Bailey Roberts' character, Miller, wrote a book about his experience being an orphan and being a part of the iconic team.
In the 1930s and 1940s, there was nothing bigger in Texas high school football than the Masonic Home Mighty Mites, a group of orphans bound together by hardship and death. These youngsters, in spite of being outweighed by at least thirty pounds per man, were the toughest football team around. They began with nothing, not even a football, yet in a few years were playing for the state championship at the highest level of Texas football.
The movie was filmed in Weatherford, Fort Worth, Alvarado, and Cleburne, Texas.
Rooster McConaughey, who plays Pop Boone, is the older brother of Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey.
EPILOGUE: "For over a century, the Masonic Home in Fort Worth, Texas, took in thousands of children from all walks of life. They were fed, clothed, and educated by its extraordinary teachers, coaches and administrators. Rusty and Juanita Russell served the home for 16 years, and their legacy lived strong until its closing in 2005."
"RUSTY RUSSELL was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 and is largely credited with creating the 'spread offense.' He went on to coach at Highland Park as well as SMU, where he enjoyed a winning season in 1950. Rusty never won a highschool state championship, but his legacy as the greatest coach in Texas still lives on."
"JUANITA RUSSELL taught English and music at the Masonic Home where she inspired her students to pursue higher education, including countless 'young ladies' who would go on to earn college degrees. She was a loving wife and a mother, remaining a driving inspiration for Rusty on and off the field during their 58 years of marriage."
"DOC HALL never took a dime from the Home for his decades of service. He became a father figure to hundreds of orphans come up 47 of which would go on to become doctors."
"HARDY BROWN let a famed 12-season career in the NFL, where he is credited with 'knocking out' over 80 players, and is still known as being one of the toughest men in the game."
"C.D. 'WHEATIE' SEALEY enlisted as a paratrooper during World War II. He later became an English teacher and Head Football Coach at rival Polytechnic High."
"DOUGLASS 'FAIRBANKS' LORD never played football again, but he did marry his orphanage sweetheart, Opal. They together they had four children."
"LEONARD 'SNOGGS' ROACH fought in the European Theater during the War, and later played football at North Texas Teachers College. He went on to work as a detective for the Houston Police Department."
"LEON PICKETT received a football scholarship at TCU, where he earned a degree in geology and worked for the Gulf Oil Company for 43 years."
"MILLER MOSELEY was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, and went on to become a beloved math professor at Texas Christian University."
"CECIL 'CRAZY MOSELEY fought in both the South Pacific and the Korean War. He spent his later years mining for copper in South America...of course in total silence."
"AMARANTE PETE 'A.P.' TORRES joined the Air Force and became a command pilot of the B-17, where he flew 62 combat missions and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross."
"GONZOLO 'CARLOS' TORRES fought in WWII and was awarded the Purple Heart after the Battle of Iwo Jima."
"CLYDE 'CHICKEN' ROBERTS attended North Texas State University, then joined the Marine Corps, where he saw combat in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, and reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel."
"DeWITT COULTER was an All American at West Point and was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the New York Giants."
"RAY COULTER was one of the most recruited Texas high school players after the 1940 season. He was inducted into the Texas high school Football Hall of Fame in 1997."
"RUSTY RUSSELL was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 1971 and is largely credited with creating the 'spread offense.' He went on to coach at Highland Park as well as SMU, where he enjoyed a winning season in 1950. Rusty never won a highschool state championship, but his legacy as the greatest coach in Texas still lives on."
"JUANITA RUSSELL taught English and music at the Masonic Home where she inspired her students to pursue higher education, including countless 'young ladies' who would go on to earn college degrees. She was a loving wife and a mother, remaining a driving inspiration for Rusty on and off the field during their 58 years of marriage."
"DOC HALL never took a dime from the Home for his decades of service. He became a father figure to hundreds of orphans come up 47 of which would go on to become doctors."
"HARDY BROWN let a famed 12-season career in the NFL, where he is credited with 'knocking out' over 80 players, and is still known as being one of the toughest men in the game."
"C.D. 'WHEATIE' SEALEY enlisted as a paratrooper during World War II. He later became an English teacher and Head Football Coach at rival Polytechnic High."
"DOUGLASS 'FAIRBANKS' LORD never played football again, but he did marry his orphanage sweetheart, Opal. They together they had four children."
"LEONARD 'SNOGGS' ROACH fought in the European Theater during the War, and later played football at North Texas Teachers College. He went on to work as a detective for the Houston Police Department."
"LEON PICKETT received a football scholarship at TCU, where he earned a degree in geology and worked for the Gulf Oil Company for 43 years."
"MILLER MOSELEY was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, and went on to become a beloved math professor at Texas Christian University."
"CECIL 'CRAZY MOSELEY fought in both the South Pacific and the Korean War. He spent his later years mining for copper in South America...of course in total silence."
"AMARANTE PETE 'A.P.' TORRES joined the Air Force and became a command pilot of the B-17, where he flew 62 combat missions and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross."
"GONZOLO 'CARLOS' TORRES fought in WWII and was awarded the Purple Heart after the Battle of Iwo Jima."
"CLYDE 'CHICKEN' ROBERTS attended North Texas State University, then joined the Marine Corps, where he saw combat in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam, and reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel."
"DeWITT COULTER was an All American at West Point and was drafted into the NFL in the first round by the New York Giants."
"RAY COULTER was one of the most recruited Texas high school players after the 1940 season. He was inducted into the Texas high school Football Hall of Fame in 1997."