Danny Diaz was not overweight as a kid. He was, however, the seventh person on the team and still instrumental to its 1987 state title win.
Jim White did not create the cross-country team at the school, but instead restarted it after it had been dropped for a year. He rebuilt both the boys' and girls' cross-country teams, despite only the boys' team being featured in the film. Similarly, White took both the boys' and girls' teams to the California coast beach at Cayucos during the 1985 (not 1987) season.
Jim White had not been fired from numerous prior teaching jobs before starting at McFarland. He started teaching in the McFarland school district after graduating from Pepperdine University in 1964.
Jim White retired in 2003 after twenty-three years of coaching.
Colombian music superstar Juanes was approached to write the theme song for the film. "Juntos/Together" was performed at the The 57th Annual Grammy Awards (2015), the first Latin song in ten years to be given the privilege.