On Nov. 5, 2016, D'Onta Foreman went from having the game of his life to the worst moment of his life.
Hours after the Texas Longhorns' running back rushed for the third most yards in school history in a win over Texas Tech, he found out his infant son, D'Onta Foreman Jr., had died.
Foreman's girlfriend, Carissa McGaskey, was 23-weeks pregnant when she gave birth to D'Onta Jr. on Sept. 16, 2016.
"I always dreamed of having a boy and naming him after me," Foreman told NFL Network's Andrea Kremer.
At 15 ounces and several weeks premature, D'Onta Jr. was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Texas running backs coach Anthony Johnson said that's when Foreman "went on a tear." Fifty days after D'Onta Jr. was born, his dad rushed for 343 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-37 win over Texas Tech in Lubbock.
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"That was the best game of my life," he told Kremer. "It was like, 'I'm doing it for my son. I'm leaving it all out here.'"
After the game, Foreman's mother told him D'Onta Jr. had succumbed to an infection.
"I really didn't know how to feel," he said holding back tears. "I feel like something was taken away from me before I even got the chance to experience it."
While the rest of 2016 was tough for Foreman personally, it was magical for him on the field. He finished his junior season with 2,208 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns and won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back. He also announced his plans to enter the 2017 NFL Draft.
As Foreman prepares to turn football into a profession, he also revealed that he and McGaskey are expecting another child. The baby's dude date is Sept. 16, the first birthday of D'Onta Jr.
"He will never be replaced," he said. "But to have another baby on that same day...I hope it happens."
