Freshman Husky Receiver Can’t Outrun Tragedy Hooker Almost Gave Up Football After Girlfriend Died In His Arms

About the only thing University of Washington freshman Ja’Warren Hooker can’t outrace these days is time.

It’s only time that will help ease the pain of the morning of July 7, when girlfriend Marisa Lyons died suddenly in Hooker’s arms of an apparent irregular heartbeat.

But even Hooker’s uncommon speed can’t make the days, weeks and months go faster.

It’s why he was alternately apprehensive about, yet eager for, the start of his first football season as a Husky.

“I was happy to get the first day out of the way,” Hooker said after the first UW freshman practice of the season Wednesday. “I had a lot of things going on the past month, so I didn’t know if I would be into it mentally. I know I was ready for it, but I didn’t know if I could go out there and perform. I was more than happy to get out there today.”

And Washington coaches were more than happy with the results, as Hooker, an eight-time state sprint champion who will run track as well as play wide receiver and return kicks for the fourth-ranked UW football team, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds - the fastest time by a freshman that coach Jim Lambright could remember.

Hooker, though, still isn’t ready to talk publicly about the death of Lyons, a sophomore at UW and former Husky soccer player who collapsed suddenly while the two were at her Seattle apartment. Hooker tried CPR and called 911, but the 20-year-old Lyons died in Hooker’s arms.

A spokeswoman for the King County medical examiner’s office said the cause of death has been determined as a probable cardiac disrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat, that could have been either spontaneous or chronic. Toxicology tests were negative.

Lyons had been a star soccer player at Tumwater High School before heading to Washington, and met Hooker during his recruiting visit to Washington last winter. Hooker, an Ellensburg High graduate, and Lyons had been dating about six months.

Hooker said he wasn’t sure he wanted to play football after Lyons died.

“A couple of weeks ago, there was the possibility of me not playing,” he said as tears welled in his eyes. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. But I know what Marisa would have wanted me to do, so I decided to go on out there.”