Allen Hurns will wear No. 17 for Cowboys: ‘The Douglas shooting that was in Florida, 17 people lost their lives, so I chose that number’

Allen Hurns has played football his entire life in the state of Florida. He was born here. Going to the Dallas Cowboys last week is the first time he’s played for a team not in Florida in his 26 years.

But he’s taking a piece of Florida with him to Texas.

He decided on the number 17 for his jersey and when asked why or what significance it held, he said it was to honor the 17 people killed in the Parkland shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School.

“The Douglas shooting that was in Florida, 17 people lost their lives, so I chose that number,” Hurns said during a radio appearance, per the Dallas Morning News.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Hurns quickly found himself in the wide receiver rotation and exploded onto the scene in his first game as a pro, catching four passes for 110 yards and two long touchdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hurns signed a contract extension prior to the 2016 season, but injuries seemed to plague him the past two years and he just slipped out of the rotation and the team decided to move on.