Looney was a very special person

This space was originally going to be reserved for a completely different subject, but that can wait for another day.

After learning about the tragic death of former Mississippi State football player D.J. Looney on Saturday afternoon, there was no way not to pass up giving some thoughts on this very special person.

Looney was without a doubt one of my favorite Bulldogs to ever cover.

There couldn't have been many days when Looney entered the football complex or left the practice field when he didn't have a smile on his face. He had a zeal for life that very few possess, especially football players.

Playing one of the toughest positions on a team as an offensive lineman, Looney probably had a reason to lose his cool on occasion after butting heads with defensive linemen play after play. If Looney ever had a problem, it never showed.

Looney was always quick with an encouraging word and his energy during postgame interviews or visits during the week were very uplifting to even the media. He was even known to pick up a camera to film a documentary about life with football for a school project.

After his playing career, Looney entered into coaching, which started as graduate assistant at MSU in 2011. Another one of his stops was at East Mississippi Community College as recruiting coordinator under head coach Buddy Stephens.

The impact that Looney had on many individuals was evident. All someone had to do was scroll through social media posts Saturday after the news broke of his death to realize that.

Anthony Dixon, the alltime leading rusher for the Bulldogs, was one of the first to weigh in on Twitter.

“My heart and prayers goes out to DJ family, my pain don't even compare to theirs,” Dixon wrote. “I just been praying non stop God cover us with your spirit.”

Even as a defensive player, former MSU and Starkville High School linebacker Willie Gay Jr., who just recently signed a contract to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, reacted to the loss of the offensive lineman.

“Man this is a tough one,” Gay tweeted.

This next statement came from a punter.

“Life is short man!” Kody Schexnayder tweeted. “We lost a great coach and even better person today! I'm going to miss you FREAK!”

Nick Fitzgerald, one of the best Bulldogs to ever line up behind center, was influenced by the life of Looney.

“I'll never forget this man and the huge impact he had on my life,” Fitzgerald tweeted.

MSU bus driver and athletic supporter Everett Kennard, who no doubt had many interesting conversations with Looney over the years on road trips, called him one of his favorites.

“Great person,” Kennard wrote in a tweet. “Words can't express the sorrow I feel for his family. Open the holes up there, Big Guy. We comin!! And the good, they die young.”

The list goes on.

There is not much more that can be added to these comments and there are not really any words that can adequately describe the kind soul that Looney was.

To echo what Dixon wrote in his remarks, my thoughts and prayers are with Looney's family during this very difficult time.