Former MSU football player collapses and dies at practice

Former Mississippi State University offensive lineman D.J. Looney has died after suffering a heart attack at practice Saturday morning at the age of 31.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where Looney was a coach, made the announcement on its Twitter account.

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Department of Athletics mourns the sudden loss of Louisiana Football assistant coach D.J. Looney, who passed away Saturday morning following a heart attack during a team workout at Cajun Field. pic.twitter.com/7e1DemV5jA

— Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® (@RaginCajuns) August 1, 2020

Looney was in his third season with Louisiana, and he recently helped the team finish sixth nationally in rushing yards per game at 257.4. He also coached at MSU in 2017 with former coach Dan Mullen. The Bulldogs finished with a 9-4 record that year.

As a player, Looney helped the Bulldogs to reach bowl games in 2007 and 2010.

Looney made an impact on many players over his coaching career. In addition to Louisiana-Lafayette and MSU, he coached at East Mississippi Community College, the University of Georgia and the University of Central Arkansas.