Bulls Nation said goodbye to its beloved men's basketball coach, Amir Abdur-Rahim, on Saturday's Celebration of Life at the Yuengling Center, a place where he imparted life lessons to his players, danced to the music of a pep band and cut down the nets after winning a championship.

Abdur-Rahim's life — much like the emotional and exhilarating ceremony — was a communal celebration. There was grief, of course, but also joy, storytelling, togetherness and the affirmation that no one does this alone. It was symbolic of the coach's humanity. It showed what it meant to be in Coach Amir's orbit.

You were part of a family.

"They say that time heals all things,'' said Abdur-Rahim's wife, Arianne, as she heartbreakingly addressed the crowd of thousands, while holding close her children, Laila, Lana and Aydin. "But while for some life moves on, for us, it just gets worse. This is not a business trip. I cannot tell my son, 'Yes,' when he asks if Amir is coming home soon. This will never be OK. It won't ever seem right or fair.

"He was my heart and soul. Many have asked how I can (find the strength) to stand up here. In truth, I don't know. But what I do know is I'm (strengthened) by God's grace. And in my head, I can hear Amir's voice telling me countless times, 'You are stronger than you know.' He would want me to dig deep. He would want me to stand up here and thank each and every one of you, everyone who contributed to what he was building here.''

It was only one season, a great season, a 25-8 record, USF's first regular-season conference championship in men's basketball, a program-record 15-game winning streak and its first national ranking.

Just one season — but a memory that will last forever.

USF student-athletes and coaches — in all sports — will wear Abdur-Rahim's initials (AAR) on their uniforms and gear throughout their seasons. Interim head coach Ben Fletcher will keep an open spot on the bench for his mentor, "so he'll be with me all season.''

The Yuengling Center's end-zone student seats, the home of the SoFlo Rodeo, will be renamed the "Amir Abdur-Rahim Student Section.''

USF and Kennesaw State — Abdur-Rahim's head-coaching stops and the two programs he transformed into greatness — have agreed to meet annually in a men's basketball game.

It will be known as the "Love Wins Classic.''

On Saturday's stage, there was an arrangement of flowers in the shape of a basketball court with the slogan that Abdur-Rahim embraced for his teams:

LOVE WINS.

It was more than a catchy slogan. For Abdur-Rahim, who died on Oct. 24 at age 43, it was his lifestyle and his enduring belief.

"Love wins every single time,'' said the Rev. David Lane, USF's team chaplain. "Love is undefeated. I'm so thankful for the opportunity we have today to share about a man who truly was a reflection of God's love.

"So I want to encourage you today, there's nothing wrong with tears. We saw a video of Coach Amir (following an NCAA Tournament loss with Kennesaw State) and he said he was shedding tears of joy. Tears are good. God gave them to us. But with Coach Amir, they were always tears of hope as we remember the journey we were a part of.''

Coach Amir's journey included his team. His basketball players were there, of course, but so were the student-athletes and coaches from each of USF's other sports, including the football players and coaches who arrived back on campus after 4 a.m., following a victory against Florida Atlantic University at Boca Raton.

It was a testament to Abdur-Rahim's influence and standing throughout the campus.

"How remarkable is that?'' USF vice president for athletics Michael Kelly said. "It's one thing to be there for the 15 young men under your direct care. But he was there for an army of student-athletes here at USF, some 500 strong.''

"He had a special gift — as we can see today — of bringing people together,'' USF president Rhea Law said.

That was seen almost every day in the way he managed his basketball team, a group of players from different cities and countries, a divergent mix of personalities and temperaments. Coach Amir made them work as one.

Point guard Jayden Reid remembered a particularly difficult day last season, when he was a freshman. He incurred Abdur-Rahim's wrath because the effort and attitude were lacking. He was actually thrown out of practice and told to go home.

That night, as he listened to music, he was astonished to see Coach Amir opening the door and racing into his room. The coach jumped on his bed, play-fighting, pillow-fighting, putting on some playful choke holds, laughing uproariously.

"He kept finding ways to instill confidence in me,'' Reid said. "He kept showing me love. And even though I didn't completely understand it at the time, I became a better player and person because of that.''

Swingman Kobe Knox will remember the never-ending debates over who was better — Kobe had LeBron James, the coach had Michael Jordan — but even more, he'll remember the caring.

"He was one of the first people, other than my parents, who said to me, 'I love you,' '' Knox said. "I'm not sure I liked it or reacted to it well at first. But as time went on, it got easier to say. It really, really meant a lot to me.

"Every day, just seeing that smile on his face. There was never a day when we came to the gym and he didn't give us 100-percent of his effort in coaching us. He always told us he loved us. We love him. We'll forever love him.''

Interim head coach Ben Fletcher, Abdur-Rahim's right-hand man at Kennesaw State and USF, remembered an entertaining storyteller, a man of God, a stubborn lover of debate and great arguments, an incessant foodie, a music savant who appreciated "everyone from Taylor Swift to Nipsey Hussle.''

A motivator?

Oh yeah.

"We were on a three-game losing streak last season and staring down the barrel of Florida State (in a game that USF won to transform its season),'' Fletcher said. "I remember Amir's speech the night before. Man, he had the whole room in tears, players and coaches. He had this remarkable ability to pour into anybody. I thought that was so special.''

Coach Amir cherished his interactions — whether it was with USF's president, a fellow coach, a player, a media member or a custodian — and Kelly said that taught him a lesson. He hopes that others will learn from it, too.

"Let us find the common bond in every person we meet,'' Kelly said. "Let us make them feel special. That's what Coach Amir would want. He was truly a soldier of love. I'm confident that he continue to coach us all from above.''

The qualities that Abdur-Rahim showed at USF in just 19 months were experienced by his family members throughout a lifetime. His older brother, Shareef, a former NBA All-Star and Olympic gold-medal winner, said he naturally felt protective of Amir.

As it turned out, the best example was often set by the younger brother.

"Our father always told us, 'If you want God to love you, leave alone what is others and share what is yours,' '' Shareef Abdur-Rahim said. "I didn't even realize it. As the younger brother, he was teaching me. I want to be the man and the father that he was.

"He connected with people everywhere he went. He was so authentic. He gave us all an example of how to live.''

Amir's wife said she's hopeful that players, recruits, support staffers, fans and others will share the stories of her husband, how he impacted so many lives, through a website that has been created in his honor. Through her tears, surrounded by her children, she shared the cold reality that they will never know their father when they are adults. The stories of others, she said, will help keep his memory alive.

But the children will have things that others won't — the knowledge that their father made a difference, the comfort that their lives actually reflect the blood of a king.

The Coach Amir-led slogan that turned up last season at USF — "EDGE'' or Everyone Dedicated to Great Effort — was about more than basketball.

"Amir gave effort in everything he did,'' his wife said. "He always had time for people. A simple greeting — How are you? — to someone could and often did turn into a life-changing interaction.''

She can now put aside the frustrations of a dinner growing cold while he stayed in the garage finishing a call. She knows that long practices and meetings had a purpose. She realizes that all the games and all the trips weren't the product of someone who was purposefully absent from family life.

"He was molding young men,'' she said. "He wasn't being difficult or picky. He truly cared. He was making an impact. It shows me how truly blessed I was to walk alongside him in life.''

The memories of who she married, what he stood for, what he created, they will all be sustaining during the tough moments. Through her sorrow, as Coach Amir would've wanted, even she can see the much bigger picture in this tragedy.

"Amir always said, 'Job not finished,' '' his wife said, relating her husband's emotions when he received praise after a big victory. "But I'm confident when Amir entered Heaven's gates, God said, 'Job well done.'

"I know I've said that before. But I'm hoping the more I say it, the more than I find peace. And maybe, just maybe, you will, too. … Please strike to make those around you better. Please choose significance over success. Choose respect. Choose love. Amir was a believer that love wins. So love like you have never loved before. Pay it forward.''

Coach Amir constantly shared his gifts.

He showed us who we could become.

He made us better.

He believed it was much bigger than wins and losses. But when it came to love, he ran up the score.

"One thing I've realized is that 'This will never again be the same old South Florida, my brother,' '' said ceremony moderator Jim Lighthall, longtime radio voice of USF men's basketball, as he tapped into one of Abdur-Rahim's signature phrases. "Amir left his fingerprints all over this program and all over this campus. His positive outlook was infectious. The lessons he taught, the experiences he shared and the values we learned from him, they will live on.

"Sometimes, he was funny. Sometimes, he was intense. But he was always genuine. And he was always elite.''

As USF's Herd of Thunder pep band closed Saturday's ceremony with a haunting rendition of the school's Alma Mater, as everyone turned toward the student section where the coach loved to mingle and dance after victories, there were hugs all around.

Once again, the coach had brought everyone together.

Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Beloved husband, father, son, brother, friend, coach and inspiration to many.

March 18, 1981 — October 24, 2024.

To God be the glory.

Rest in power.

Rest in peace.

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