BUCK SUTTON of Spotsylva- nia County is right when he says that even in death, Gerry Bertier is bringing together the extended "Remember the Titans" family to do something positive in his name.

Something like organize the first Gerry Bertier Foundation Charity Golf Tournament Oct. 20 at Cannon Ridge Golf Club in Stafford County.

More than a dozen of the real Titan coaches and players will be taking part there on that day.

Tournament play will be in two flights, at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Organizers say there are openings to be filled for foursomes in the special round of golf. Those interested can call 373-8475.

"I can safely say that none of this would be coming together if not for for the way Gerry's teammates and others still feel about this very special player and person," said Sutton. "It's very fitting that it's all happening for the first fundraiser to be held by the newly formed Gerry Bertier Foundation."

For those not familiar with the "Remember the Titans" phenomenon, it's a 2000 Disney sports film about the consolidation of three high school football teams into one in Alexandria, Va., during desegregation.

Starring Denzel Washington and Will Patton as the coaches who walk the team through a minefield of racial and competitive tensions, the film has become a phenomenal hit.

Many who see it say they are touched by the brotherhood the players form, despite the racial hatred swirling outside the high school, T.C. Williams.

In the film and in real life, defensive standout Bertier was a stalwart for the team that recorded a no-loss season in 1971. Though his teammates say that Disney took creative license with the Titans' story, they agree Disney got it right portraying Bertier as a brother to all his teammates who saw past color and former allegiances.

Earlier this year, Sutton, whose wife is Bertier's first cousin, learned that the friends and family of the former player had created a foundation in his honor.