Springs graduated from Lafayette High School and went from being a navy blue and gold Ram to a scarlet and gray Buckeye (with a stop in Coffeyville for a season). A running back, Ron rushed for 2,140 yards all time as a Buckeye. He still ranks 18th on the all time rushing list at Ohio State.
After being drafted in the fifth round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, Ron went on to play for Tampa Bay before his career ended in 1986. He amassed over 2,000 yards both rushing and receiving in his NFL career, scoring 28 touchdowns.
A diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes in 1990 started Ron's long road of health problems. By 2004 he was in need of a kidney, which his son Shawn, an NFL star in his own right offered to give him. Ron turned his son down, knowing that it would certainly end his playing days. The donor would come in the form of a teammate and friend, Everson Wells and the transplant took place in 2006.
In 2007, Springs slipped into a coma during a seemingly routine procedure and was in that state until his death last week at the age of 54.
While Ron Springs may have slipped from the spotlight many years ago, but he will forever be remembered around the Horseshoe.
