'Faith, family and football:' 2,500 gather to say goodbye to Coach Bobby Bowden

Derrick Brooks addresses attendees at the funeral.

Florida State University football legend Bobby Bowden was remembered Saturday in the city that he loved, and loved him back.

More than 300 of his former players and coaches were among the 2,500 who gathered in Tallahassee for Bowden’s funeral service at Tucker Civic Center on the FSU campus.

Bowden died last Sunday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 91.

The legendary coach may have been known across the country for his two national championship wins at FSU. But those who knew him best, like former Seminole and Buccaneers linebacker Derrick Brooks, pointed out the three guiding principles of Bowden’s life.

"I think about the three F’s. He said, ‘The only time I’d ever have three F’s and get a passing grade is faith, family and football. In that order.’ As I reflect on my relationship with Coach Bowden since 1990, that's what it stands for for me."

Head coach Bobby Bowden of the Florida State Seminoles watches his team take on the West Virginia Mountaineers during the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl on January 1, 2010 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Sunday, Bowden will lie in repose at the Reid Chapel on the campus of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where he went to school. He'll be buried in Trussville, Alabama.