Herman Boone was head coach of a high school football team that won a state championship in 1971. And while there have been thirty more state championships since then, what makes his so special?

In 1971, racial tensions ran high in Alexandria, VA, as three schools were newly integrated to form the T.C. Williams High School. It was from this union that the Titan football team was created. The former rivalries between the schools coupled with the strain between the black and white players resulted in a team that was far from united.

Tensions only escalated when Boone, assistant coach of the former black T.C. Williams High School, was named head coach of the Titans, passing over Bill Yoast, the local favorite and successful head coach of the former white Hammond High. Yoast's supporters were angered by Boone's appointment, which was seen as a gesture of goodwill to the black community.

Remarkably, the two coaches were able to put aside their prejudices, and in doing so they unified their players to form a team whose common vision was to respect each other and win football games. At the same time, through the game of football, Boone and Yoast were able to help their small Virginian community put aside their intolerance and join together to support their children. The Titans became one of the best teams in Virginia, compiling a 13-0 record and went on to win the state championship.

In 1971, Boone faced the challenge of a lifetime, and his inspirational story was captured in the Disney film "Remember the Titans" starring Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington. "Titans" screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard said in a “Washington Post” interview, “Herman is Shakespearean. The beauty of Herman and what he did was that it was sort of unconscious. If you'd ask Herman when he took over T.C. Williams, ’Were you trying to make a point with these kids?‘ he would have said, ‘No, I just want to win football games.’ He had to get the players to get along to win football games. And it worked for just that reason-because it wasn't self-conscious. He did something quite beyond what even he realized.”

Boone is now retired but continues to motivate and inspire audiences with presentations on respect, teamwork, community involvement and importance of character, among others.

Friday Night: LaTanya Sheffield

LaTanya Sheffield is the founder of Sports Extravaganza, Inc., a non profit sports clinic that promotes the development of life skills through sports and fights childhood obesity. She is the first female sprint and conditioning consultant for the San Diego Padres. She has also served as coach to the USA Track & Field 2006 World Indoor Championships and 2007 Pan American Games.

As a collegiate at San Diego State University, LaTanya Sheffield earned athletic prominence. Her brother and coach, Rahn Sheffield, introduced her to the 400 hurdles. Their unique relationship proved to be a perfect match as coach and athlete. She captured an American Record at the 1985 NCAA Championships. That stellar performance catapulted her into the limelight of international track and field. Sharing the stage with greats such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Florence Griffith Joyner, and Carl Lewis, Sheffield was groomed in an atmosphere of America’s best athletes. She earned a position to represent the USA at the 1987 World Championships. That same year she raced to a Bronze Medal in the Pan American Games and a Gold Medal at the Olympic Sports Festival. Her philosophy, “catch me if you can”, resulted in the berth to the 1988 Olympic Games. There, she had another excellent performance. She was the first American to run under the Olympic Record.

As her athletic career matured, Sheffield did also. She married and started a family. Continuing her thirst for competition, Sheffield, now a mother, returned to the track. Her test of fitness and perseverance would come at the 1993 Olympic Sports Festival. In an amazing come from behind victory, Sheffield’s performance announced that she remained a hurdler to be reckoned with. Sheffield continued to increase her family. After the birth of her second child, she relocated to the dry heat of Arizona. A family in tow, new training ground and a major climate adjustment, Sheffield had challenging barriers to overcome. But her determination, hard work and veteran experience would be enough to earn her a position on the 1998 Goodwill Games Team. Finally after the 2000 Olympic Trials and an illustrious career, LaTanya Sheffield announced her retirement.

Saturday Morning: Nancy Hunter Denney

Nancy Hunter Denney is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, author, and educator dedicated to empowering others to maximize their potential for effective living and leading. This is accomplished through the sharing of her many insights on how to build personal influence and charisma. In addition, Nancy seeks to inspire in others a personal sense of responsibility (and obligation) for serving a greater social good by teaching audience members how to be more productive contributors to their work place, areas of study, communities and relationships.

Her energy on stage is contagious. Nancy Hunter Denney passionately presents original definitions, theories and lessons on life and leadership while possessing a unique ability to teach audience members how to apply them.

Prior to starting her own speaking business in 1993, Nancy Hunter Denney worked in higher education student affairs – an experience which differentiates her from many other speakers and speaks to her love of helping others learn and grow through maximization of effective teaching methods and practices.

Her NEWEST keynote is based upon her third book entitled, How to Zing! Your Life and Leadership: 21 Insights on Maximizing Your Influence. Previous books include Let Your Leadership Speak: How to Lead and Be Heard and Life by Design: A Do-It-Approach to Achieving Happiness.

Nancy Hunter Denney specializes in non-profit helping organizations, women’s leadership organizations and higher education. She has earned a national reputation for excellence at the podium through appearances with Dr. Phil, Suze Orman, Soledad O’Brien, Amanda Gore, Sarah Weddington, Dana Reeve, et el. She has also appeared at the Biennial Woman’s Conference. Other clients include over 650 institutions of higher education, numerous national, regional and state conferences of non-profit associations, as well as, corporate clients ranging from Deloitte-Touche to Century 21.

Nancy is an active member of her community. She serves as the co-leader of her church youth group, and participates in the Big Sister Big Brother Program of New Bedford. In addition, she donates proceeds from her book sales to community service agencies. Nancy resides in Marion, MA with her two children, husband and sailboat.

Emcee: Matt Matera

Matt Matera came to Tucson in 2003 to attend a graduate program in Higher Education at the University of Arizona. His journey to attain a Master’s degree developed his passion for social justice and pursuit of equal access to education for all. He currently serves as a Student Life Coordinator and Lead Facilitator/Co-Creator of the CORE Project, an anti-discrimination project at the Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus. Matt teaches college-level classes on leadership, has presented professional workshops at various conferences, been a keynote speaker for a campus-wide philanthropy event, and starred in commercials on MTV2 to promote the importance of local music. Originally from New Jersey, Matt obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the College of William & Mary in Virginia. He speaks with the understanding that leadership is about ordinary people doing extraordinary jobs with extraordinary results.