Tinsley's smile reigns amid tears at memorial service

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. - Gary Tinsley never stopped smiling.

Not in the pictures in the slide show that played throughout his funeral on Saturday and not in stories that speakers told about the University of Minnesota senior and former First Coast High School football star.

The minister talked about it. His two coaches with the Gophers recalled it in detail. Cousins, aunts, friends and teammates recalled just what kind of person Tinsley had always been.

"His smile could light up a room, his smile could save lives, his smile did a number to the team," Gophers defensive tackle Brandon Kirksey said of Tinsley, 22, who died of undetermined causes in his dorm room on April 6. "As you can see, there's a lot of people out here. He really impacted everybody around him. He was a shining light. If you was having a bad day, you could count on coming into the locker room and seeing GT to brighten up your day ... and make your practice a little smoother."

The spring was supposed to be a rewarding time for Tinsley. He had been working out and preparing for this month's NFL draft and set to receive his degree in business marketing on May 13.

Instead, Saturday was when the First Coast community met his college teammates from Minnesota in an emotional and spirited send-off for Tinsley at Abyssinia Missionary Baptist Church. Seven tall floral arrangements were around Tinsley's casket. Nearby was a photo of Tinsley in his No. 51 Gophers jersey and next to it, a picture of four linebackers at First Coast High School in 2007.

Tinsley's funeral drew an estimated 1,800 mourners, including a Gophers contingent that flew in Saturday morning and filled three tour buses to ride to the church. The team took up the right front half of the church.

From the start of the service, a 17-minute rendition of "How Great is Our God" as Tinsley's family made its way to the pews, it was clear that Tinsley's funeral wasn't going to be remembered as only a sad and somber occasion.

There were stories, most all of them drawing laughs.

His cousins talked about Tinsley's joking side and how he could irritate family members and get away unpunished because of his smile. Gophers roommate Keanon Cooper said the two often would compare who had the better mother, with Tinsley making a strong case that his mom, Ronda Evans, took the honor.

Tinsley's former coach at Minnesota, Tim Brewster, said that Tinsley was a comedic genius without having to try. Brewster said a team tradition called "Coming to the Stage," where a player had to perform a talent in front of the team, was dominated by Tinsley.

"That was right up GT's alley; after he saw 'Coming to the Stage' a couple of times, he pulled me aside and said, 'Coach Brew, I want to come to the stage, I want to come to the stage,"' Brewster said. "And you know what, there was nothing like GT on the stage. Boy, he danced. He danced, he sang. He put a smile on everybody's face."

Perhaps the most poignant moment of the service occurred when Brewster, the coach who recruited Tinsley, asked "If you're a brother to Gary Tinsley raise your hand."

Every Gophers player raised his hand.

"The thing that we'll always remember is that million-dollar smile," current Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "In his game day [mode] and he's got number 51 down those cheeks and he's coming out of that tunnel ... the guy just had what you'd call 'it.' There's no definition in the dictionary for it; he had it."