More than 3,000 people showed up to celebrate the life of Philip Lutzenkirchen at Lassiter High School's football field in Marietta, Georgia on Wednesday night.
Family, friends and ex-coaches spoke of a man who impacted so many lives before his early death on Sunday morning at the age of 23.
"Philip Lutzenkirchen is a bright light in this dark world," said Jay Jacobs, athletic director at Auburn University.
The crowd was full of both Auburn's orange and blue and Lassiter's garnet and gold.
"As the years grew," said Chip Lindsey, Lutzenkirchen's high school coach at Lassiter, "our relationship went from coach-player to a true friendship."
Lutzenkirchen was a fan and team favorite at both Lassiter and Auburn, where teammates described him as "determined, courageous and a great teammate."
"As a coach, you are not supposed to have favorites," head coach Gus Malzahn said. "Philip made that tough."
Lutzenkirchen was a member of the 2010 National Championship team, and famous for his jig he performed after catching the game-winning touchdown against Alabama.
"The one thing I remember from his playing days is the dance that was the Lutzie," said Rev. Chette Williams as he recreated the famous dance.
Williams also spoke of Lutzenkirchen's charity off the field.
"There are not enough books in that library to write about all the good things Philip did off the field," said Williams.
Each speaker spoke of his kindness, loyalty and smile.
Lutzenkirchen committed to Auburn during a tumultuous time, even going on several recruiting trips to see if there was a better fit. Lindsey explained Lutzenkirchen's decision to stay true to Auburn.
"Philip said, "If I wasn't good enough to play football in college, that (Auburn) is where I would want to go to school,'" said Lindsey.
Mike Lutzenkirchen, Philip's father, stoically spoke about his son.
"I know one thing about Philip. He didn't hang around people without high character," said Lutzenkirchen.
At the end of the ceremony, the audience all lit candles and held them high as an orange and blue sunset set over the field.
"He was the type of man you would want your daughters to marry," said Malzahn.
"There's a new tight end in Heaven," said Lutzenkirchen.
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