HOUSTON – Coming off Second Baptist School’s playoff win Friday night, Head Football Coach Beck Brydon was in the weight room when he learned defensive back coach, D.J. Hayden had passed.
“We were already with the kids for our normal workout for a Saturday morning, so the kids were all here. Instead of going through a normal workout, we had to share the news with them. They were devastated,” said Brydon.
The former NFL player and five other people died in a crash near Fannin Street early Saturday morning. Hayden’s fellow former University of Houston teammates, Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu and their longtime friend, Lauren Robinson Holliday, also died.
This was Hayden’s first season coaching at Second Baptist School. Coach Brydon says he had a live life to the fullest attitude.
“He took a real lighthearted approach to football, and he told many of our kids, this is a game. This is a game, and it needs to be fun. If you’re not having fun, something is wrong,” said Brydon.
Coach Brydon said its crystal clear why Hayden looks at the game differently. He nearly died during a UH practice in 2012, right before the NFL draft.
“His life was nearly taken from him. They figured he was done with football and within a very short amount of time later, he ended up getting drafted in the NFL draft like a miracle. It was an absolute miracle,” said Brydon.
The first-round draft pick went on to spend nine seasons in the NFL. Despite his success in the game, Coach Brydon said the players and coaches will not forget his heart.
“We’re going to do on Monday what DJ would want us to do. We’re going to practice, and we’re going to have fun doing it and we’re going to love on each other while we’re practicing,” said Brydon.