Julius Campbell, former HS star portrayed in 'Remember the Titans,' dies at 65

Julius Campbell, a key member of the T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Va., that inspired the 2000 film "Remember the Titans," died Friday of organ failure, his family confirmed to Jacob Bogage of the Washington Post. He was 65.

Campbell was a defensive lineman who helped lead the Titans to the Virginia AAA state championship game in 1971, where they defeated Andrew Lewis High School, 27-0. That year, Alexandria had consolidated all of the city's high school students into T. C. Williams, sparking racial tensions.

"Julius was very, very instrumental on that team at simply getting kids to just talk to one another, kids who never talked to kids from another race their entire lives," Herman Boone, who coached the Titans from 1971-79, told Bogage. "By doing so, they learned many things about each other that were not passed down to them and for that, the world owes Julius a debt of gratitude."

In "Remember the Titans," Campbell - an African-American portrayed by Wood Harris - befriends white linebacker Gerry Bertier and their bond becomes instrumental to the team's success.

Campbell is survived by his wife, Cathy Campbell, his daughter, three stepdaughters, two stepsons, and five grandchildren.