Netflix’s six-part series about Colin Kaepernick to focus on time at Pitman High
Former Pitman High football coach Larry Nigro said Colin Kaepernick was one of the hardest working kids he coached.
“He was a real competitive individual and loved to compete,” said Nigro, who coached at Pitman for six years and now lives in Idaho. “When he goes into something, he dives into it and was a great leader.”
Kaepernick, who graduated from Pitman in 2006 and was an inaugural member of the school’s hall of fame class in 2018, will be featured in an upcoming Netflix six-part series called “Colin in Black & White”.
The series, which was announced on Monday, will focus on Kaepernick’s high school years and insight into what led him to be the social justice activist he is today. The company didn’t announce a release date for the show.
Kaepernick, who hasn’t appeared in the NFL since 2016, has been outspoken regarding social issues that includes police brutality.
“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” Kaepernick said in the press release. “We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years. It’s an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava for the world to see.”
Emmy Award Winner Ava DuVernay will direct the series along with Kaepernick, who will narrate the show.
Kaepernick played baseball, basketball, and football for the Pride. During his senior year, he led the school to its first playoff win — a 35-14 victory over Lincoln on Nov. 18, 2005. He threw for 1,956 yards and 22 touchdowns that year.
“He was outstanding and a hard-worker,” said Dave Walls, who is Pitman’s Athletic Director and was Kaepernick’s basketball coach for two years.
As a senior, Kaepernick led the Pride to the playoffs where they faced future NBA player Ryan Anderson and Oak Ridge. Although they lost to the No. 1 seeded Trojans, 75-65, Kaepernick had 31 points while Anderson had 50.
“Football obviously was his first sport, baseball second, and basketball fit in when he had time, especially in the summer,” Walls said. “He was always kind of mentality and physically committed and a true-three sport athlete.”
Neither coach recalled Kaepernick’s activist side in high school. Nigro said he was “humanistic” with his approach in life.
“We had a time where we had a death on campus (student) and he was one of the kids that I kind of went to to pull everyone together,” Nigro said.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story had incorrect information about the format of the Netflix series.
This story was originally published June 29, 2020 at 2:30 PM.
