remembering D.J. Hayden, Zach McMillian, and Ralph Oragwu

3 former UH football players killed in car crash remembered for defying odds and serving others

UH stars D.J. Hayden, Zach McMillian, and Ralph Oragwu were local stars and close friends.

Image courtesy of University of Houston

Family, friends, teammates, and fans are mourning the lives lost in the deadly car crash that killed six people in downtown Houston on Saturday, November 11.

Three of the victims were identified as former University of Houston football players: D.J. Hayden, Zach McMillian, and Ralph Oragwu. Houston police said they were inside an SUV that was hit by a speeding driver who ran a red light at about 2 am. Two others were killed, and two more are still in the hospital.

People who knew Hayden, McMillian, and Oragwu said they remained close after graduating from the University of Houston and often hung out together. They all grew up in Fort Bend County, where other communities are mourning the tragedy.

Our entire community is heartbroken over the tragic passing of former Football student-athletes D.J. Hayden, Zachary McMillian and Ralph Oragwu earlier today, and our thoughts and prayers remain with Jeffery Lewis in his recovery ahead.

Statement: https://t.co/Fy83ref2Uw pic.twitter.com/vIkEamxJfB
— Houston Football (@UHCougarFB) November 11, 2023

Hayden was a product of Elkins High School in Missouri City, McMillian graduated from Dulles High School in Sugar Land, and Oragwu was an alumnus of Marshall High School in Missouri City.

Right before UH's homecoming game against the University of Cincinnati on Saturday evening, a moment of silence was held in remembrance of the three alumni as their photos were displayed on the video boards.

Prior to kickoff, the school's athletics department released a statement confirming the deaths of the former players and stating that the community was heartbroken.

"We extended our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones, as we collectively mourn the loss of three individuals who made an indelible impact on each life they touched," the department said in part of the statement. The full statement fan be found here.

Hayden survived a tear in his heart during a UH practice back in 2012 and went on to be selected by the then-Oakland Raiders as the 12th overall pick of the 2013 NFL draft.

D.J. Hayden Raiders D.J. Hayden was selected No. 12 overall by the Oakland Raiders. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

His last NFL game was in 2021. But he made his way back to the sideline, spending this season working as a volunteer defensive backs coach at Second Baptist School. Athletic Director Mike Walker told ABC13's Adam Winkler that Hayden wanted to give back and make an impact on young student-athletes.

While their combined talent provided Houston football with some of its most unforgettable moments, their unique legacies will perhaps be best remembered for the way they loved their teammates, supported their communities, and defied the odds.

"D.J. overcame a lot. So to hear this news, it was like, 'Wow.' He was a funny guy and always told jokes. Same with Zach McMillian. Ralph was a little, but big brother. Very much like a teddy bear. It was always great energy from the three of them," Demetrius Woods, a former teammate, said.

"If you want your son to be like anybody, it was Zack McMillian, D.J. Hayden, and Ralph Oragwu. Not only because they were great teammates, but they came back and were leaders within the alumni association. We need more people like that. To see young people taken from this world at an early age, it just breaks our heart," Ted Pardee, University of Houston football color analyst, said.

All three players spent multiple seasons with the Coogs football program between 2009 and 2013, as well as Jeffrey Lewis, who was also injured in Saturday's crash.

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This article by Rosie Nguyen and Adam Winkler originally ran on our news partner ABC13.

Texas tragedy

Camp Mystic halts reopening plan after outrage by families, lawmakers

Memorial Service Held For Young Camper Killed In Hill Country Floods

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

Pink and green bows signifying a young camper who was lost in the Hill Country floods.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Camp Mystic on Thursday, April 30 halted reopening plans on the Texas river where floodwaters killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors, backing down in the face of outraged families and investigations that accused the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and operational deficiencies.

The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners' determination to reopen, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those hearings laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency, reliance on poorly trained staff, and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as floodwaters ripped through the camp over the July 4 weekend last year.

“We never imagined a world without our daughters, and no decision made now can change that," Matthew Childress, father of 18-year-old counselor Chloe Childress who died, said in a statement.

The camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the flooding.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its application.

The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who opposed the camp's reopening while investigations were ongoing.

“I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,” Patrick said in a statement. “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.”

The families of the victims packed the court and legislative hearings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. The testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for “help!” somewhere in the distance.

Edward Eastland, one of the camp directors and a member of the Eastland family that owns and operates the 100-year-old camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, offered a tearful public apology to the victims’ families on Tuesday.

“We tried our hardest that night. It wasn’t enough to save your daughters,” Eastland said, with the victims' families sitting behind him. “I’m so sorry.”

All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.

Texas health regulators have said they are investigating hundreds of complaints against the camp's owners. The Texas Rangers are also looking into allegations of neglect, according to the Texas Department of Safety, although the scope of the state’s elite investigations unit was not immediately clear.

The camp, established in 1926, did not evacuate as the storm rolled in and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes.

summer camp politics texas weather texas flood

remembering D.J. Hayden, Zach McMillian, and Ralph Oragwu

3 former UH football players killed in car crash remembered for defying odds and serving others

Texas tragedy

Camp Mystic halts reopening plan after outrage by families, lawmakers

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