Although friends and family gathered to honor the life of Brioni “Bree” Rutland in a memorial service on Dec. 7, his impact on the Shoals community lives on.

“Bree didn’t have a clue how much he impacted people and how much he truly helped people,” said Morgan Presley, Rutland’s girlfriend of three years. “If he said he was going to do something, he did it no matter what. You never had to question if he was going to do something he said because he would not let you down.”

This impact was reflected in the high attendance numbers for Rutland’s memorial service. 1, 200 attended the gathering in the Deshler High School gymnasium, Presley said.

Rutland served the Shoals community in several ways: as a diligent student at UNA, a caring volunteer coach of students at Deshler High School and a loving father to his son, Presley said.

The job that was most important to Brioni was being a good father to his 8-year-old son, Jalen Bowens, said Rutland’s sister Cynthia Michelle Hurley, who is also a UNA alumna.

“He once told me  ‘I want to be the best father I can be’ and up until his death he was the best daddy he could be,” Hurley said.

Rutland was in the process of trying to graduate from the university to become an educator, said Felecia Harris, director of clinical experiences and assistant professor of education.

“(As a student) He was very eager to please, he wanted to make sure he had all of his ducks in a roll and was doing everything he was supposed to so that he could start student teaching,” said Felecia Harris, director of clinical experiences at UNA. “He had a true passion for teaching and working with students. He really wanted to help those students.”

His job as a volunteer coach at DHS was not a required part of his curriculum, but something he chose to do to go above and beyond expectations, Harris said.

“He was doing things on his own to make sure he grew as a teacher and an educator in a positive light,” Harris said. “He was a very positive individual, he always had a smile on his face. I never saw him when he was not smiling, and that motivated others.”

Rutland pushed fellow UNA students like his friend Kris Craig to continue trying hard in school to reach their goals. Craig would use the words loyalty, companionship and happiness to describe Rutland’s personality, he said.

“He also knew how to develop a strong bond with the people he was close with.” Craig, a senior, said. “He always had my back if I needed anything.  He was honest and one of the best friends anyone could’ve ever asked for.” 

While studying at UNA, Rutland would also coach basketball, track and football during his five year career at Deshler High School, Presley said.

Rutland had high expectations for his players, who looked up to him as a mentor and friend, said Head Coach John Mothershed, of the Deshler Tigers football team. Mothershed describes Brioni as an overachiever.

“He was very very close to our players,” he said. “He was a hard-nosed coach but he had the ability where, even though he’d be hard on the kids, they had so much love and respect for him. They knew that he was trying his best to help them improve not only in their ability to play but also to be better people.”

Rutland was particularly serious about making sure his players performed well academically, Mothershed said.

“He stayed on them about their academics continuously,” Mothershed said. “He checked on their grades with teachers and tutored them when they were struggling, especially in math.”

Although tutoring was a way for Rutland to make money, he would often tutor students for free if they needed help, Hurley said. Hurley and Rutland’s family only learned of many of the acts of kindness he had performed for students after his passing.

“We had no clue about some of the things that Brioni did for people,” Hurley said. “Brioni loved the Deshler Athletic program. He wanted to be an educator because he loved children.”

Hurley wants to continue to encourage students at Deshler High School to stay involved in athletics, even though she is aware that students are currently having a difficult time, she said.

Similarly, Craig would like for UNA students in light of Rutland’s passing to keep their friends close, he said.

“Don’t take one day for granted because one day, out of nowhere, they could be gone,” Craig said.