The man at the center of the Academy Award winning documentary "Undefeated" spent Saturday morning inspiring supporters of the Mid-South non-profit HopeWorks.
Bill Courtney professed his love for his hometown of Memphis and then challenged the crowd to get involved with making change here.
Courtney gained fame after leading the Manassas Tigers to a winning season, following years without any wins at all. A documentary crew captured the season and won an Oscar in 2011 for Best Documentary.
Now, Courtney is using his notoriety to spread a message of hope. He pointed at listeners and instructed that service precedes leadership, that you must "serve" before you can become a good leader.
Specifically, he said many people see a problem and ask why someone else is not doing something about it.
His question of the morning was, "what's wrong with you?" Referring first to the challenges facing kids at Manasses, as depicted in "Undefeated" and, then to recent much-reported shootings involving local children, Courtney's message was the same. Mid-Southernors must ask themselves what role they are playing to create change.
He told the group that everyone must get involved to help the "weakest among us."
