Cowboys Corner

Ron Springs Funeral Details Set: Wake Wednesday at Sparkman-Hillcrest, Funeral Thursday at Covenant Church

According to former teamate and organ donor Everson Walls, a wake for former Cowboys running back Ron Springs is set for Wednesday from 5-8 p.m. at the Sparkman-Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas. Walls said the funeral will be held at 10 am Thursday at Covenant Church on Trinity Mills in Carrollton.

Springs, 54, passed last Thursday at Medical City Dallas after being in a coma since 2007.

Springs played six years with the Cowboys, most notably serving at the lead blocker for Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett and catching passes out of the backfield from Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach.

But his impact on organ donation, diabetes and kidney disease, especially in the African-American community, will be his lasting legacy,  Walls said.

"He touched a lot of people," said Walls, who donated one of his kidneys to his former teammate to sae his life in 2007. "His impact was universal. He made a difference. It was like he was sacrificed for that.

"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 had suffered from diabetes for 16 years and was on the national transplant waiting list since 2004. The disease led to the amputation of his right foot and the big and middle toes on his left foot, and caused his hands to curl into knots. He also was forced into a wheelchair and needed dialysis three times a week.

His situation was essentially a death sentence until Walls, who was one of Springs' best friends, volunteered to donate his kidney. They underwent a successful transplant surgery in February 2007.

It was the first time a professional athlete donated an organ to a teammate.

The only other documented cases involving former pro athletes as donors include Greg Ostertag giving a kidney to his sister in 2002 when he was playing for the Utah Jazz, and basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson donating a kidney to his daughter in 1997. Basketball players Alonzo Mourning and Sean Elliott are among pro athletes who have received an organ.

Things appeared to be going well until Springs went to the hospital to have a cyst removed from his forearm in October of 2007. During surgery, Springs experienced a lack of oxygen and fell into a coma. He never recovered.

 Springs is survived by his wife Adriane, his son Shawn, daughter Ayra Springs Foster, and daughter Ashley.

 Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Former Cowboy Daryl Johnston doesn't know what you do with Dez Bryant

Former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston didn't hold back when asked about troubled receiver Dez Bryant at the Emmitt Smith Celebrity Poker Tournament and Charity Golf Tournament Pairing Party Friday night at the Westin Stonebriar in Frisco.

He said the fact that former Cowboys player Deion Sanders wants nothing to do with him anymore says a lot.

"I don’t know. I don’t know what you do with Dez Bryant, because when Deion Sanders gives up on you that speaks volumes to me," Johnston said. "Deion goes out of his way to help young guys and try to help them reach their potential in the NFL. And when Deion says, ‘I can’t work with you anymore,’ that’s the first time he has ever done that.

"This is a person with unique talent but with unique issues. And it would be a disappointment for Dez, number one, his family, the Cowboys, and their fans if he doesn’t live up to the potential he flashed as a rookie.

"He was by far the most talented guy on that field many times during last fall. And the sky’s the limit for that kid. And I just hope that at some point, he understands and realizes that he shouldn't waste two or three years because his head is not in the game."

Johnston was even more adamant when asked if Bryant's talent and problems were similar to those of his former teammate and Hall of Famer receiver Michael Irvin.

"Don’t ever compare him to Michael Irvin, because they are polar opposites," Johnston said. "Michael was high-profile and he had the 'playmaker' nickname, but Michael was the hardest worker on that team.

"So, one of the things you have to be careful with is that all of a sudden you don’t say he’s high-profile and he’s dynamic as a player and reach back and compare him to Michael. It couldn’t be further from reality.

"We had big personalities, but we had guys who came to work, and all they wanted to do was win football games. And hopefully that’s what Dez realizes — that this is not about finishing your rookie contract. You got drafted in the first round last year. Your hard work has just begun.

"If you don’t bust your butt in the NFL, you won’t be there very long."

— Clarence Hill

Jason Garrett not surprised the Cowboys are doing player led workouts during lockout

 I Caught up with Cowboys coach Jason Garrett at the Emmitt Smith Celebrity Poker Tournament and Golf Tournament Pairing Party Friday night the Westin Stonebriar Hotel in Frisco.

Garrett said he was pleased the quarterback Tony Romoo and some other veterans are conducting player led workouts during the lockout.

He doesn't know how much work is getting done but he said it's a positive that they are out there. Of course he said he's not surprised.

 "It doesn’t surprise me that they’re doing that, given the guys that we have and the logistics of a number of our guys living in town," Garrett said. "It certainly helps that and we don’t really know the details of it but we assume they’re going out there working out. And I think that’s a positive thing.

 I jokingly asked if he slipped Romo a minicamp schedule to go by, Garrett distanced himself from that question.

 "I don’t know anything about that," Garrett said. "I know that he has been in the program for a few years now so we know he’s got an understanding of how we do things."

 On whether he is worried about guys getting injured during the workouts, Garrett said:

"I don’t like to use the word, “worry.” But injuries are part of the game and they are certainly taking some kind of a risk to be involved in these workouts. But again I don’t know much about what’s going on with that stuff. I know guys want to get themselves in shape  as I think everybody believes there is going to be a season at some point this year and they have to get themselves football ready."

 Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Ron Springs dies

Former Cowboys running back Ron Springs died Thursday after almost four years in a coma. Springs, 54, died of a heart attack at Medical Center Dallas.

Springs never regained consciousness after going into cardiac arrest and losing oxygen during an operation to remove a cyst from his elbow in October 2007.

"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," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. "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."

Springs received a kidney from former teammate Everson Walls in March 2007 to save his life.

Springs played for the Cowboys from 1979-84. His last two years in the league were spent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He rushed for 2,519 yards, had 2,259 receiving yards and scored 28 touchdowns in his career.

 

 

Cowboys, USC Trojans aligned in apparel merchandising

The University of Southern California Trojans athletic department has signed a 10-year license agreement with Silver Star Merchandising, an apparel manufacturer and distributor launched last year by the family of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. The president is Jerry Jones Jr.

Financial terms of the agreement, which goes into effect with the upcoming 2011-12 season, were not disclosed, according to a university release.

With the agreement, SSM will have the exclusive license to manufacture and distribute USC branded apparel and headwear, according to a news release.

The agreement is in addition to USC’s existing contract with Nike, which is USC’s official outfitter for its varsity sports teams.

USC will continue to operate its licensing program in-house, with most of its licensed apparel now being produced by SSM and Nike.

“It is a perfect marriage,” USC athletic director Pat Haden said as part of a university news release. He said that “it became clear to us that their expertise in the apparel business with a top brand like the Dallas Cowboys meant that they would represent and shepherd our USC brand in the same manner throughout Southern California and the United States."

Silver Star also has had talks with Texas and is in discussions with Ohio State, according to Sports Business Daily.

The Cowboys and the New York Yankees began a joint concessions operation in 2008, Legend Hospitality, so this isn't the first time a Jones family enterprise has been linked with another sports team icon.

 

 

Witten will "grunt" for Gridiron Grunts, a new IOS app

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten and Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder have joined Gridiron Grunts, a new iOS app that lets professional athletes communicate with fans through their iPhone, iPad or iPod. He is one of several players who will give real-time verbal updates – or grunts – that are unfiltered.

Gridiron Grunts is available free in the App Store for iPhone, iPad or iPod. Fans can create their own grunt networks, grunt back and forth with friends, personalize grunt channels with profile pictures and welcome grunts from players.

Fans need only to download the app to their iOS device, pick the players they want to follow and subscribe for no charge.

Jason Brown, Vernon Davis, Chris Johnson, Julio Jones, Jeremy Maclin, Philip Rivers and DeAngelo Williams are other popular players who already have signed on.

Cam Newton's personal coach is looking for area high schoolers for college tour

The Whitfield College Rock Tour will march across the country a third year, taking high school players to several colleges. The camps offer instruction but also serve as tryout camps for aspiring college football players.

Organizer George Whitfield Jr., a “quarterback builder” who is Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton’s personal mechanics coach, calls it “barnstorming across America, learning, camping and crashing the recruiting radar one school at a time.”

The West tour begins June 1 at the University of Arkansas and goes to the University of Oklahoma and then Oklahoma State. It includes 13 colleges in 12 days. The school visits include camp workouts.

Many of the participants on the first two tours were offered college scholarships, Whitfield Jr. said.

The tuition is $1,900 per athlete.

For more information, email RockTourWest@gmail.com.

Martellus Bennett has art show for charity, set to attend Romo-led workouts today for first time

It's been quite a week for Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett.

First, his controversial comments a month ago about the the Cowboys needing to allow Jon Kitna to compete with Tony Romo for the starting quarterback job were supported by coach Jason Garrett on Monday. Garrett said he wants competition at every position, including quarterback.

And then on Tuesday Bennett, the artist, had a coming out party of sorts with a silent auction with the proceeds benefiting Open Arms International. Open Arms International will use the money raised during the auction to feed, clothe, house, educate and care for children in Eldoret, Kenya, an area that’s been hit particularly hard by HIV/AIDS.

 

More than 50 people, including tight ends coach John Garrett, and former teammate Sam Hurd, attended the event which featured about 47 pieces of art done by Bennett himself.

“My friends and I decided to help because we have a heart for suffering children in Africa,” says Bennett. “The work Open Arms International is doing in Kenya is giving these children new hope and a bright future. We are looking forward to being a part of it.”

According to the fourth-year player from Texas A&M, painting is how he spent his time during the lockout other than working out. Roughly 30 of the pieces were done since the end of the season, Bennett said.

Now that the art show is over, Bennett will join his teammates for the voluntary player-run workouts, starting Wednesday. He has been training at the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney and didn't attend the first workouts last week.

--Clarence Hill

Romo finishes in a tie for 44th

Tony Romo's 9-over 81 tied for 44^th among 107 golfers who finished the local U.S. Open qualifier Monday. Only two players were below par. Brad Ott of Frisco won with a 2-under 70, and Southlake amateur Brian Dwyer finished second with a 71. Edward Loar of Dallas was the only golfer at even par.

Last year, Romo finished tied for fifth out of 103 golfers after shooting a 2-under 69. He advanced to sectional qualifying, where he withdrew after 21 holes and two lightning delays in the 36-hole tournament.

“Anytime you don’t get through, it’s disappointing,” Romo said. “But this isn’t football, so I’m a lot more emotional when it comes to football games. This one, you pick out where you need to get better at and try that the next time.”

Romo hit eight of 14 fairways, 10 greens in regulation and had 32 putts.

-- Charean Williams

Worth the fine: Apparently, the defense got enough of the playbook to learn and teach system during player run workouts

The Cowboys were reportedly one of several teams fined by the league for having illegal contact with the players during the dead period before the lockout.

It may be money well spent for owner Jerry Jones, considering that the defensive players apparently got enough info from new coordinator Rob Ryan to teach the Ryan's system during the player-run workouts.

Quarterback Tony Romo talked on Monday, and he repeatedly mentioned the work the defense is getting in learning the new system and how that was impacting the workouts.

 “With a new system, I think the new system is bringing a little energy to the defensive side of the ball," Romo said. "I don’t know if you can pinpoint how important it is to the defense learning a new system, the verbage, talking to the guys.”

Romo said the players warm up, stretch and do individual drills before breaking up into separate offensive and defensive units. There the defense has its own walk-through period, where they go over the new system on cards.

 “The defense splits up into a walk-through period through different cards that are set up for the day for the defense and learning the system,” Romo said.

Clarence Hill