‘Remember the Titans’ school T.C. Williams to change name

The Alexandria, Va., school board voted unanimously Monday to change the name of T.C. Williams High, the school featured in the movie “Remember the Titans,” because of the segregationist views held by its namesake.

Denzel Washington portrayed coach Herman Boone of T.C. Williams High, which was in turmoil in the wake of integration. The movie told the story of how the football team came together to win a state championship after previously segregated campuses were merged, forming a powerhouse program that also won state titles in 1981 and ’87.

The school board took action after a survey found that 75% of respondents supported a name change. Matthew Maury Elementary School, named for a Confederate admiral, will also have its name changed, following a trend across many school districts in the Southern states to no longer honor Confederate leaders.

Williams was the superintendent of Alexandria public schools until 1963 who opposed desegregation following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling on Brown vs. the Board of Education.

The school district estimates that it will cost about $330,000 to change the names of T.C. Williams High and Maury Elementary, primarily because of uniforms.

Associated Press and internet reports contributed to this story.