12/04/24
December 12, 2006
Teammates for life.: Former Cowboy cornerback Everson Walls, victim of one of the most infamous TD's ever is set to donate a kidney to former teammate and diabetic running back Ron Springs, who just happens to be the father of current Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs.
posted by Ufez Jones to football at 08:47 PM - 15 comments
I actually went to Richardson Jr. High and Berkner H.S. with Everson...we called him "Cubby" back then. He was a year behind me and truly one of the good guys. You have to remember this was when blacks from the Hamilton Park area of Dallas were forced to go to school with the whites, but Cubby was always one to take it stride, like integration was completely natural and believe me, at the time it was anything but. In high school he played basketball, not football, until his senior year. I believe he ended up going to school at Grambling and walked on the Dallas roster as a free agent. I always hate seeing Cubby in those replays of "The Catch" because he was a great cornerback, making the Pro Bowl several times. It's no surprise to me that Cubby would step up like this for his friend. That's the kind of guy he is.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 09:59 PM on December 12, 2006
Awesome comment, TLiNY. The Wikipedia entry on Everson validates everything you said (and, fwiw, enlightened me to a bit of North Dallas/Richardson history that I was unaware of). Thanks.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:18 PM on December 12, 2006
Walls was easily one of the best corners of his era, and is proving that he may be the one of the best friends of any era. Nice story.
posted by mjkredliner at 08:03 AM on December 13, 2006
This story almost offsets all the other ones that deal with self-absorbed jackasses that only think of themselves and their needs. Walls is the definition of a great person and friend.
posted by dyams at 11:14 AM on December 13, 2006
Now this is a beautiful thing. For real-
posted by BornIcon at 04:55 PM on December 13, 2006
Oh yeah! GO COWBOYS!! Sorry... had to
posted by BornIcon at 04:56 PM on December 13, 2006
Nice article Ufez, it's a great story.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 05:26 PM on December 13, 2006
Good stuff. I gave a kidney to my aunt on February 28th (shameless plug). It's an amazing thing to be a part of. It's actually how I ended up on sportsfilter. I was stuck at home for a couple weeks and had time to kill.
posted by SummersEve at 05:40 PM on December 13, 2006
I'm sure that in a few years from now when Terry Glenn or Roy Williams need a kidney that they could call TO. I'm sure he wouldn't give it a second thought:)
posted by Desert Dog at 09:55 AM on December 14, 2006
I'm sure that in a few years from now when Terry Glenn or Roy Williams need a kidney that they could call TO. I'm sure he wouldn't give it a second thought I realize you were kidding, Desert Dog, but I'm sure that T.O. or practically 98 percent or more of the population would have a huge problem making such a giant decision as giving up a major organ. I give SummersEve all the credit in the world for the sacrifice he made. It's not like lending money to someone. This is major! Donating my kidney (or another organ) to one of my daughters or something wouldn't cause me to even hesitate. But giving one to a friend, like Walls did, is heroic beyond belief. You give a kidney when you're younger, but when you get older you now have to hope your remaining kidney doesn't fail, or else now you're the one relying on someone else for help. I am nothing but in awe of people who do this, and hope I'd be able to be such a stand-up person if necessary.
posted by dyams at 10:03 AM on December 14, 2006
They put you through some seriously rigorous testing to make sure everything works okay. So if you pass the tests there are minimal worries. Kidneys are pretty interesting. The only way having two kidneys is more beneficial is if you're in an accident, and the one gets hit. Which is why if Shawn Springs gave one, he would have to quit playing (obviously). But any diseases will attack two kidneys the same as they'd attack one. So say you have kidney disease, it doesn't matter if you have one, two or four kidneys, they're all going to shut down the same as they would if there were only one. Another interesting thing, if you lose a kidney when you're very young, the other will actually increase in size to compensate. Also, they put the new kidney in the cup of your hip bone. They hook it into the femural artery. My aunt has PKD and they just left her old kidneys in. It has zero effect on me, I play in a no-check ice hockey league, eat whatever I want, drink too much, etc. And they assure me that all the other donors over the years have no ill effects.
posted by SummersEve at 03:11 PM on December 14, 2006
Kudos to you, SummersEve. I'm guessing your aunt feels fresh all the time now. From everything I've ever read or heard about Walls, he's a quality human being who looks out for others. This makes it quite clear. Also, to all you Cowboys fans: the rest of the world doesn't consider that touchdown "infamous."
posted by The_Black_Hand at 08:42 AM on December 15, 2006
Not that this should take away from Walls' friendship with Springs, but the decision is yet to be made.
posted by Texan_lost_in_NY at 11:41 AM on December 15, 2006
i think that is a good calling from God. I hope that people that think of them self as being superior where they can't help on another. I coment for doing a good deed in life.
posted by cheryl or larry at 10:32 PM on January 02, 2007
Wow, so everson was the poor guy who got "posterized." What he is doing now is very generous; good stuff. nice work, ufez