High School Football Coach Puts Emphasis on Winning off the Field
STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN ANCHOR: Hollywood made them famous. Now, the Titans of T.C. Williams high school have a story worthy of a sequel. This thanks to a dedicated coach who's training his team to win not just on the field but in life. CNN's Jonathan Aiken has their score.</s>JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Remember the Titans of T.C. Williams high? Hollywood did. Using Denzel Washington's star power to tell the story of their quest for Virginia State Championship 30 years ago as the setting for a parable of racial harmony. Thirty years later, a new head coach and former NFL player puts the emphasis on winning on and off the field.</s>RIKI ELLISON, TITAN'S HEAD COACH: My goal for this program is not winning football games, my goal for this program is to see how many of those kids can I get into secondary education -- four-year colleges, community colleges, trade schools. I want these kids to have a life when they get out of here.</s>AIKEN: Riki Ellison won three Super Bowl rings as a San Francisco 49er, the highlight of a 10-year NFL career. But he came to coach the T.C. Williams Titans after doing community outreach at the school for his employer, Lockheed-Martin.</s>ELLISON: It turns out that this school here has 50 percent of the their kids are on federal lunch programs, 75 percent a minority, and this was definitely the school in need.</s>AIKEN: And a team without a winning season in the past 10, a team that needed new practice equipment, a new score board and a new attitude.</s>CORY FLAMENT, T.C. WILLIAMS FOOTBALL PLAYER: Well, I didn't notice it at first, what type of coach he was going to be, until we went to camp, and it was really -- I mean, I felt it in my heart when we went to camp.</s>AIKEN: And they hear it in the locker room.</s>ELLISON: You got to feel it! You don't have to yell, but you have to feel it in your eyes. We got to be able to look at you and your eyes, your teammates are going to look at you in your eyes and know that you believe!</s>AIKEN (on camera): Here is where all this tough talk meets the turf. It's the Titans' season opener against the Chargers from Chantilly high. (voice-over): A sputtering defense, not enough offense, but Ellison is watching the bigger picture. The five traits he wants his players to learn before the season is through: Belief in themselves, judgment, perseverance, passion and respect. The team has new uniforms, and so does the band. And the Washington Redskins are helping out with the new score board. The Chargers beat the Titans, by the way, 31-6. But Ellison says it's not the points on the board that really matter.</s>ELLISON: It is not about football, it's about giving these guys some skills, some success skills. We're using football as a vehicle to do that. And you know, it's been a great experience.</s>AIKEN: And for Riki Ellison and the Titans of T.C. Williams high, it's only just begun. Jonathan Aiken, for CNN, Alexandria, Virginia.