Former Dallas Cowboys runningback Ron Springs dies at age of 54 after four years in coma
Ron Springs, former running back for the Dallas Cowboys, died on Thursday May 12, 2011 after spending four years in a coma. He was 54 years old.
Springs received a kidney from former Dallas teammate Everson Walls in 2007. About seven months later, he was undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his forearm and lost oxygen during the surgery. He had been in a coma since then and passed away without
every regaining consciousness due to a heart attack.
Walls said that the Springs family informed him about the death on Thursday at around 4:30 PM. Even though he was in a coma for four years, Walls was still surprised when Springs died.
"We are people of faith, and we never gave up home that he would regain consciousness," he said. "He seemed to be holding his own. They say he just took a breath and he flat-lined."
"He was such a worldly person who touched so many lives in every area code," he said.
The Cowboys also released a statement on Thursday by owner Jerry Jones.
"Ron's life will always be remembered by the joy and laughter that he brought to others and the courage and toughness he displayed until the end. Regardless of the circumstances, he always had a smile for everyone. The Dallas Cowboys have lost a wonderful
member of our family, and we share our thoughts and prayers with his family."
Adriane Springs, Ron’s wife, filed a medical malpractice lawsuit in 2008 against the two doctors that performed the cyst surgery, claiming that they had caused permanent brain damage to her husband during the surgery.
He had been suffering from diabetes for the past 20 years, which caused his kidney to fail, his right foot and toes on his left foot to be amputated and his hands to curl.
Before receiving a kidney from Walls, he was required to undergo dialysis three times a week and was also confined to a wheelchair.
Springs was drafted by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL Draft out of Ohio State University. He played with the ‘Boys for five years, from 1979 to 1984 and then spent two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring at the end of the
1996 season.
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