Gone far too soon, Dalton Hilliard Jr. lived up to his name and then some

It is a sad day in Louisiana.

Dalton Hilliard Jr. passed away at the age of 29 on Sunday. The cause of his death is undisclosed, at this time.

Hilliard was a standout player at Brother Martin from 2006-09 before playing at Nicholls from 2010-13. He went on to spend some time coaching under Mark Bonis at Brother Martin as well.

I was fortunate to do several of Dalton’s games at Brother Martin, where he starred and got to know him as well. Working in the automotive industry after graduation, I would see Dalton regularly and always enjoyed our conversations.

Bonis was at the school coaching when Hilliard Jr. played for the Crusaders.

“I was very shocked, saddened to hear about it Sunday,” Bonis said. “We knew he was going through some health problems. To get that news yesterday was very upsetting. Today is our first day back with teacher’s meetings. That’s all that was talked about. He was loved here. It was tough. It is disheartening. It is way too soon.”

Bonis recalled his first encounter with Hilliard Jr.

“When I first got to Brother Martin, Dalton was a sophomore,” Bonis said. “I got to see him grow and he emerged as a great football player as a junior and senior as a versatile player but that’s only part of the story. As a player, he worked very, very hard to be the very best he could be. He worked very hard to achieve in the classroom as well. He was always looking to be the very best he could be. That really made a mark on me.”

Bonis talked about the impact that Hilliard Jr. made on his program.

“So many have called about him, those that came before him and after him at Brother Martin,” Bonis said. “That tells you the mark that he made on so many players.”

Hilliard Jr. later returned to Brother Martin to help with coaching.

“He came back and wanted to give back to our younger players and give back to our football program,” Bonis said. “He went on to work with my wife at Enterprise. People loved him and that is completely understandable. He was such a great person. He got the most out of life and out of his ability.”

Despite the large shadow of his father’s immense image, Hilliard Jr. lived up to his name in wonderful fashion.

Crescent City Sports sends its deepest condolences out to the Hilliard family.