Boone is a convincing leader with a brutal, boot camp approach to coaching. He believes in making the players re-build themselves as a team. When Boone says," You will wear a jacket, shirt, and tie. If you don't have one buy one, can't afford one then borrow one from your old man, if you don't have an old man, then find a drunk, trade him for his." It showed that he was a handy Craftsman and wanted done what he wanted done no matter what it took.
During training camp, Boone pairs black players with white players and instructs them to learn about each other. This idea is met with a lot of fighting, but black linebacker Julius Campbell and stubborn white All-American Gerry Bertier end up getting a strong bond through Boone's heavy discipline. Boone teaches them that they can build their strengths and look beyond when they work together.
Boone also uses both power and authority with his position as Head Coach to get his way. Since he is Black and has power, the white players do not immediately accept Boone's authority. Many threaten to quit the team if Boone remains as head coach, and their parent's pressure to move their children to other schools. Boone must use power and mind-games to force the players to tolerate each other until he can help them look beyond the racial conflict. When training camp at the college ended, the players gradually respected his leadership more and more and no longer saw his power as unlawful or hurtful. The players thus agreed with Coach Boone's philosophy and became friends with one another.
When Boone's tactics finally