Second Baptist School football team's first practice without coach, former NFL player DJ Hayden

HOUSTON - Kids who were coached by D.J. Hayden are remembering the former football player today after that tragic fatal crash over the weekend that left Hayden and five others dead.

The Second Baptist School football team is having their first practice today without their Defensive Back Coach D.J. Hayden and his absence is felt by everyone.

"You know it's a tough day. We just talked to the players and told them when anything like this happens there's going to be firsts for everything. So we're going to have our first practice, our first game without him," explains Second Baptist School Defensive Coordinator Keith Page. 

SUGGESTED: DJ Hayden, former University of Houston football players, among six killed in crash

At Second Baptist School, Hayden wasn't only one of the workers but also a mentor to the players and a friend to his fellow coaches.

"It was deeper than just football. We loved Coach Hayden. It's so sad that this had to happen. We love him, and we're praying for his family and his kids. Coach Hayden was a great man," says 16-year-old Second Baptist School Football Player Ethan Dishman.

"We know DJ's walk with the Lord, and we tried to tell the kids that too. Everybody has an appointed time and this was just coach's time. For whatever reason, it was God's decision, and we've got to be ok with that as best we can," adds Page.

"Coach Hayden, he liked to talk about things that no one really wanted to talk about, like your mental health and how you were doing. He cared about us."

Hayden was picked by the Raiders in the first round of the draft in 2013 and played nine seasons in the NFL after surviving a heart injury at the University of Houston.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE

Hayden, two other former U of H football players, Zach McMillan and Ralph Oragwu, and their friend who was driving Lauren Robinson Holliday all died in a car accident early Saturday around 2:00 a.m. after investigators say a man driving a black Chrysler 300, 25-year-old Herrera, ran a red light causing the crash.

Herrera also died and so did, 31-year-old Frank Johnson, when his car ran onto the sidewalk.

"It's not going to be easy, but we all have each other and, most importantly, the Lord has us. I'm just praying, and I keep talking to God, just trying to find some peace," adds Dishman.

Two people survived the crash, including former U of H football player Jeffery Lewis and one other woman who was also in the vehicle with Lewis and the others. Lewis and the woman were rushed to the hospital where he is in stable condition, and she is critical but stable.