Donating a kidney makes Everson Walls an unusual, unselfish professional athlete

Donating a kidney makes Everson Walls an unusual, unselfish professional athlete

08:22 AM CST on Monday, December 10, 2007
dallasnews.com

"A hero," a renowned French writer once observed, "is a man who does what he can."

That is precisely what Everson Walls did by sacrificing himself to save another human being.

Mr. Walls' selfless decision to donate a kidney to Ron Springs, a lifelong friend and former Dallas Cowboys teammate, accomplished many things:

•It captured the public's imagination and renewed our sense of hope in the human spirit.

•It drew broad attention to the dire need for organ donations.

•It led to the creation of the nonprofit Ron Springs & Everson Walls Gift For Life Foundation, which promotes awareness, early detection and prevention of kidney disease and diabetes.

•It helped extend a good friend's life.

•More than that, in an age when professional athletes – particularly black athletes – are caricatured as spoiled and self-centered egomaniacs, the ex-NFL defensive back didn't just defy the old stereotype. He shattered it.

What he did was brave, courageous and amazingly tender.

"Everson is the real hero here," said Dr. Richard Dickerman, the surgeon who guided the Feb. 28 organ transplant.

That's why I'm eagerly drafting him as The Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year.

Mr. Walls has long been an impressive fellow. His unbridled determination and work ethic earned him a storied NFL career.

While at Grambling State University, he led the nation in interceptions. But when he came out of college, NFL teams shunned him because they thought he was too slow. So, unlike most collegiate star athletes, he wasn't drafted.

Didn't matter. He played 13 seasons and led the NFL in interceptions for three years.

I was a fan then, often celebrating the miraculous plays he made on the field.

Now, the devoted husband and father has won newfound respect from millions for giving a kidney to his friend. Mr. Springs, by the way, got better after the transplant but had a relapse on Oct. 12 and has been in a coma since.

Mr. Walls is still in his corner.

"We can't all be heroes," humorist Will Rogers once quipped, "because somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by."

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