AUBURN, Alabama -- As more than 50 Auburn fans gathered Sunday afternoon to roll a tree and silently remember and celebrate Philip Lutzenkirchen's life, one of his close friends stood silently in the background.
"It's nice to see all the support from the people," said Jorrell Bostrom, a former offensive lineman at Auburn. "At first I really didn't want to come out here, but it was good for us to come out."
Lutzenkirchen, a former Auburn tight end known for his kindness and generosity off the field as much as he was celebrated by fans for his big plays on the field, died at the scene of a single-car accident early Sunday in LaGrange, Georgia.
News of the 23-year-old's death rattled the Plains, where Lutzenkirchen's legacy had already been established through his play on the field and his lovable personality off it. His go-ahead touchdown catch in the 2010 Iron Bowl cemented his legacy, placing him alongside some of Auburn's greats.
Bostrom, like the many standing here silently at the famous Toomer's Corner on Sunday, was in shock.
"I just talked to him last night before I went to sleep, and he was here two days ago," Bostrom said. "We had dinner and he stayed the night at our house. It's just very surreal you won't see him again."
Lutzenkirchen went horseback riding Sunday for about three hours. "He told me was pretty sore," Bostrom smiled.
Lutzenkirchen recently jumped into coaching as a volunteer with the football team at St. James School in Montgomery. He was also working at a wealth management company in Montgomery.
Bostrom and Lutzenkirchen chatted about the routine things in everyday life late Saturday night -- just five hours before the car accident at 3:05 a.m., which also claimed the life of Joseph Ian Davis, who tried out for Georgia's baseball team last fall.
The impromptu gathering at Toomer's Corner picked up steam thanks to word spreading on Twitter leading up to 4:30 p.m., the unofficial start time for the rolling of the trees adjacent to the site where Toomer's Oaks once stood. Fans meandered on the lawn, and found a suitable tree to roll along College Street.
Underneath one small oak was a roll of toilet paper with lyrics from country music singer Randy Travis' "Three Wooden Crosses" inscribed on the first square.
"It's not what you take when you leave this world behind you; it's what you leave behind you when you go."
To the right, another roll was placed on the ground. This one included a quote from Lutzenkirchen on June 26: "I know God's working, so I smile."
Only the wind rustling the tree leaves and the cars driving by on College Street broke the silence as fans gathered and spread out across Samford Lawn to watch others walk up to the tree one by one, and sometimes in pairs, to throw rolls of toilet paper.
Daniel Brower, a senior studying supply chain management at Auburn, sang the school's fight song halfway through the gathering with a few friends. As his friends drifted elsewhere, he stood by himself, one hand in the other, and sang the school's alma mater.
"I couldn't think of a better way to send him off," Brower said.
Morgan Jackson, the daugher of Auburn legend Bo Jackson, attended the gathering with friends -- she wore her father's jersey and others donned Lutzenkirchen's No. 43. A senior journalism major, Jackson interacted with Lutzenkirchen during and following his playing days on the Plains. Their last conversation earlier this month was about her father's shoes and Lutzenkirchen's desire to own a pair.
"I have never seen the man sad or mad," Morgan Jackson said. "Even after a loss, he'd come out of the locker room and be like, 'Hey, what's up?' Some people are sad and have their head down but Phil was always so positive, so happy."
The Marietta, Georgia native caught 14 career touchdown passes, the most by a tight end in Auburn history, from 2009 through 2012. His career ended with a hip injury midway through the 2012 season.
The most famous catch of his career came from the arm of Cam Newton, whose touchdown throw early in the fourth quarter capped an incredible comeback from a 24-0 deficit and helped seal a 28-27 victory against Alabama in the 2010 Iron Bowl. Lutzenkirchen celebrated with a dance, which many fans termed the "Lutzie."
The Tigers danced all the way to the BCS National Championship one month later.
"He was really good on the field, but on top of that he was a good guy to be friends with. He was a good guy to be around, even for strangers," Bostrom said. "All of us would get together and at dinner we'd get interrupted for pictures and autographs. Even now, two or three years pass from the 2010 (season), but he always obliged. He always said hello. That speaks a lot to his character."
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