Auburn legend gives health update on himself, donor 5 months after kidney transplant

By Creg Stephenson | cstephenson@al.comFive months after receiving a new kidney, former Auburn and NFL star offensive tackle Willie Anderson said he’s lost a considerable amount of weight and continues to recover despite a number of post-transplant infections.Anderson, 51, underwent kidney transplant surgery on March 3 at Emory Transplant Center in Atlanta after what he said at the time was around a decade of battling kidney disease. Interestingly enough, his girlfriend wound up being his donor. Anderson, a Mobile-area native and former Vigor High School star, said in a lengthy social media post on Saturday that he’s down to 280 pounds after playing most of his NFL career at around 340. And his girlfriend continues to thrive. “I was worried about my donor, my love, of donating me kidney,” Anderson wrote. “What would happen to her. Well I can report she just ran [the Peachtree Road Race] for the 12th year in a row on July 4th. I’m down to 280 pounds. My goal is 270!”Anderson said he added that he has been hospitalized several times due to infections since his transplant, but recently underwent a procedure that he hopes will limit recurrences. He thanked his fans for their well-wishes and urged others to become kidney donors.“I have to really be careful not catch infections,” Anderson wrote. “They’ll knock me down like I have the flu! Thanks for the prayers, DMs, calls, everything. I needed them. I’m working hard to get back! Lot of things I have in store that I couldn’t concentrate on the last 3 years [because] my kidneys were failing! “Please research, look into giving a kidney to family, friends or stranger. You can save a life and live a great life with 1 kidney!” A two-time All-SEC pick and a 1995 All-American at Auburn, Anderson was a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1996. He played 12 years with the Bengals and one with the Baltimore Ravens, starting 185 of a possible 208 games in his career and three times earning first-team All-Pro recognition. Anderson — who has worked in recent years as a volunteer assistant coach at Lithonia (Ga.) High School while also training offensive line prospects from several Atlanta-area schools — is a member of the Bengals’ Ring of Honor and was named to both their 40th and 50th anniversary all-time teams. He has been a finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame five consecutive years, but has not yet received enough votes to be elected.Creg Stephenson became college sports managing producer for AL.com in 2026. A veteran of more than 30 years as a sports writer, he is a past president of the Alabama Sports Writers Association and has won...