The community continues to remember Pinellas County Deputy Michael Magli.

Magli was killed last week while trying to stop a drunk driver on East Lake Rd.

Former Hudson High School football coach Rob Mahler remembers Magli as a big part of his team in the mid-2000s.

He says he could never forgot a player like him.

“He continued to live his life the way he played on the team for us. He was like the ultimate teammate. He was the epitome of what you’d want in a player,” Mahler said.

Magli played for Hudson during one of the team’s greatest runs. In fact, as a defensive end on the school’s playoff team in 2007, Magli had 50 tackles.

Mahler says even though Magli was undersized for the position, he didn’t complain and was a major part of the team’s success.

“Mike epitomized why we had success at Hudson,” Mahler recalled. “It was because we had guys like that who bought in. They played for each other. I can’t think of a player we had that did that better than he did.”

Magli is also being memorialized on t-shirts being sold by the Suncoast Police Benevolent Association. It’s a tradition the PBA has for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Proceeds go to Magli’s family.

Like many in the community, Coach Mahler says his heart breaks for the family. But he says that Magli was doing what he always did – being the best teammate he could be.

“There’s no other way I’d see a legacy of his left. He was doing what he’s supposed to do,” Mahler said.