Three former University of Houston football players were among six people killed in a collision near downtown Houston early Saturday.
A closer look at the players:
D.J. Hayden
Hayden played two seasons for UH. He suffered a tear of the inferior vena cava, the main vein that carries blood from the lower half of the body to the heart, in a collision with a teammate in practice late in the 2012 season. Five months later, he was a first-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders.
Hayden played nine seasons in the NFL with the Raiders, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders. He last played in the NFL in 2021.
![REST IN PEACE: 27-year-old football player for the Texas Longhorns dies in auto accident…](https://res.cloudinary.com/graham-media-group/image/upload/f_auto/q_auto/c_scale,w_400/v1/media/gmg/BD7DGINEF5B5NL7M4UXGWQNZUU.png?_a=AJFJtWIA)
REACTION: D.J. Hayden death leads to outpouring from UH football community, more
Zach McMillian
McMillian, a graduate of Dulles High School, was an all-conference defensive back who played for the Cougars from 2010-13.
Family: His father, Audray, lettered for the Cougars from 1980-84 and played nine years in the NFL with the Houston Oilers and the Minnesota Vikings.
At Dulles: A three-star recruit by Rivals.com and was the No. 69 ranked cornerback … Touchdown Club of Houston Defensive Player of the Year finalist … Second-Team All-Greater Houston by Houston Chronicle … Registered 104 tackles, six tackles for a loss and three interceptions as a senior … Also participated in track relays and high jump.
At UH: Played in 11 games as a freshman in 2010 and started 13 games as a sophomore in 2011. He was second on the team with seven passes broken up. As a junior in 2012, he started 12 games and was honorable mention on the All-C-USA team. When D.J. Hayden was injured, he became the No. 1 cornerback. His seniors season in 2013, he was an second-team All AAC selection and third in the conference with five interceptions.