GRAMBLING -- Everson Walls isn't a man to forget where he's come from, just as he isn't a man to leave his friends behind.
Fittingly, he chose the bookstore at Grambling State University as the first stop on a tour to promote "A Gift For Ron: Friendship and Sacrifice On and Off the Gridiron." The new book, written with Kevin Blackistone, chronicles his decision to donate a kidney to former Dallas Cowboys teammate Ron Springs.
"Everything is coming back full circle," said Walls, who played for Eddie Robinson at Grambling before a 13-year NFL career. "Besides what I went through growing up in my family, this is where my personality was most formed. The foundation was laid at home, but I was able to perfect the person I became when I was here. Being with Coach Rob, the impressions he put on me, really helped all of this happen."
Robinson, the legendary molder of men, would be proud of Walls and his amazingly selfless act. Springs and Walls were teammates for just four years, but became pals for life after coming together in a sometimes divided Dallas Cowboys locker room.
"I thought that the Cowboys camaraderie was a very fragile piece," Walls said. "Very fragile. You had the players who wanted to be nice and loose, more like the Raiders. Then you had the coach and the organization that was totally the antithesis of that. That was always a struggle between management and players, a struggle that was really more difficult than it should have been.
"Consequently, when I went to New York, it was a little different. There was always a struggle between management and players. But the reason it was so different in New York was because of (Bill) Parcells was there. He was able to straddle that fence very effectively. Tom Landry did not feel like straddling the fence. He was going to do his job, he was a military man -- cut and dry. Tom made it work. He was a great guy and a great coach. He was a guy who could rally the troops with his knowledge and intelligence. But we were a team full of personalities. That's why there was always that clash."
After football, Springs and Walls became closer than ever. From that vantage point, Springs witnessed the ravages of diabetes on his pal. Beyond their experiences together, Walls and Springs shared a blood type. When a potential donor fell through, Walls stepped up and literally gave up a part of himself.
Initially, Walls and his friend shied away from the publicity that followed. But unable to hold it back, they chose to use that publicity to promote the cause. Together, they founded the Ron Springs and Everson Walls Gift for Life Foundation, which educates on the dangers of kidney disease and the need for organ donation.
"When we went through this kidney donation, all of a sudden, it became bigger than us," Walls said. "I remember Ron and I realized it at that point. After we had done it and people found out, it garnered so much attention. Immediately, Ron -- Mr. Business Man and I'm an opportunistic person as well -- we said, 'Let's go ahead and make lemonade out of these lemons.' Let's make this an impactful moment. We're still doing that."
The story took an unexpected turn in 2007 when Springs fell into a coma while undergoing elective surgery to remove a cyst from his arm. Springs remains alive, breathing on his own.
Walls soldiers forward, believing that his friend will someday recover. Their cause lives on.
"I don't believe that just because Ron is in a coma he doesn't know what's going on," Walls said in the book. "I believe that he thinks we've already spent too much time fretting over him and not enough time spreading the good word of the foundation."
Fittingly, he chose the bookstore at Grambling State University as the first stop on a tour to promote "A Gift For Ron: Friendship and Sacrifice On and Off the Gridiron." The new book, written with Kevin Blackistone, chronicles his decision to donate a kidney to former Dallas Cowboys teammate Ron Springs.
"Everything is coming back full circle," said Walls, who played for Eddie Robinson at Grambling before a 13-year NFL career. "Besides what I went through growing up in my family, this is where my personality was most formed. The foundation was laid at home, but I was able to perfect the person I became when I was here. Being with Coach Rob, the impressions he put on me, really helped all of this happen."
Robinson, the legendary molder of men, would be proud of Walls and his amazingly selfless act. Springs and Walls were teammates for just four years, but became pals for life after coming together in a sometimes divided Dallas Cowboys locker room.
"I thought that the Cowboys camaraderie was a very fragile piece," Walls said. "Very fragile. You had the players who wanted to be nice and loose, more like the Raiders. Then you had the coach and the organization that was totally the antithesis of that. That was always a struggle between management and players, a struggle that was really more difficult than it should have been.
"Consequently, when I went to New York, it was a little different. There was always a struggle between management and players. But the reason it was so different in New York was because of (Bill) Parcells was there. He was able to straddle that fence very effectively. Tom Landry did not feel like straddling the fence. He was going to do his job, he was a military man -- cut and dry. Tom made it work. He was a great guy and a great coach. He was a guy who could rally the troops with his knowledge and intelligence. But we were a team full of personalities. That's why there was always that clash."
After football, Springs and Walls became closer than ever. From that vantage point, Springs witnessed the ravages of diabetes on his pal. Beyond their experiences together, Walls and Springs shared a blood type. When a potential donor fell through, Walls stepped up and literally gave up a part of himself.
Initially, Walls and his friend shied away from the publicity that followed. But unable to hold it back, they chose to use that publicity to promote the cause. Together, they founded the Ron Springs and Everson Walls Gift for Life Foundation, which educates on the dangers of kidney disease and the need for organ donation.
"When we went through this kidney donation, all of a sudden, it became bigger than us," Walls said. "I remember Ron and I realized it at that point. After we had done it and people found out, it garnered so much attention. Immediately, Ron -- Mr. Business Man and I'm an opportunistic person as well -- we said, 'Let's go ahead and make lemonade out of these lemons.' Let's make this an impactful moment. We're still doing that."
The story took an unexpected turn in 2007 when Springs fell into a coma while undergoing elective surgery to remove a cyst from his arm. Springs remains alive, breathing on his own.
Walls soldiers forward, believing that his friend will someday recover. Their cause lives on.
"I don't believe that just because Ron is in a coma he doesn't know what's going on," Walls said in the book. "I believe that he thinks we've already spent too much time fretting over him and not enough time spreading the good word of the foundation."
