Dwayne Haskins Tragic Death: Five Things to Know About The Pittsburgh QB
Dwayne Haskins’ life was tragically cut short over the weekend after he was reportedly hit by a dump truck while attempting to cross the westbound lanes of I-595 in South Florida. While the sports world continues to grieve the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’s passing, some are just learning about his life and vast accomplishments during his football career.
Here are five things to know about the 24-year-old’s life.
He’s From New Jersey And Spent His Childhood In Maryland
Born in Highland Park, NJ., Haskins moved with his family to Potomac, Maryland when he was in the ninth grade. While there, he attended and played football at Bullis School from 2013-2016. While he was there, he passed for more than 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns from 2013-16. He went all-state and was Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. The school says it will retire his No. 7 jersey, according to SteelersNow.com.
He Wanted To Be A Buckeye Before Becoming A Teenager
During a visit to Ohio State when he was just a pre-teen, Haskins declared in recently resurfaced footage that playing for the Buckeyes was one of his dreams.
“I remember going to camps here and I’d win little trophies and little medallion things man and [then OSU head coach Jim Tressel] used to tell me, ‘When you grow up, come back visit. Maybe you could get a scholarship here,’” Haskins said during a 2018 interview with ESPN while he was the starting quarterback at OSU.
As his high school career concluded, Haskins initially committed to the University of Maryland to play his college ball, but switched at the last moment to Ohio State after the former school fired head football coach Randy Edsall.
He Set Ohio State And Big Ten Records During His Lone Starting Season For The School
During his sophomore and only season as OSU’s signal caller, Haskins threw for over 4,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns – making him just one of seven NCAA quarterbacks to ever achieve the latter in a single season.
Additionally, according to the Ohio State website, he claimed school records in total offense in a season (4,900+ yards), total offensive yards in a game (477) and total passing yards in a game (470). Haskins won the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game MVP and 2019 Rose Bowl MVP after throwing for five touchdowns and three touchdowns in the games respectively. He also set a Big Ten record for most offensive player of the week awards with six, as well as single-season passing yards, TD passes and total offensive yards.
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He Beat Out National Champion And AFC Champion Quarterback Joe Burrow At OSU For The Starting QB Job
It was Dwayne Haskins’ production at Ohio State that led then-OSU backup quarterback to transfer to Louisiana State University during his senior season. Burrow, a Southeast Ohio native, patiently waited behind prior signal caller JT Barrett to finish out his Buckeye career, but when Haskins won the starting job in 2018, it caused Burrow to find another school.
While his senior season with the Tigers was up and down, his final and redshirt senior season at LSU was magical, as the team went undefeated and won the College Football National Championship in 2020.
He Won Numerous Conference Awards For His Final Season At Ohio State
Aside from the 28 Ohio State records Haskins set, he was also very decorated for his efforts. He went on to win the Chicago Tribune Silver football award as the best player in the Big Ten, and earn the Big Ten’s Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year awards.
After his college career was over, Dwayne Haskins was drafted 15th overall by the then-Washington Football Team. The team released him in January 2021 before he signed with the Steelers to resurrect his NFL career. He was expected to vie for the starting job this offseason.
