Denton, NC -- Less than a week after the school's longtime wrestling and football coach died, the South Davidson High School community rallied at its homecoming to honor the memory of a man many called a hero.

Mike Crowell, 52, died suddenly on Sunday. He impacted hundreds of lives, and current and former students spent the week telling WFMY News 2 about his impact. They also told the world when they created the #sabanforcrowell hashtag on Twitter. They used it to get the attention of Nick Saban, the coach of the country's No. 1 football team at the Univ. of Alabama.

Coach Crowell was an avid Alabama fan, so his students wanted to get Saban to Friday's homecoming game to honor him. NCAA rules and a busy schedule kept Saban from showing, but the coach did send Crowell's family a personal letter, which provided consolation to a community in mourning.

For homecoming, the school painted Crowell's initials at midfield and included the Alabama logo on the players' helmets and on the field. Click on the videos on this page to see more of how Crowell impacted his community -- and how so many people honored him.

WFMY News 2