TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — If faith was at the center of Bobby Bowden's life, Saturday's public memorial service for the beloved coach gave credence to that fact.
Former players, assistants and friends of the man who has become the face of Florida State football gathered at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on FSU's campus in Tallahassee to share their memories and tributes to Bowden, giving fans a glimpse of the enormity of his impact.
Rev. Dr. Bobby Butler, a former player under Bobby Bowden between 1977-1980 and now a preacher, served as the service's celebrant.
During his opening remarks, Butler recalled trying to understand what drew him in Bowden on a spiritual level. He explained he loved Bowden but struggled to understand why his feelings were so strong.
"He reminded me so much of my own father," Butler said.
Charlie Ward, one of the two Heisman Trophy winners to play under Bowden, was among the featured speakers.
"As we've heard and said before, it takes a village to raise a child. Coach Bowden was a village dad for me," Ward said. "Coach B continued to teach me the life lessons of the value of Christian love, being prepared, pushing through adversity and being patient for what God has before you."
Derrick Brooks spoke after Ward. He quoted his head coach's lesson on the three 'Fs' in life.
"He said, 'The only time I made three Fs in life and still had a passing grade is faith, family and football," Brooks said. "He always built and always challenged me to keep doing the things I was doing to change life and be a man of character. And as I close out today, I just want to say we could all do that."
Brooks recalled his last conversation with Bowden, which happened two weeks before he died. Bowden brought up his old advice to his former player.
"He simply said, 'Derrick, if God gave me 10 minutes or 10 years, I'm at peace,'" Brooks said. "He said, 'More importantly, I want you to continue changing lives in the community, and dadgummit make sure you keep hugging your babies.'"
Mark Richt gave one of the more emotional speeches. Richt coached as an assistant to Bowden for 10 years during the peak of Bowden's career.
"He cared very much about us. He cared very much about our faith," Richt remembered.
Richt talked about Bowden's coaching style's hallmarks: he defied the stereotype of the coach who motivated his players with fear and intimidation.
"He motivated out of compassion and love," Richt said. "He loved us as coaches. He loved the player. And we knew it, and we loved him for that."
Warrick Dunn also spoke, remembering how Bowden helped him overcome the greatest challenge of his young life. Dunn had lost his mother shortly before he arrived in Tallahassee before his freshman year.
"He believed in me, and that's a powerful thing for an 18-year-old who is trying to figure out life," Dunn said. "Coach was the kind of man who used faith and wisdom to shape boys into men."
Perhaps the most anticipated speaker was Bowden's longtime assistant Mickey Andrews, who stood on the sidelines with Bowden for 25 seasons. Andrews briefly talked about the similarities between the two men who coached above him, first Bear Bryant when Andrews was a player at Alabama and Bowden.
"Coach Bryant taught me how to win. Coach Bowden taught me how to care, and I needed that," Andrews said. "I found out you could still coach tough, demand great effort if the players trusted you and you cared about them."
"He'll be missed. We won't forget him," Andrews continued. "But try to remember the great things he stood for and laid the groundwork for this program."
Andrews concluded, overcome by emotion, saying that Bowden's greatest win was not on a fall Saturday.
"It was on Sunday morning when he walked in, and Jesus said, 'Great job buddy,'" Andrews said.
Bowden's daughter, Ginger Bowden Madden, spoke about the coach's family life, particularly his love for his wife Anne. She told the story of how Bobby Bowden married Anne then transferred out of the University of Alabama to what is now Sanford University because Alabama did not let married players play football.
Their relationship formed in central Alabama and continued to grow through the many successes of Bowden's long career.
"The way that he looked at her, the way that he spoke to her, the way that he treated her, the way that he touched her, she was his love. She was his comfort, his inspiration. She was his muse," Madden said. "She comforted him, she supported him, she strengthened him, she pushed him. She made him believe that he could do anything, and he did things he never thought he could."
After several more tributes and songs, the service ended, perhaps exactly as Bowden himself would have liked it. The Florida State Marching Chiefs marched into the auditorium.
After a brief pause, the familiar sounds of the Tomahawk Chop echoed through the room with the crowd taking part in the famous hand motion. The congregation enthusiastically chanted to the song, which ended in a cheer that harkened back to a fall Saturday afternoon at Doak Campbell Stadium with Coach Bobby Bowden on the sideline.
Following Saturday's events in Tallahassee, Bowden's body will travel to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama where he will lie in repose on the campus of his alma mater.
Afterward, he will be buried in a private ceremony nearby in Trussville.