EL PASO, Texas -- It was coach Don Haskins' good friend, Jim Paul, who set the tone for the memorial to honor "The Bear."

"Now we're going to celebrate the life of the man that might be the greatest person to ever come through the city of El Paso," said Paul.

But the evening was not without some tears.

"I'm glad he's in a better place, and I can't wait to see him again, and I love you guys, and I love Coach Haskins, thank you," said friend Jeff Limberg in tears.

There was a tribute from Hollywood, as Jon Teicher, the voice of the Miners, read a statement from Josh Lucas, who played Haskins in the movie "Glory Road."

"Don Haskins changed my life. That is the simple truth. When I reflect on all of the ways I was inspired by this great man, I keep coming back to this. It's what he did. He changed lives," said Teicher.

The evening was also about stories, and at times very funny ones.

"They tell me you can't guard a damn telegraph post. He says, 'You better start thinking about maybe playing football.' That's the first time I meet the coach," said former player Nolan Richardson.

It was Richardson who summed up the evening best.

"No one up there is going to ask him how many games he won. They just might ask him how many lives did he touch. And let me tell you out here all the players I've seen, and the wives and kids and the guys that's played and the guys that's coached and the people he's touched, he's touched many lives, and that's the key to the kingdom," said Richardson.