Five-time All-Pro. Eight-time Pro Bowler. One-time Super Bowl champion.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill has accomplished it all on the field. But Hill’s NFL success was far from guaranteed, especially after a grave mistake in college.
Where Did Tyreek Hill Go to College?
Hill played college football for two programs: Oklahoma State and Division II West Alabama. Going from the DII level to the Power Five would be an impressive feat and speak to growth.
However, Hill’s journey went the opposite way.
He was raised in Pearson, Georgia, but transferred to Coffee High School in a neighboring county because his grandparents believed he “needed a change.” The result was one of the most entertaining high school highlight reels in recent memory. But Hill wasn’t just a football player.
On the track team, he ran the 100 meters in 10.19 seconds, matching the fastest time in the U.S. his senior year, and the 200 meters in 20.14, the second-fastest high school mark of all time. To put his 200-meter time into perspective, it would have placed him sixth at the 2012 London Olympics. Oh, and it was also his fourth race of the day.
If it wasn’t clear, Hill won state titles in both races and threw in another via the long jump for good measure. Yet, like many before and after him, Hill’s academic challenges overshadowed his on-field dominance, leaving him with zero scholarship offers.
“The reason I went to junior college is because I didn’t have the grades,” Hill said. “I was one of those kids. I was never going to class. I was never going to be responsible. I wanted to hang with the cool kids. I wanted to do what I wanted to do.”
Hill attended Garden City Community College, one of the most prominent JUCOs in the country for football. There, Hill emerged as an elite transfer target, rushing for 659 yards and five touchdowns while catching 32 passes for 532 receiving yards. He also improved his 100-meter personal record, hitting 9.98 at the 2013 Hutchinson NJCCA Championships.
Entering the first real recruiting stage of his career, Hill received calls from nearly every blueblood program, including Alabama, Florida State, USC, and Texas. But continuing track was a big draw for him, allowing Oklahoma State to snatch him away from the grasps of other football powerhouses.
The Cowboys had just finished construction on their $10 million track complex and sent their track coaches to recruit Hill, which proved to be the difference. Hill hit the ground running in Stillwater, with the Earth-shaking eruptions from fans making the water far from still.
Not only did he generate 1,811 all-purpose yards — 534 rushing, 281 receiving, and 996 off returns (740 kickoff, 256 punt) — on the football field, but he broke 60-meter and 200-meter school records a combined seven times. But Hill’s time in the spotlight went in a different direction on Dec. 11, 2014, when he was dismissed from Oklahoma State following his arrest and guilty plea for domestic violence.
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Hill struggled to find a new collegiate home, but West Alabama gave him another shot the next fall. Head coach Brett Gilliland initially passed on Hill after reviewing the police report. However, after consulting with Hill’s former coaches and high school mentor and reading his plea agreement — which mandated full-time schooling or employment — Gilliland had a change of heart.
The decision proved fruitful for both parties, as Hill generated 25-237-1 rushing, 27-444-1 receiving, 20-214-2 punt-return, and 20-460-2 kick-return lines. Largely due to his domestic violence arrest, Hill was projected to go undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, but all it takes is one franchise to believe in you.
For Hill, that franchise was the Kansas City Chiefs.
Head coach Andy Reid and then-general manager John Dorsey, known for giving second chances, chose Hill with the 165th pick in the fifth round, making him the first player drafted from West Alabama since 1974. The selection elicited an uproar from Chiefs fans, which Reid responded to during the offseason.
“We think there will be a positive end to this,” Reid said. “And I just ask that we let the young man get on with his work and life and help encourage him so we can get a positive out of this. That would be great for humanity itself, and then whatever he does on the football field is icing on the cake.”
Hill didn’t shy away from the reaction, either, saying, “The fans have every right to be mad at me. I did something wrong. I let my emotions get the best of me, and I shouldn’t have did it. But guess what? I’m fixing to come back, be a better man, be a better citizen, and everything takes care of itself, and let God do the rest.
“I don’t blame nobody but myself. It’s my fault, my mistake. Can’t nobody live my life but me, so I’ve got to deal with it.”
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