Springs was Dallas clubhouse contrarian and a best friend
By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
Ron Springs stood on a chair and delivered a sermon.
Right smack in the middle of the Dallas Cowboys locker room.
The occasion was the surprising release of longtime defensive back Benny Barnes in 1983. And like many of his teammates, Springs was hopping mad.
So he preached, delivering his protest in a striking imitation of Martin Luther King, Jr.
"How long are we going to take it?" Springs wailed.
The congregation of teammates responded: "Not long."
It was a classic snapshot of Springs' imprint during his six years with the Cowboys. Despite being surrounded by a star-studded cast, no player had a bigger presence than Springs at the cramped, run-down practice facility in North Dallas the team used until 1985. A free-spirited chatterbox with the sting of a stand-up comedian, Springs was an all-pro locker room lawyer.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: NFL | Dallas | Dallas Cowboys | Negro Leagues | Springs
"He was one of the most popular players we ever had come through there," says Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel director who drafted Springs in the fifth round from Ohio State in 1979 at the urging of Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes. "Woody just loved the guy. He was a and Hyde. He'd complain, but if you told him that something needed to be fixed, he'd do it. That was his persona."
This did not always sit well with management, including then-president Tex Schramm. When Tony Dorsett was holding out because of contract dispute in 1985, Springs became his spokesman. He gave the media frequent updates on his roommate's position.
It was one of Springs' last hurrahs with the team. Dorsett got a raise, but Springs was released before the season and played his final two NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"After a while," Springs remembers of Dorsett's holdout, "Tony told me, 'You've got to chill. Tex is getting mad.' … It just contributed to my demise."
Springs also plotted with Everson Walls for a new contract. After Walls became the first player in NFL history to lead the league in interceptions his first two seasons but was playing on the deal he signed as an undrafted rookie, Springs advised him to "retire" and cite the reason as "mental frustration."
Walls says he grew close to Springs because when he arrived from Grambling in 1981, the fullback was more open with the rookies than most veterans. Springs often needled Walls that he was making the leap "from the Negro Leagues to the big leagues."
Yet Walls took Springs' business advice seriously, holding out and getting a new contract. "I'll bet Tex said, 'That Ron Springs has got something cooking over there,' " Springs said. "You look at stuff like that now and just laugh about it. It was part of my growth."
Naturally, Springs was a sparkplug when the Cowboys were engulfed by a quarterback controversy in 1984 as Gary Hogeboom briefly supplanted Danny White. Springs was one of the most vocal players who publicly lobbied for Hogeboom.
No wonder coach Tom Landry required that Springs sit in the front of the room, next to the quarterbacks, during Monday morning film sessions.
"He kept things going in the locker room all the time," says Dennis Thurman, the former defensive back now on the Baltimore Ravens' coaching staff, who recalled that Springs' stall was aligned in a row of lockers with several other black players.
"We called it 'Ghetto Row,' and Ron was probably the leasing manager."
Springs, who received a kidney from Walls in a February transplant, has been battling diabetes. His right foot was amputated in 2005, as were two toes on his left foot. After Springs' foot was removed, Thurman visited him in his suburban Dallas home at the urging of Dorsett, who told him, "Our boy's in a bad way."
Dorsett, Thurman, Springs and Robert Newhouse shared a suite during training camp for several summers.
"He was such a big, strong running back who could do it all — run, catch, block and throw," said Thurman. "To imagine him without part of one of his limbs, I had my own apprehensions when I went to see him. But after a few moments there… he was lifting my spirits more than I was lifting his.
"He left me with this one: He said, 'Hey, man, when I get my prosthetic, I gotta get me a pair of Gators. I'm still going to be clean.' "
Springs says the friendships with his former teammates have provided a huge psychological boost during his health battles. Dorsett — who now acts as a spokesman for Springs, and urged him to participate in a camp for kids — was a regular during his hospital stays. So were Walls, Tony Hill and Ed "Too Tall" Jones.
"When we see each other," Springs says, "it's like we haven't seen each other in 20 years with all the hugging and high-fiving."
Ron Springs stood on a chair and delivered a sermon.
Right smack in the middle of the Dallas Cowboys locker room.
The occasion was the surprising release of longtime defensive back Benny Barnes in 1983. And like many of his teammates, Springs was hopping mad.
So he preached, delivering his protest in a striking imitation of Martin Luther King, Jr.
"How long are we going to take it?" Springs wailed.
The congregation of teammates responded: "Not long."
It was a classic snapshot of Springs' imprint during his six years with the Cowboys. Despite being surrounded by a star-studded cast, no player had a bigger presence than Springs at the cramped, run-down practice facility in North Dallas the team used until 1985. A free-spirited chatterbox with the sting of a stand-up comedian, Springs was an all-pro locker room lawyer.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: NFL | Dallas | Dallas Cowboys | Negro Leagues | Springs
"He was one of the most popular players we ever had come through there," says Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel director who drafted Springs in the fifth round from Ohio State in 1979 at the urging of Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes. "Woody just loved the guy. He was a and Hyde. He'd complain, but if you told him that something needed to be fixed, he'd do it. That was his persona."
This did not always sit well with management, including then-president Tex Schramm. When Tony Dorsett was holding out because of contract dispute in 1985, Springs became his spokesman. He gave the media frequent updates on his roommate's position.
It was one of Springs' last hurrahs with the team. Dorsett got a raise, but Springs was released before the season and played his final two NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"After a while," Springs remembers of Dorsett's holdout, "Tony told me, 'You've got to chill. Tex is getting mad.' … It just contributed to my demise."
Springs also plotted with Everson Walls for a new contract. After Walls became the first player in NFL history to lead the league in interceptions his first two seasons but was playing on the deal he signed as an undrafted rookie, Springs advised him to "retire" and cite the reason as "mental frustration."
Walls says he grew close to Springs because when he arrived from Grambling in 1981, the fullback was more open with the rookies than most veterans. Springs often needled Walls that he was making the leap "from the Negro Leagues to the big leagues."
Yet Walls took Springs' business advice seriously, holding out and getting a new contract. "I'll bet Tex said, 'That Ron Springs has got something cooking over there,' " Springs said. "You look at stuff like that now and just laugh about it. It was part of my growth."
Naturally, Springs was a sparkplug when the Cowboys were engulfed by a quarterback controversy in 1984 as Gary Hogeboom briefly supplanted Danny White. Springs was one of the most vocal players who publicly lobbied for Hogeboom.
No wonder coach Tom Landry required that Springs sit in the front of the room, next to the quarterbacks, during Monday morning film sessions.
"He kept things going in the locker room all the time," says Dennis Thurman, the former defensive back now on the Baltimore Ravens' coaching staff, who recalled that Springs' stall was aligned in a row of lockers with several other black players.
"We called it 'Ghetto Row,' and Ron was probably the leasing manager."
Springs, who received a kidney from Walls in a February transplant, has been battling diabetes. His right foot was amputated in 2005, as were two toes on his left foot. After Springs' foot was removed, Thurman visited him in his suburban Dallas home at the urging of Dorsett, who told him, "Our boy's in a bad way."
Dorsett, Thurman, Springs and Robert Newhouse shared a suite during training camp for several summers.
"He was such a big, strong running back who could do it all — run, catch, block and throw," said Thurman. "To imagine him without part of one of his limbs, I had my own apprehensions when I went to see him. But after a few moments there… he was lifting my spirits more than I was lifting his.
"He left me with this one: He said, 'Hey, man, when I get my prosthetic, I gotta get me a pair of Gators. I'm still going to be clean.' "
Springs says the friendships with his former teammates have provided a huge psychological boost during his health battles. Dorsett — who now acts as a spokesman for Springs, and urged him to participate in a camp for kids — was a regular during his hospital stays. So were Walls, Tony Hill and Ed "Too Tall" Jones.
"When we see each other," Springs says, "it's like we haven't seen each other in 20 years with all the hugging and high-fiving."
posted by The Gryphon at 6:26 PM
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