Funeral services were slated to begin at 11 a.m. today for Coy Bacon, a NFL football legend-turned- motivational speaker who died last week.

The funeral was at the First Baptist Church of Burlington, where Bacon was a member since childhood. The Rev. Douglas C. Carter, pastor of the church, said he had known Bacon since he was a child.

“He was a fine man. He had a heart for giving and a heart for love,” Carter said. “His last words to me — I have a 16-year-old daughter, Kyra — were ‘tell Kyra hello.’ I had gone to the hospital to see him and as sick as he was, he was thinking of others.”

Carter remembered Bacon as a man who loved God and spoke often of his relationship with God not only to friends but to people around the world.

“He was a friend to preachers. He was a real Christian,” Carter said. “He’s going to be missed. He was a special person.”

Carter said he anticipates one of the largest crowds ever for a funeral at his church as those who knew Bacon professionally, from his years in pro football and those who knew him as a speaker, join with family and friends to bid Bacon farewell.

A former Ironton High School Fighting Tigers standout, Bacon began his pro career in the late 1960s and played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams. He was a three-time Pro-Bowler. Unofficial NFL records have Bacon with 130 career sacks.

Visitation was Monday night at Tracy Brammer Funeral Home in Ironton was followed by visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Bacon was laid to rest in Woodland Cemetery.