Ken Carter

Ken Carter is the coach that turned many young boys from the projects into men, and saved them from the process in the movie Coach Carter, based on the true Ken Carter.

He was played by Samuel L Jackson.

He comes to coach a school, Richmond High (in Richmond, California). Knowing the kids are in need of discipline, he gets hard on them (they must refer to every man they see as "sir", they must maintain a certain grade average). His son wants to play on his own team, not being able to endure the loneliness of private school. He promises to follow the rules of everyone else. Carter accepts his son's request to be part of the team. When Cruz is expelled because of striking Carter, Cruz, a few days later, begs for a second chance. Carter gives Cruz a maximum of certain suicides (a type of workout) to gain entrance into the team again. The team offers to help him with them, remembering the meaning of teamwork, and Carter, being a merciful father figure accepts that, and thus accepts Cruz back in. Unfortunately, Cruz has a conflict with Carter and leaves again.

With his discipline, his team is undefeatable. However, Carter loses it when he finds out his champions have been womanizing at a party (against Carter's will). The kids defend themselves and say they were champs, but Carter is frustrated because he wanted to mold good men out of this experience (which shows Carter wanted good out of this, not just the glory of winning). Things go sour when he finds out that his team has been lazy, and failing in school. He then dares to do the unthinkable -- he cancels coaching until his teams gets excellent grades. Carter then explains the importance of education (which is often downplayed in minority communities), and thus the kids start to have a change of heart, telling them they have an important decision to make -- that if they want better for their lives, he'll be their in the morning. When Cruz's pal is killed in a shooting, Cruz comes back to Carter. Carter, saddened for Cruz, gives him a place to stay for the night, telling Cruz not to worry about the next day. And like a merciful father figure, he accepts Cruz's begging to be back on the team again, which he remains loyal for good this time.

Carter has had an impact on the kids, which by this point is expressed by a speech given by Cruz that what one fears is not that they in are inadquet but that they are powerful beyond measure. While this doesn't end like a typical sports movie, meaning the last game is not won by them, Carter has won the hearts of his team, and said that if they played for any team in the future, it was going to be Richmond.