves as a cautionary tale, Ellis said, to young viewers today. "I was a fearless competitor on the field," Evans said. Think a Gen-Z Friday. Five days after winning state, three football players robbed a Jack in the Box at 2:30 a.m., pantyhose pulled over their heads. So at the end of the day I have something to prove to the world just to get back on top.. The graduation rate for student-athletes in Richmond was low, and Carters basketball players all graduated during his time as coach from 1997 to 2002. "But I got a second chance, and I believe I have taken full advantage of it. Three Carter players from that team Le'Shai Maston, Jessie Armstead and Clifton Abraham played in the NFL. Challenges went beyond players gambling. 141 JUCO in 247Sports Composite West Georgia. But if you look at the real team's journey to the 1988 state title, you'll find a story about race and the pressures young athletes face a story Adam Hootnick explores in his documentary What Carter Lost. "It's a Texas legend. That same fearlessness I had on the football field, I translated that when I got out of the penitentiary into the business side. Throughout the season, references are made to Carters struggles with depression and anxiety, and hes a hit-or-miss presence for much of the year. But eventually retirement got to him. 56 overall JUCO player and a Southern Miss commitment, is also ready to rock on defense. After serving 12 years in federal prison on fraud and insider trading charges . Cornerback Travion Williams, the No. Caution, however, can work both ways. The Coach Carter true story is what helped the sports movie classic reach its iconic status. The movie Coach Carter is a 2005 film based on the 1998-1999 basketball season of the Richmond High School Oilers in Richmond, California, and the actions of the team's coach, Ken Carter, to enrich the lives of his players. The much-anticipated return of Netflix's Last Chance U is finally here, and the third season of the Emmy-nominated documentary series on junior college football takes a different . Their faces may be a little more wrinkled, their hair a little thinner and their memories a lot hazier but . 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