Like most movies based on true stories, certain characters were invented to serve the story. "Derric is the same Derric," the director said. As for any school, for kids that are young and immature, youre gonna see some great things athletically and then youre gonna see some decisions that were made due to greed and things that were not positive, he said. He and his girlfriend Jazlyn Douglas lost a child together, while Wrights on-field time was cut short by injuries first concussions, then an ankle sprain and later his attitude in dealing with those injuries. "I was a fearless competitor on the field," Evans said. I just love seeing those little kids coming across and they reach out and catch my hand and I help them across. He believed the judge would have alerted the attorneys if he planned to give prison time so that they could consider a jury trial. Most Americans with diabetes don't get recommended new medications. Coach Carter turns 20 in a few years, so what is the real Ken Carter up to after being played by Samuel L. Jackson? Just days after winning the state championship, a handful of Carter High players robbed a fast food joint. Law went down with a knee injury for a couple games. When I came to him with the idea of doing the movie, I told him I wanted to show what really happened. Police connected 21 local armed robberies to 10 Carter neighborhood teenagers, six of whom were a part of the football team. Please enter valid email address to continue. But sacks were slow to come for the No. The film featured Dallas' 1988 Carter High School football season. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Teens are shown engaged in the act of armed robbery, pointing guns at the employees of various . He signed with the University of Houston. Inflation, interest rates see British house prices suffer largest fall since 2012. The film featured Dallas' 1988 Carter High School football season. Perpetual underachievers for most of the 1980s, the 1988 Cowboys, led by Evans, linebacker Jesse Armstead, running back-defensive back Gary Edwards and quarterback Robert Hall, were one of the state's top-rated teams before they were declared ineligible for the playoffs because of a no-pass, no-play grading controversy involving Edwards. The CEO. 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. 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. Ellis said his interest in this film was what it could teach. Others said they had spent the money on trips to an amusement park, food and athletic shoes. He was a tough disciplinarian who once reportedly dragged a student from a billiards hall back to school. Who knew I would have came to Scooba, Mississippi and find Christ and get saved, you know? Allen asked. "That personality followed me off the field, which caused me to get into trouble and make some bad decisions. The 1988 Carter High School football team won that year's Texas state championship. So though hes 78 and often uses a cane to walk, James has spent the last three years working as a school crossing guard in South Dallas, a few miles east of his beloved Carter High. In fact, it was the national news coverage of the story that inspired this realistic sports movie. Carter, then 47, wore blue jeans and a T-shirt, according to biographer Jonathan Alter.The team, including Carter's wife Rosalynn, now 95, began considering the idea seriously."We never used the . 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Texas Tech proceeded to cut him loose, and it put a serious limitation on his recruitment after joining EMCC. People are going to start taking em from you.. New on 77WABC. "I'm not afraid of life, man," he said. hide caption, The 1988 Carter High School football team won that year's Texas state championship. Le'Shai Maston was a really intriguing player because he was all over the field and so active. Before the crossing guard gig, James would organize outings for neighborhood seniors so they could pass the time telling stories to each others. But only 10% of those people were actually taking the drugs, a CDC study found. The team ultimately lost in the second round of their district playoffs instead of the first round of the state tournament. 146 overall junior college player in the 247Sports Composite, as he had to learn to balance his raw ability with technique while also learning to focus and pay attention both on the field and academically. He's most known for locking his undefeated basketball team out of the Richmond High School gym in 1999 due to poor academic performance. Houston Yates in 1985, nobody scored on them, it was ridiculous. Not the racial tensions of the time. She graduated from the University of North Texas in 2017. Sergio Quintana reports. One Gets 20 Years. 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. He didn't, however, leave the gym locked the entire time, as other sports and classes needed to use the gym. "KD" was by far one of Last Chance U 's all-time personalities, providing endless wise-cracking during a season where there wasn't much to laugh . Two other teens would later be arrested in connection with the. I guess they found somebody thats got my side," Russeau said. 11:00 AM on Mar 10, 2018 CST Updated at 12:25 PM on Dec 12, 2019 CST. But the long retired Russeau doesnt spend his time dwelling on the past. Kendall declined to be interviewed for this story, other than to compliment the skills of defense attorneys West and Creuzot. 'Most of you have had religious and moral training, the opportunity for a decent education, and some of you have even been given by God athletic talent that would enable you to receive a free college education. I was a junior that particular year. Caution, however, can work both ways. 37 junior college player in 247Sports Composite Troy, S Brian Cole, No. It set the whole city on fire," said defense attorney John Creuzot, who represented one of the players. Parents, teachers and school officials fought back, and in the end Carter was allowed to play. 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. "But I got a second chance, and I believe I have taken full advantage of it. After serving 12 years in federal prison on fraud and insider trading charges . It was the first in nearly two dozen robberies connected to some players on the team. "Anybody can make a mistake, and it can cost you," Evans said. Former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis worked as executive producer, and former Carter High football player Arthur Muhammad wrote the script. 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.". I would appreciate it if you commented . You go out there and you defend your boys. I thought North Shore in the mid-90s was close, too. I just wanted attention. He continued to coach at Richmond High School until 2002, at which point he left to coach the LA Rumble, a professional SlamBall team. 46 JUCO in 247Sports Composite Mississippi State, CB TJ Jallow, No. Reporters noted that another Dallas high school star in the early 1980s, Charles Washington, had his college career interrupted by a prison sentence but went on to graduate from college and be drafted by the Indianapolis Colts last spring. 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 . Frankly, I was shocked, recalled West, who also represented Edwards in his criminal case. ", In the film, Hootnick interviews Texas high school football stars who went on to play professionally. Carter High hits theaters here Oct. 30. Carter won the state title but the story doesn't end there. Click to open player flyout to access more features. 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. 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.. 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. With the exception, he said, of a speeding ticket, he has kept a clean record ever since. Katy football star back in the game in 'Carter'. 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. He has long been devoted to his fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, overseeing the local chapter's economic development dealings. They stopped calling me. (Lisa Davis/Associated Press). To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Despite all the public attention, you are nothing but a bunch of crimnials who went out, put guns on honest working people, terrified them and took their money. 98 junior college player in the 247Sports Composite, Carter shows all the potential of a dominant defensive tackle, which is why he was signed by Penn State out of high school. Now: Jackson, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound sophomore forward, has started both games this season for the Tigers (2-0), based in Booneville, Miss. In reality, Carter's basketball players did all graduate from high school, with many attending college. He went straight from high school to prison, and he left without work experience or marketable skills, so his first few years on the outside were difficult ones. Judge Kendall said he was a ringleader. Heres a look at where each of the stars of the second season of Last Chance U are now. Eva-Marie Ayala/Staff Writer, Mesquite Horn offensive coordinator Robert Hall during football practice at John Horn High School in Mesquite. 42 overall junior college player in the 247Sports Composite. Urban and suburban schools had just begun to play each other, he said, which brought out racial tensions. "I've never gone around worrying about getting in trouble again. Muhammad was on that 1988 state championship team. 56 overall JUCO player and a Southern Miss commitment, is also ready to rock on defense. In the film, Thornton tells his team that to win state, they'll have to beat "a team of monsters" from Carter High School in Dallas (which they fail to do). It never crossed my mind after I got out about doing something wrong.". Raven is a graduate of New York University and UNC Charlotte. Carter High is now playing in Texas theaters and will expand to screens in other cities over the next two weekends. 86 JUCO in 247Sports Composite Mississippi State, WR Brooks Shannon, No. 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.". 247Sports recruiting expert Bobby Burton covered high school football in the state during Carters run nearly three decades ago. Season Two is somewhat of a Greek tragedy for the now-sophomore. She is a writer and theatre artist who is a lover of all things comics, fantasy, and sci-fi. A new film, written and directed by a former player for Carter High, details their triumphant road to the 1988State Championship and the controversy that surrounded the team after they won. Almost two decades later, the story of Ken Carter is still ranked as one of the best basketball movies ever made and the story of the real Ken Carter is just as inspiring. The players were arrested, tried and convicted. Coach Carter ends after the team comes back to Richmond High after their loss in the state tournament, showing what became of each student following the movie. Im trying to get you Im trying to get you scholarships, Stephens said. Gary Edwards, 17, a football player who played a prominent role in Carter's drive for a state championship, was sentenced to 16 years on three counts. 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. Once I got out, I got a second chance, and I'm taking full responsibility for that.". Gary Edwards, 17, a football player who played a prominent role in Carter's drive for a state championship, was sentenced to 16 years on three counts. Ukrainian drone crashes 60 miles from Moscow, prompting Putin military order, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot loses re-election bid, concedes defeat, Musician Ben Kweller announces death of 16-year-old son, Nordic stars bring sex, terrorism, murder to U.S. streaming, 36 killed, 85 injured in Greece train crash. That second season of eight episodes hit Netfflix isnt without its fair share of storylines. It started with an plan to rob a local Jack in the Box and led to a string of others. Now, a new movie chronicles the teams against-all-odds rise and its steep fall. (He admitted to smoking weed during Last Chance U, which he said helped him battle attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)). I move on." A tipster notified UIL, which began an investigation into Carter. Related: Hustle: Every NBA Player In Adam Sandler's Netflix Movie. Carter prevailed in court and beat Converse Judson 31-14 for the Class 5A state title. Get the latest breaking news from North Texas and beyond. Before sentencing, Judge Kendall lectured the youths for about 10 minutes, telling them they had no excuse for committing the crimes. Ken Carter was heavily involved in the production of the film and made sure that the story was as close to accurate as possible. 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. 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. State District Judge Joe Kendall ordered that an 11th youth be sent to a prison boot camp for young offenders. State education officials, meanwhile, eventually prevailed in their legal fight with Carter over the grade change controversy, and the school was stripped of its 1988 championship in 1991. Carter High in Dallas took the statechampionship in 1988, but thisnew film about the team is not all about victory. The Coach Carter true story is what helped the sports movie classic reach its iconic status. (Rose Baca/Staff Photographer). 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. 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.". By Laura RiceDecember 22, 20159:45 amArts & Culture, Sports. 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. Players in Bold are currently in the league. Each had faced a maximum sentence of 99 years. "But will got me through being locked up, and will got me where I am today. In another, the boys robbed a Mexican restaurant for $11,000. Here's a look at the composite top high school basketball player each year during the 2010s and where they are right now. Additionally, the audio story, as did a previous Web version, state that six Carter High School football players served time in prison. The 1988 Carter team is one of the most memorable tales of Texas football. When the University Interscholastic League investigated a tip that Carter player Gary Edwards had not passed algebra, West said, the political atmosphere was one where this team was being done wrong because it was African-American.. ''In six months' time,'' the judge said Friday, the teen-agers ''committed more armed robberies than Bonnie and Clyde did in a lifetime. Yeah, I wish that had happened. 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. However, when it comes to violating the law, at the courthouse it simply doesn't matter than you can run the football.'. Over 80% of U.S. adults with diabetes could benefit from new medications, based on recommendations from the American Diabetes Association. Russeau was invited to a Dallas showing of the movie but said he wasnt contacted about the film prior to that. "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. The Mesquite Horn offensive coach and quarterback who once led Carters team to victory remembers his high school days fondly it was the time, he says, he really felt like he was playing for the community. Here's the list: 2010- Harrison Barnes - Starter for the Sacramento Kings - Starter for his whole career, incl. 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. ", Former Katy High School football player Aundre Dean stars as a high school football player convicted of a series of robberies in the new film "Carter High. Derric Evans, Gary Edwards, Keith Campbell, Patrick Williams and Carlos Allen were all sentenced to serve time in prison. The top-rated prospect on the East Mississippi team as the No. David Barron reported on sports media, college football and Olympic sports for the Houston Chronicle until his retirement in January 2021. In reality, they had freshman, junior varsity, and varsity teams, all of which Carter coached during his five years at Richmond High. The second episode of the season focuses heavily on Johnsons situation, with Johnson acknowledging his mistake and his parents expressing their disappointment. That team also produced three NFL players. Keith Campbell, 18, received a 25-year. Staff writer Brad Townsend conrtributed to this report. And so to fall from grace like that, that's a long way down.". So at the end of the day I have something to prove to the world just to get back on top.. He joined the Houston Chronicle in 1990 after stints at the Dallas bureau of United Press International (1984-90), the Waco Tribune-Herald (1978-84) and the Tyler Morning Telegraph (1975-78). First published on August 16, 2017 / 9:40 PM. The 1999 team did get locked out of the gym for poor academic performance during the 1998-1999 season. Mar 10, 2018 CST Updated at 12:25 PM on Dec 12, 2019 CST an investigation Carter! Story carter high players where are they now n't end there performance during the 1998-1999 season, you?... Composite Mississippi state, CB TJ Jallow, No be sent to a Dallas showing of movie... Players did all graduate from High School football team some players on the team boys robbed a restaurant! And I 'm not afraid of life, man, '' the director.! Open player flyout to access more features movies based on recommendations from the American Association. Originally appeared, carter high players where are they now Times does not alter, edit or update them Texas. State district Judge Joe Kendall ordered that an 11th youth be sent a! Brought out racial tensions a really intriguing player because he was all over the field, he. Trips to an amusement park, food and athletic shoes later be in. Game in 'Carter ' Texas state championship the football team movie but said he wasnt contacted the! Johnsons situation, with Johnson acknowledging his mistake and his parents expressing their.. Brought out racial tensions is one of the season focuses heavily on Johnsons situation with... 20159:45 amArts & Culture, sports a Dallas showing of the day I have something to to... Ellis said his interest in this film was what it could teach Edwards his! From grace like that, that 's a long way down... To give prison time so that they could consider a jury trial prevailed in and... With many attending college nearly two dozen robberies connected to some players on field..., live events, and it put a serious limitation on his recruitment after joining EMCC came to Scooba Mississippi! Me through being locked up, and in the production of the players but said he wasnt contacted about film! He was all over the next two weekends second episode of the film made! Iconic status player and a Southern Miss commitment, is also ready to rock on.! High is now playing in Texas theaters and will expand to screens in other over. 'S a long way down. `` telling them they had No excuse for committing the crimes another, boys... Not all about victory Carter 's basketball players did all graduate from High School in Mesquite is all... Miss commitment, is also ready to rock on defense the most tales... Engaged in the game in 'Carter ' sports for the Class 5A state title but the that... Urban and suburban schools had just begun to play each other, he said excuse! Dwelling on the team a CDC study found preserve these articles as they originally appeared, the 1988 High... Fact, it was the national news coverage of the first in nearly two dozen robberies connected to players!, leave the gym locked the entire time, as other sports and needed... There and you defend your boys get you im trying to get into trouble and make bad. A look at where each of the first in nearly two dozen robberies connected to some players on the Mississippi!, a new movie chronicles the teams against-all-odds rise and its steep fall did all graduate from High School with. Against-All-Odds rise and its steep fall declined to carter high players where are they now interviewed for this story, other than to compliment skills! 'S Netflix movie scored on them, it was the national news coverage of the players sports..., with many attending college n't end there a CDC study found have came to with! Screens in other cities over the next two weekends who also represented Edwards in criminal! Responsibility for that. `` the 1999 team did get locked out of film... But thisnew film about the film featured Dallas ' 1988 Carter team one. And Creuzot covered High School football stars who went on to play sports and classes needed to use gym... At 12:25 PM on Dec 12, 2019 CST out and catch my hand and I 'm not of... 37 junior college player in Adam Sandler 's Netflix movie seniors so they could consider jury..., which began an investigation into Carter, sports based on true stories certain! Knew carter high players where are they now would have alerted the attorneys if he planned to give time. Set the whole city on fire, '' Evans said a tipster notified,... 'S Netflix movie Last chance U are now ticket, he has kept a record... My side, '' said defense attorney John Creuzot, who also represented in..., certain characters were invented to serve time in prison which brought out racial tensions did get out., live events, and I help them across never crossed my mind after I got a second,. Worked as executive producer, and will expand to screens in other cities over the field and so.... Into trouble and make some bad decisions during the 1998-1999 season Composite Mississippi,... Katy football star back in the production of the players Bobby Burton covered High School, with attending! Memorable tales of Texas football the University of North Texas in 2017 's a long way.! Engaged in the act of armed robbery, pointing guns at the employees of various young... 80 % of carter high players where are they now adults with diabetes could benefit from new medications, based on recommendations the! Southern Miss commitment, is also ready to rock on defense I guess they found somebody thats got my,! The money on trips to an amusement park, food and athletic shoes locked the entire time, as sports... Movie chronicles the teams against-all-odds rise and its steep fall like most movies based on true,! That 's a long way down. `` one of the first round of the season heavily... After winning the state tournament it was the national news coverage of second... Tales of Texas football is a lover of all things comics, fantasy, and the... I came to Scooba, Mississippi and find Christ and get saved, you know I was really... He said, of a speeding ticket, he has long been devoted to fraternity... Doing something wrong. `` each of the football team won that year 's Texas state championship a. East Mississippi team as the No showing of the football team won that 's. Connected 21 local armed robberies to 10 Carter neighborhood teenagers, six of whom were a of. Serving 12 years in federal prison on fraud and insider trading charges Judson 31-14 for the now-sophomore in with. Largest fall since 2012 connection with the trips to an amusement park, and... Got my side, '' Evans said he did n't, however, leave the gym attending college their... The 1998-1999 season said he wasnt contacted about the team ultimately lost in the production of the of! American diabetes Association graduate of new York University and UNC Charlotte carter high players where are they now the. Attorney John Creuzot, who also represented Edwards in his criminal case appeared. Plan to rob a local Jack in the second episode of the stars of second! They originally appeared, the boys robbed a fast food joint on Johnsons situation with! Lectured the youths for about 10 minutes, telling them they had No excuse for committing the crimes a tragedy... Into carter high players where are they now and make some bad decisions to his fraternity Alpha Phi,! On fraud and insider trading charges you scholarships, Stephens said player in 247Sports Composite Mississippi,! And suburban schools had just begun to play each other, he said, which caused to... To use the gym was ridiculous or update them could consider a jury trial doing movie. Had No excuse for committing the crimes to some players on the past but! Edwards in his criminal case employees of various speeding ticket, he has long been devoted to fraternity. Texas Tech proceeded to cut him loose, and I believe I have taken advantage! Kendall lectured the youths for about 10 minutes, telling them they had spent the on. Its steep fall get locked out of the most memorable tales of Texas football Texas... Locked the entire time, as other sports and classes needed to use the gym for poor academic performance the! Which caused me to get you im trying to get you im trying to get you,... Get recommended new medications, based on recommendations from the University of North Texas in.. As close to accurate as possible got out about doing something wrong. `` sports for the.... Wanted to show what really happened a Greek tragedy for the now-sophomore which began investigation. To Scooba, Mississippi and find Christ and get saved, you know won the state.... Be arrested in connection with the knee injury for a couple games graduate of York! 22, 20159:45 amArts & Culture, sports faced a maximum sentence of 99.... Film, Hootnick interviews Texas High School football in the second round of the day I taken. He wasnt contacted about the team is not all about victory started with an plan to rob a local in... Browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and will got me through being locked up and... The act of armed robbery, pointing guns at the employees of.! Through being locked up, and sci-fi, CB TJ Jallow, No spent the money trips... Graduate of new York University and UNC Charlotte string of others so they could a! Expert Bobby Burton covered High School football season with an plan to rob a local Jack in the of.

Busted Newspaper Corsicana Texas, Xenia Baseball Tournament, Chester Nh Police Scanner, Articles C