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Renee Hill Remembers Late Son And MSU Football Alumnus, Mylan Hicks

Renee Hill

Mylan Hicks grew up in Detroit. He went to Renaissance High School, before earning a full ride for football at Michigan State and playing professionally in Calgary. He was quiet, well liked.

His mother, Renee Hill, never expected her son to be gunned down. Not Mylan, not in Canada. Hill spoke with "Current Sports" host Al Martin about the legacy and story of her son. 

Outside of a Calgary nightclub on Sept. 25, 2016, Hicks was shot following an altercation that he was not involved in. Hicks died later that day from his injuries. He was not the target of the attack.

His death by gunfire was a surprise to all who knew him. Hicks wasn't one to look for trouble. In fact, he was one to diffuse it with his contemplative and considerate nature. When Hicks made it out of Detroit, Hill assumed he was safe.

Hicks was one of the top recruits coming from Renaissance High School, and he received a full ride to MSU.

  He landed at MSU because his friends from Renaissance, Chris Norman and Dana Dixon, had gone before Mylan, and he wanted to stick with that family. Coach Mark Dantonio and coach Harlon Barnett went to visit Hicks and his family at their home, and his mother, Hill, said it was delightful.  A very respectable visit, Hill said, and she got a good feel from them.  

Hill said she knew Michigan State was a good school academically and that she was more concerned with the academics rather than the athletics.  She wasn’t concerned with Mylan’s performance in college academically, because he was as bright as one could be, she said.  

Hill said she did not have a problem with Dantonio, but before she had an understanding, she had a problem with Hicks not playing a lot.  She said not playing a lot weighed on Hicks, and he considered transferring at one point, but she urged him to stay.  After Hill spoke with Dantonio herself, he respectfully pointed out that Hicks needed to improve in some areas, and eventually, Hicks began to see the field more.    

Hicks graduated from MSU following the 2014 season with dreams of going pro. Those dreams were realized when he received an invite from the San Francisco 49ers, but Hicks was cut before long.

Devastated, he returned home. Hill told him to get up, and get back training if that was his dream. 

Hicks did, and eventually, returned to the field professionally as a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

Then, tragedy struck.

On September 25th, 2016, there was an altercation outside of the Marquee Beer Market nightclub in Calgary.  Hicks arrived to the nightclub late, where he went to meet up with his teammates and have a good time. However, a man in the club was picking fights with everyone, especially those on the Calgary Stampeders football team because all the young ladies were flocking to them.

As soon as Hicks walked into the club, he saw all of the commotion.  According to witness testimonies and what the detectives told Hill, Hicks bought the man a drink and tried to calm him down, telling him that whatever was going on was not that serious.  In the early morning, the man pulled out a gun and began to shoot.

Hicks had nothing to do with the altercation and was not a target, but he was hit by a stray bullet.  Hill claims her son's pants were sagged because he always expressed his "Detroit side."  She said that the combination of sagged pants and being tipsy while trying to run made it hard for Hicks to get out of the way in time. 

Police in Calgary charged 19-year-old Nelson Lugela with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Mylan Hicks. 

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