Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was killed last Saturday morning when he was hit by a dump truck while walking across a South Florida highway. Haskins was 24. There has been an outpour of support from individuals and communities that he impacted. His parents, Tamara and Dwayne Haskins Sr., issued a statement and plan on having at least two services to honor their son.
“We have had such an overwhelming outpouring of love for our son since the news broke of our loss,” says Tamara and Dwayne Haskins, Sr., parents of Haskins. “Anyone who knew Dwayne knows he worked exceptionally hard to achieve such a high level of success at such a young age. He was touched by so many people on his journey to being a standout athlete and we are grateful to all of them. This pain is unimaginable and we appreciate everyone who shares in our heartbreak.”
Dwayne’s wife, Kalabrya Haskins, also released a statement which read in part:
“My husband was more than a great football player…He will forever rest and remain in our hearts til the end of time.”
A statement from Dwayne Haskins’ wife, Kalabrya Haskins:
More: https://t.co/ulOKkmcrff pic.twitter.com/uQRQnpeMt2
— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) April 13, 2022
Haskins’ wife’s statement referenced a funeral on April 22 at the Allegheny Center Alliance Church in Pittsburgh.
Haskins’ parents planned a service for Saturday, April 23, at Christ Church in Rockaway Township, New Jersey, and a service for Sunday, April 24, at Bullis School in Potomac, Maryland, where Dwayne attended high school.
Tamara and Dwayne Haskins Sr. are planning to attend the Pittsburgh service virtually, according to reports.
Haskins was drafted 15th overall in 2019 by the Washington franchise. He played two seasons in Washington before being released, and he was signed by the Steelers in 2021.
As a redshirt sophomore at The Ohio State University in 2018, Haskins lit up the record books. He set the single-season passing and touchdown records for Ohio State and the Big Ten by surpassing the 4,000-yard passing mark and throwing 50 touchdowns. He is one of only seven NCAA quarterbacks in history to accomplish the feat in a single season.
Additionally, he set 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). In all 12 of his starts, he threw for more than 225 passing yards, including eight games of more than 300 yards, and four games of more than 400. He threw for 499 yards and five touchdowns in the 2018 Big Ten Football Championship Game, while throwing three touchdowns in the 2019 Rose Bowl, winning the MVP award in both games for his performance.
“He was 11 years old, walking through this facility and said that, ‘This is what I’m going to do,’ and then did it,” said current OSU head coach Ryan Day, who served as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and interim head coach during Haskins’ final two seasons with the program. “That’s the legacy he’s going to leave behind: You can set a dream and goal and achieve it, and then broke a lot of records that year in 2018. He set a dream and he chased it and he did it.”
Ohio State will honor Haskins’ legacy during its spring game on April 16 and in the future, according to Day.
