Jim White

Jim White is the main character of the sports drama film McFarland, USA. The film is based on a true story, about how American cross country coach James "Jim" White coached the team of Hispanic kids at McFarland High School, from nobodies to mysteries to the racing community. 
He is portrayed by Kevin Costner. 
==Story==
===History of employment terminations===
In Boise, Idaho, 1987, Jim White and his title of coach is signifying his status as a football coach in the state capital city's high school football team, but his reputation is not a good one. After reluctantly announcing in the locker room how their poor performance literally set a school record, the upsetting situation leads the team captain Mitchell to snicker due to inappropriate laughter. Coach White does not take this lightly, and harshly questions why he thinks this is funny. After attempting to prep them up and losing his temper, he throws a shoe at Mitchell, accidentally injuring him and leaving him questioning White's sanity, and regrettably losing his job, for the third time. 
The first two times were for verbally abusing a player, about which he claimed was an instance with no profanity spoken. The second was said to be a "fight with the chairman of school board", he responded it was a "difference of opinion". 
===Arrival at McFarland===
His unpleasant record ended him in McFarland, California, a poor town that he and his poor family agreed was not a good place to live. After a long drive, his wife, Cheryl White, drops their two daughters off to their new school, McFarland High School, while Jim enters the builing to talk to the school principal. After being questioned about his file, White takes up all of the principal's jobs in need, including that of a second football coach. He expressed regret and dismay at getting fired from his job in his new house. 
At a football game, there was an "altercation" between coaches about whether or not to play linebacker number 57 who was roughly beaten, with White defending the beaten kid. Unknown to White at the time, this kid would be the first kid he met who would become a part of the McFarland cross country team. White stepped down from the position of football coach after barely becoming one, and shortly becomes the coach for the McFarland cross country team instead, which doesn't even exist yet. 
===Start of the cross country team===
Looking past football and seeing that their strength was running, White confronted the principal about the fact that there wasn't a McFarland cross country team, about how much potential they had, running from crop fields to school and back every day. He even worked to gather statistics to prove that a cross country team would gather awards for the school and town, and be worthwhile in the long run. It was only logical for them to compete in what they were good in. 
After successfully starting the cross country team, White sent the same kid he defended at the football game to gather at least 7 runners for the team; he added, "And make sure one of them is Thomas Valles." 
White independently enlisted 2 players. He talked Thomas Valles out of a suspension shortly after defending a kid stealing from a vending machine, to get both of them in his cross country team. The kids took a long run for their practice, with White accompanying Danny Diaz, the slowest runner. He told him:
===Season===
After giving the team actual running shoes they couldn't afford for the first time, he takes them to their first competition, where they were newcomers, and underdogs. 
Jim White took the blame for their first game's failure, coming in at 4th place out of 4 with over a hundred points. In a sport like cross country, the lowest score wins, and 1st place had a score of 31. Now pledging to take all responsibility, he learns from his mistakes and takes them to a place with fake hills, so that their weakness in their previous match would never happen again. 
His relationship with his wife and kids continues to strain after this, with White neglecting to buy his daughter Julie's birthday cake after runner Thomas Valles had a breakdown. He learns of his situation and saves from (suicide by) jumping off a bridge. 
The team, supported by their coach Jim White, race against their new opponent from a town called Clovis, in a dual meet, "Just us and them". They beat them by a single point, with a score of 27-28, McFarland with the lower score. Clovis' coach shows no sportsmanship whatsoever, and McFarland celebrates their first win. Thomas' mental health greatly improves thanks to their discovered importance of teamwork and the encouraging work of Jim White. White even helps them with their rigorous field work at picking crops until he experiences back pain, and one of his runners tells him to lie down, and that the work is so hard that a person's body has to adapt to it. The life science teacher reads to White a poem that the boys made, telling White that he was a good man. This is the start of when Jim White redeems himself, as earlier in the movie the teacher, while nice, perceives him as selfish. 
Next stop in their season is the State Qualifier, where they race in their toughest race so far, with thick competition and an intimidating hill. The top 4 advance to state, and Jim White encouragingly points out to the chalkboard after the scores are tallied that McFarland has reached 4th place. He even takes the team to a beach to celebrate, telling the security guard that he only has five bucks, and seven kids that have never seen the ocean. He gets by thanks to the man's generosity, which allows the boys to party and rejoice like wild animals, about their important victory. 
In Sra. Diaz' house, they dance, and after the kids leave, Sra. Diaz asks Jim about his family. White replies that his daughter Jamie is 10 and Julie just turned 15. She asks him about Julie's quinceañera, and after learning about the traditional Mexican celebration, he asks for the help of the local shopkeeper he's become acquainted with. He thanks his new friends for helping him to understand what a quinceañera means and why it's so important. 
Thomas Valles appears as Julie's dance partner, and Thomas promises Jim that Julie will be safe. Another resident of McFarland and friend of Jim named Javi also promises that he'll ride slow, and that it's the only way they'll go. Unfortunately, this promise is broken though not to their fault when gangbangers block their back and assault them with switchblades, and leave with blood on the asphalt, to be cleaned immediately (done off-screen). 
Even knowing that what happened was out of their power to prevent, White is frustrated that this happened to his daughter and departs to Palo Alto High School, where he is promised a better job due to his improved record. He almost accepts, until he realizes that the bonds of friendship mean more than the poor environment, and that he'd be leaving a brighter future behind, and a familiar community he's become a part of, who he literally thanked at a ceremony that felt like a family gathering to him. 
He ultimately, and for the better, decides against moving to Palo Alto, and surprises everyone with his stay. Thomas was pessimistic about his departure, and frustrated with him, and he tells Thomas that he's staying as long as he wants to run. Without a coach, the McFarland Cougars wouldn't be eligible to participate, and he has the will to see them in the State Finals. For the first time in 25 years, the shopkeeper closes McFarland's shop, and nearly the entire small population spectates their first triump in something. 
In their toughest competition yet in the California State Championship Finals, taking place on December 12th, 1987, McFarland becomes the state champions of California, with Danny Diaz saving the team. Thomas Valles came in 1st place, finishing before everybody, but the added placements of everybody else wouldn't be small enough for them to win. The greatest surprise of all was that Danny Diaz was ahead of many of the runners, and would reassure the team to make up for his teammates' placements. 
===Legacy===
McFarland High School would go on to win nine state titles within 14 years, every success thanks to White's guidance. His runners would be living proof of White's legacy, who were the first in their families to go to college, and all of them earned careers. After coaching the team until his retirement in 2003, Jim White still lives in McFarland as one of their most important residents. He gave the poor kids an opportunity to see the world in meets across America, Europe, and Asia, and is responsible for their successes in life, which even their parents couldn't guarantee. 
In this part of the movie, Jim White is no longer portrayed by Kevin Costner, but is portrayed by Jim White himself, and the runners of the McFarland Cougars are also portrayed by the real life runners themselves. 
==Historical accuracy==
The real coach James "Jim" White received some newfound fame after the release of McFarland, USA, but the fictional Jim White was different in some aspects.
*Jim White's real name was James White, but Jim was his nickname, so his full name was commonly uttered as Jim White. The Jim White in the movie went by his original name, meaning that his name was never James, unlike the real one; Jim White was his real name.
*While Jim White did have a wife named Cheryl, they had 3 daughters, this Jim Whtie only had 2. Tami White was not portrayed in the movie. Fictionalized Julie White was 15 during the events of the movie, while the real Julie White was older than that when McFarland became the state champions. In fact, the real Jim White had 3 daughters who were all near adults during this time. This was to put more family in the film, so they could celebrate the quinceañera, and to show friendship.
*The runners of the McFarland Cougars in the film had 3 brothers in the film: Damacio Diaz, Danny Diaz, and David Diaz. The real David Diaz graduated the year before his two brothers, and his real world counterpart is actually a runner named Luis Partida. This was to put more family in the film
*Jim White was the one who started the cross country team, but the real Jim White restarted it.
*Jim White in the movie took the kids to the ocean in the 1987 season, which the movie depicted. The real White took them to the ocean in 1985, 5 years after he started coaching in 1980, seven years before the fictionalized Jim White. 
*White was portrayed as a flawed man who had been fired from multiple jobs prior to becoming a "white savior", and a struggling family relationship. The real Jim White did not have that drama in his life, which is why they added it so there would be a more meaningful plot in the fictionalized Jim White.
===External link===
==Relationships==
McFarland Cougars
*Thomas Valles (Captain)
*Damacio Diaz
*Danny Diaz
*David Diaz
*Victor Puentes
*Jose Cardenas
*Johnny Sameniego
Family
*Cheryl White (Wife)
*Julie White (15 yo daughter)
*Jamie White (10 yo daughter)
He also became acquainted with nearly every McFarland resident that was shown in the film, with the exception of Coach Jenks.
==Trivia==
*His nickname "Blanco" is due to it being the Spanish word for white.
*Kevin Costner and James "Jim" White have met, and both of them have watched the film.
*His nickname "Homes" is a slang word that means "good friend". 
Category:Fictionalized
Category:Male
Category:Nurturers
Category:Mentors
Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:In Love
Category:Spouses
Category:Poor
Category:Bond Creators
Category:Bond Protectors
Category:The Hero
Category:Successful
Category:Parents
Category:Neutral Good
Category:Rivals
Category:Disciplinarians
Category:Honest
Category:Determinators
Category:Hope Bringers
Category:Leaders