WATCH: Josh Heupel speaks at Otis Anderson's celebration of life
Otis Anderson, former UCF Knights running back, was shot and killed last Monday night in North Jacksonville, Florida. His mother, Dennis, was also shot but is still in the hospital recovering.
Early reports allege that it was Otis Anderson’s father, Otis Lee Anderson, that shot both Otis and his mother.
Investigators say they aren’t looking for other suspects and that everyone involved in the incident is related. Physicians pronounced Anderson dead at the hospital. He was 23 years old.
On Tuesday, there was a celebration of life for Anderson in Jacksonville, attended by countless family and friends. Among those in attendance was former UFC head coach Josh Heupel. Anderson was the lead running back in Heupel’s offense for two seasons, rushing for 2,182 yards and 26 total touchdowns throughout his career.
Heupel spoke during Anderson’s celebration of life, talking about the kind of person the running back was. The head coach said from the time he had his first conversation with Anderson, he knew the running back cared about people and made them his priority.
“Impact can never be measured in years, it’s measured in relationships and the legacy that you leave behind,” Heupel said. “Today, this church filled with the people that are in here is a testimony to that, it’s a testimony to Otis Anderson. When I think about Otis Anderson, I think about brotherhood and relationships. That’s what mattered to him the most. Whether that was his family, whether that was his football brotherhood, or whether that was his fraternity brothers.
“First time I got an opportunity, him and AK came into my office. I knew of Otis Anderson but I didn’t know Otis Anderson. During that 15, 20 minute conversation, everything that he talked about — or really, grilled me and asked me about — was about ‘what is the brotherhood going to be? How do we build something together? What are the relationships I am going to have? What’s my interaction going to be with my coaches or with my players every single day?’
“He cared about everyone else more than he cared about himself. He loved with his entire heart and gave you everything that he had. He cared about his family, he cared about being successful on the field, and he cared about doing it the right way.”
Heupel continued on, talking more about how great of a person Anderson was during his 23 years of life.
You can watch Hepuel’s full comments during the celebration of life below.