Ronald Edward

Ronald Edward Springs was born on November 4, 1956 in Williamsburg, Virginia. He began his collegiate football career at Coffeyville Community College in 1975 before transferring to Ohio State University the following year. It was there that Springs’ skills on the field flourished, and his leadership qualities soon gained him a spot as the team’s co-captain.

Springs was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys Football Club in 1979, where he stayed for six NFL seasons. In 1985 he was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he played for two seasons before retiring from professional football.
In 1990, Springs was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which eventually led to the amputation of his right foot and ultimately kidney failure. In 2004, he was put on the national transplant list after it was determined that none of his family members were a match. Then in February of 2007, former Dallas Cowboys teammate and best friend Everson Walls donated one of his kidneys to Springs.

The following March, Springs and Everson shared their story with the world during a press conference at Medical City Dallas Hospital. Soon after, the pair developed The Gift for Life Foundation, an organization committed to educating minority communities on the illnesses that cause chronic kidney disease, ways to prevent it, and the donor process. They provide blood pressure and diabetic testing, as well as opportunities for children to attend Camp Reynal, a camp designed for kids who suffer from kidney-related diseases.
About seven months after his transplant surgery, Springs went into Medical City Dallas Hospital to have a minor surgery done in order to remove a cyst from his elbow. The surgery was anything but minor, however. Springs did not regain consciousness after the procedure, and he was left in a coma and permanently incapacitated mentally and physically. His wife, Adriane Springs, filed a malpractice lawsuit in 2008 against the anesthesiologist and doctors involved in the case. On May 12, 2011 after four long years in a coma and at the young age of 54, Ron Springs passed away leaving behind a lasting legacy.