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McFarland, USA: Directed by Niki Caro. With Kevin Costner, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts, Johnny Ortiz. Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.
- (43K)
- Biography, Drama, Sport
- Niki Caro
- 2015-02-20
A 2015 sports drama film based on the true story of a cross country team from a Latino high school in California. Kevin Costner stars as the coach who leads the team to win a state championship and inspires the community.
Feb 20, 2015 · Based on a true story, this drama follows a coach and his runners from a poor town in California. They overcome challenges and achieve their dreams with family, commitment and work ethic.
- Niki Caro
- Carlos Pratts, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello
- Did Jim White Really Start Coaching at Mcfarland High School in 1987?
- Had Jim White Really Been Fired from Several Prior Teaching Jobs?
- Did Jim White Really Create A Cross Country Team at McFarland?
- Does Jim White Really Have Two Daughters?
- Did The Kids Really Nickname Jim White "Blanco"?
- Is Mcfarland High School Really Located Across The Street from A Prison?
- Did Coach White Really Follow The Boys on A Bicycle?
- Were The Diaz Brothers Really Forbidden by Their Mother from Competing?
- Did Coach White Really Help The Kids Work in The fields?
- Were Their Opponents Really Snobby Rich Kids Who Looked Down on them?
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
No, the real Coach Jim White actually started coaching cross country at McFarland High School in 1980. However, he had been a teacher in the McFarland School District since 1964, following his graduation from Pepperdine University. Back then, McFarland was largely white demographically. He retired in 2003 after 23 years of coaching boys cross count...
No. As stated above, the real Jim White started teaching in the McFarland School District straight out of college in 1964. The McFarland, USA true story reveals that, unlike the movie, he didn't come to McFarland on his last leg after being fired several times for losing his temper with players, superintendents, etc. His first teaching position in ...
Not exactly. Jim White restarted the program in 1980 after it had been dropped for a year. However, he did rebuild the boys and girls cross country programs from the ground up. -Congressional Record, V. 146, Pt. 12
The real Jim White and wife Cheryl White actually have three daughters, Tami, Julie and Jami. Julie and Jami are depicted in the McFarland, USA movie. They are portrayed to be 15 and 10, a few years younger than they actually were at the time of the first state title in 1987 (the girls were in college at the time). All three girls graduated with de...
Yes. Inspired by the irony of his last name, "Blanco" was one of the nicknames that the kids and their families gave Jim White. -LA Times
McFarland High School is actually just down the road from the Central Valley Correctional Facility, not across the street. Though it is very close, Jim White likely wouldn't have had a clear view of it from his classroom window, as a street of homes separates the school's athletic fields from the prison grounds.
Yes. A 1997 LA Timesarticle described it as a rickety, worn bicycle, but did not state that it was a girl's bicycle like in the movie. However, similar to the film, Jim White had never been a runner himself and used the bike to follow the team during their workouts.
Yes. The McFarland, USA true story confirms that at first, the mother of the Diaz brothers -- David, Damacio and Danny -- forbid them from competing. She eventually concluded that it was good for them as long as they still worked. -BakersfieldCalifornian.com
Yes. To make up for the time they couldn't work in the fields due to cross country practice, Jim White would sometimes give his time to them by helping them pick in the fields. "Sometimes I helped them work in the fields," says the real Coach Jim White, "but more importantly, I had practice at a different time. If one or two of those boys couldn't ...
Likely not. Local photojournalist John Harte, who followed the team at the time, says that he witnessed opposing teams offer genuine handshakes of good luck. This included members of the Bakersfield High Drillers. In the least, such scenes seem to have been exaggerated by the filmmakers.
How accurate is the movie McFarland, USA based on the true story of Coach Jim White and his cross country team? Find out the facts and differences between the film and the real events.
Disney's "McFarland, USA" comes to theaters February 20, 2015!Inspired by the 1987 true story, “McFarland, USA” follows novice runners from McFarland, an eco...
- 3 min
- 2.4M
- Walt Disney Studios
McFarland, USA streaming: where to watch online?
- 128 min
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McFarland, USA
- (131)
- Drama, Biography
- PG