Former Cowboys running back Ron Springs passed away Thursday at the age of 54, almost four years after slipping into a coma that he never recovered from.
The father of NFL player Shawn Springs, Ron’s story touched a lot of people in 2007 when his former teammate and best friend Everson Walls donated his kidney to Springs in February of that year. The Cowboys celebrated the duo in a ceremony that September, but complications arose from a separate surgery that October.
“He touched a lot of people,” Walls told Clarence E. Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “I have had people call and text me and say they donated organs because of what we went through. It’s amazing to be able to leave that kind of legacy. What a mark he made on society as a whole. Forget sports. This is a real life situation and he was the face of that.
“He is the face of the sacrifice and the strength of people who deal with kidney disease and diabetes.”
Springs’ youngest daughter, Ashley, graduates from the University of North Texas on Saturday. Springs is survived by his wife Adriane, son Shawn, daughter Ayra Springs Foster, and Ashley.
We send our condolences to Springs’ family and friends at this time.
