Teammates For Life: A Story of Love, Honor, Faith and a Kidney

When Steve Fitzhugh '86 went into stage five kidney failure late last year, he reached out to his brothers for support.

Not literal flesh-and-blood brothers, but a group of former Miami Football teammates.

About 15 Miami players from the 1980s stay in touch to this day via a group text thread, and that's how Derik Hines '84 first found out about Fitzhugh's need.

"He asked us to pray for one of two things: 'Either that God would heal me or provide a donor for me,' Hines recalled. "I started doing what I promised Steve that I would do. I started praying absolutely every day for months."

Fitzhugh, a former NFL player with the Denver Broncos, had seen his kidney function steadily decline over the past two years, with his glomerular filtration rate (which measures how effectively the kidneys filter blood each minute) dropping seemingly at every checkup.

"Normal is 60," said Fitzhugh. "In April of 2020, mine was 33."

28.

23.

20.

12.

8.

6.

By January of 2022…

It was 5.

"I thought I was going to die, literally, in January," Fitzhugh said. He was in desperate need of a kidney transplant. But the wait list to be matched with a kidney was 2 to 5.

Not 2 to 5 weeks.

Not 2 to 5 months.

2 to 5…years.

- - -

Howard Daniel and Derik Hines — *Daniel and Hines then*

THE CONNECTER

The de facto organizer of the group text is Howard Daniel '83.

"Through the years, Howard's kept us all connected," explained Hines. "When you play football together, and you go through that, with being on the college campus and having the relationship there, there's a lot of history that melts your hearts and minds and lives together."

Hines and Daniel first met as eighth-graders in Sidney, Ohio. Daniel, one of the only African-American students in his middle school, stepped up to protect Hines from getting beat up by some teammates who didn't like how hard he hit on the football field.

"I stepped in front of him and said, 'If you fight him, you've got to fight me," Daniel remembered. "They backed down.

"I didn't even know Derik, but I don't like bullies, so I said, 'You guys aren't jumping this guy.' Ever since then, we became best of friends."

According to Hines, the story you're reading now might never have happened if not for that incident nearly a half century ago. "In many ways, this probably does go back to Howard and his befriending me and protecting me in the eighth grade," said Hines.

As the two athletes grew up and their unique friendship in a still-somewhat-segregated town developed and flourished, they decided they wanted to continue their football careers at the same university.

That's how they ended up at Miami. And that's where they first encountered a young safety named Steve Fitzhugh.

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THE COLLEGE CHOICE

Fitzhugh was a football and track star coming out of Walsh Jesuit High School in the Akron area. He had offers from schools like Ohio State, Michigan, and Stanford for one sport or the other, but was interested in pursuing both of his passions.

"As a senior in high school, I had turned in the top 200m time and the top 300m low hurdle time in the state," Fitzhugh said. "When I was at the Ohio state finals, Tom Reed came up to me. He said, 'Young man, my name is Tom Reed. I'm the head coach at Miami University Football. I saw that look in your face when you were turning that corner. Dadgum, I want you to play football for me.'

1982 Miami Football defensive backs — A group of Miami DBs in 1982
(Fitzhugh: 3rd from L, Daniel: 3rd from R)

"I said, 'Can I run track?'"

"If you come to Miami, you can do whatever you want to do!", the coach responded.

And the rest is history.

The night before Fitzhugh left home to begin his college career, a former NFL player named Oscar Roan came to speak at his church. As an aspiring football player, Fitzhugh asked Roan for advice. "He said, 'Write this down. The moment you get to Miami, find out who the people are who know how to pray and build relationships with them,'" Fitzhugh recounted. "I wrote it down."

Little did he know how impactful and life-changing those relationships would turn out to be.

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THE CAREER

"Steve had super-hyper speed," said Hines. "I ran a 4.7 as a linebacker. I wasn't slow. But the first time I ever got on the field with him, he came in as a freshman in two-a-days. They ran a sweep, I'm sprinting out to get to that running back—no one runs past me— and all of a sudden, this streak goes past me and makes the tackle, and it's Steve.

"He won all of our respect from the get-go. When he stepped on the field, you saw the athletic ability and determination and the hard work. That doesn't always happen when you're a tremendous athlete. Sometimes the hard work doesn't match.

"But it worked with Steve. And when you've got a respect for somebody, you want to get to know that person, right? And so that began our relationship."

Fitzhugh won the program's John Baugh Award as a freshman and developed into an NFL prospect during his two-sport career at Miami. On the football side, he served as a team captain in 1985 and won the team's defensive MVP award that season. He was also a captain of the track team and ran a 10.53 100m dash, a time that still ranks seventh-best in program history.

Fitzhugh graduated from Miami with a Bachelor's degree in Public Administration. After injuries cut short his time in professional football, he went to Howard University to pursue a Master of Divinity degree. Fitzhugh eventually began a career as a traveling speaker, sharing motivational talks with audiences around the country and across the globe. He even spoke at a church youth event for his friend Derik Hines, now a pastor in Arizona.

In addition, Fitzhugh wrote several books, developed a drug and alcohol prevention and cessation program for schools, co-founded an after-after school teen center in Washington, D.C., served as the national spokesperson for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' 'One Way 2 Play - Drug Free' program and assisted NFL rookies and retirees as a league transition coach.

Then he got sick.

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THE CHALLENGE

As a pastor, Hines believes in the power of prayer.

It never crossed his mind that he might be the answer to his own prayer.

But as he prayed for his friend one day in February, he felt convicted: 'Why are you asking about a donor for Fitz when you can do it yourself?'

"I'd been praying for months for him, and not once had I even thought about that," said Hines. "I was deeply moved and challenged and began to search my soul."

Hines, who has a wife (Deb, a 'Miami Merger'), five daughters, five sons-in-law and 10 grandchildren that all live within three miles of his Arizona home, gathered his family together to share what he wanted to do.

And on February 27, 2022, he texted Fitzhugh. "God made it clear that He wants me to offer you a kidney. Call me when you can and let's begin the conversation about how we can make that happen. I would be honored and thankful if I can become your donor."

It didn't take long for the phone to ring.

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THE CALL

The phone call between the former teammates was full of emotion, as could be expected.

"It was beautiful: There were definitely tears in my eyes and my heart," said Hines.

"I was a little overwhelmed about it," Fitzhugh admitted. He asked if Derik's wife Deb was on board. The answer was a definite yes: In fact, unbeknownst to Fitzhugh, her brother had been one of Fitzhugh's high school teammates and still talked about a time the then-upperclassman had stopped to help him out in the weight room and what an impact that had made on him.

"My wife and brother-in-law were more excited than I was!," Hines joked. "And I've always wanted to run as fast as you. Now I get to give you my kidney, so at least my kidney will run as fast as you!"

The change in Fitzhugh's health since Hines had last spoken with his friend was startling and difficult to process. "When Steve came to that youth event, he was still like a 'super-athlete', right?," said Hines. "Then the next time I talk to him, I can't believe that this is the guy that I know. I could tell he really wanted to be on the phone, but the weakness in his voice just broke my heart."

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THE CAR CRASH

Fitzhugh began dialysis early in 2022, which allowed him to improve his quality of life and even fulfill some previously-scheduled speaking engagements. "My kidneys don't affect my mouth, so I was able to do all that!", he smiled. Hines endured several batteries of medical tests, undergoing screening as a prospective donor first in Arizona and later flying to Fitzhugh's hometown of Minneapolis to continue the process.

"I remember him saying, 'There had to be at least 30 vials of blood!,' Fitzhugh remarked. "It was pretty intense." Tissues, blood types, enzymes: Everything that could possibly be measured was evaluated.

The hospital setting was not a new one for Hines. He had recently recovered from a serious car accident the previous autumn, and survived multiple near-death moments in the aftermath. The experience affected his outlook on life and death, which would play a role in his sacrificial decision months later.

"I had five of my ribs on my left-hand side crushed and the sixth one on the other side broken," Hines said. "There were literally two times that I thought I was going to die…

"I was struggling to breathe and my body was fighting to live, but inside of me, the true me was at complete and utter peace.

"I know that life is short and you don't know when it's going to end. If I have the opportunity to give life to somebody, I need to give it, especially to a friend. My buddy needed a kidney, and I had the chance to give it to him so that he can live. When I realized I had that opportunity, I stepped into it."

In consultation with the doctors at the University of Minnesota, it was determined that Hines' kidney would be matched to a different recipient to allow for the best possible chance of success and a long healthy life for both that person and Fitzhugh.

Still, Hines giving up his kidney as a donor for Fitzhugh moves Fitzhugh to the very top of the list for the next kidney, shortening a multi-year wait to potentially a matter of weeks, or hopefully even less.

"I will get the next best available match for kidney transplant," Fitzhugh shared in his most recent update to the group text. "I thank God for Derik Hines. Had he not come forward, I'd be on a five-year waiting list. Saved my life!

"The doctor says maybe three days, three weeks or three months," Fitzhugh continued. "We're hoping sooner rather than later."

"I texted back, 'I'm praying for three days!", Daniel said.

"Ultimately my goal is for him to get the best kidney he can," Hines said simply. "So if that means I give mine to somebody else so he can get one, then that's what I'm going to do and that's what I'm doing!"

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THE CALENDAR

On September 28, 2021, Derik Hines nearly died in an auto accident.

On September 28, 2022, Derik Hines received final approval to donate his kidney.

Hines' operation is set for today (Tuesday, October 18) in Minneapolis. Hines spent Monday running through the final set of pre-surgery tests.

Monday was also his 62nd birthday.

"Instead of getting a gift, he is preparing to give a gift on behalf of his teammate," Daniel said. "God bless them both."

Hines will be in the hospital for two or three days after the procedure and hopes to return home to Arizona in just over a week. According to the National Kidney Foundation, a donor's remaining kidney "will increase in size to compensate for the loss of the donated kidney," which should allow Hines to lead a normal life post-recovery.

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THE CULTURE

Derik Hines is giving his kidney to his former teammate first and foremost because of faith. As a Christian, he believes it's what he's supposed to do.

But there are other important words at play here, too. Words like 'Love and Honor', a code which every Miamian holds dear.

"I think that is truly a part of the culture of Miami, and because of that it became a part of my culture," said Hines. "There's a fellowship and a brotherhood. I'm connected to a bunch of ballplayers, because of Howard primarily, and there's a love and an honor in that.

"The whole thing about giving a kidney certainly matches with that culture that was instilled or enhanced in and through my time at Miami."

Daniel agreed. "It's the type of love that we have," he said as he contemplated what one of his friends was about to do for another one. "Obviously Derik is white, and Steve is black, so there's another twist: People [might wonder]: 'Who would do this?'

"But this is what unity in a team is all about. A football team that considers ourselves brothers: That's how we are…

"It's about, 'There is no greater love than this—that a man should lay down his life for his friends.'"

For Fitzhugh, the tenets of Love and Honor shine through the selfless and life-saving act his teammate is set to undertake.

"My family loves Derik Hines," Fitzhugh said. "Not just because of the sacrifice he's making, but because of the person that he is…

"And 'Love and Honor' means more to me today than it ever has before."

Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.

To read the October 2023 follow-up story entitled 'Teammates for Life: One Year Later', click here.

Teammates For Life: A Story of Love, Honor, Faith and a Kidney

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