Zoneboy
05-12-2011, 10:22 PM
Link (http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/05/12/Ron_Springs.html?sid=101)
Ron Springs, a running back for Ohio State in the 1970s who went on to an NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has died. He was 54.
Since 2007, Springs had been in a coma after surgery to remove a cyst from his forearm went awry. He was considered brain impaired but not brain dead. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 and received a kidney transplant in 2007.
Springs attended Coffeyville Community College in Kansas before transferring to Ohio State, where he played three seasons (1976-78) for coach Woody Hayes, becoming a captain his senior year.
He led the Buckeyes in rushing with 1,166 yards in 1977 and ranks 18th all-time with 2,140.
The Cowboys drafted him in the fifth round, and he played six seasons in Dallas -- mostly as a blocking fullback for Tony Dorsett -- and two in Tampa Bay.
The man who donated a kidney to Springs was Everson Walls, a former Dallas teammate.
Springs is survived by his wife, Adriane, and his son, Shawn. Shawn Springs was a cornerback for Ohio State in the 1990s and is an NFL free agent who played last season for the New England Patriots.
Ron Springs, a running back for Ohio State in the 1970s who went on to an NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has died. He was 54.
Since 2007, Springs had been in a coma after surgery to remove a cyst from his forearm went awry. He was considered brain impaired but not brain dead. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 and received a kidney transplant in 2007.
Springs attended Coffeyville Community College in Kansas before transferring to Ohio State, where he played three seasons (1976-78) for coach Woody Hayes, becoming a captain his senior year.
He led the Buckeyes in rushing with 1,166 yards in 1977 and ranks 18th all-time with 2,140.
The Cowboys drafted him in the fifth round, and he played six seasons in Dallas -- mostly as a blocking fullback for Tony Dorsett -- and two in Tampa Bay.
The man who donated a kidney to Springs was Everson Walls, a former Dallas teammate.
Springs is survived by his wife, Adriane, and his son, Shawn. Shawn Springs was a cornerback for Ohio State in the 1990s and is an NFL free agent who played last season for the New England Patriots.