At this point in his career, long past his NFL days and fresh in pursuit of a new passion that commands all of his focus, there is nothing Shawn Springs loves more than a meeting of the minds.
Maybe that is because he is so invested in protecting them.
During a recent discussion, the former NFL All-Pro-turned-CEO of Windpact—a tech and applied sciences company hoping to revolutionize impact protection—talked animatedly about attending the Sports Zone at the Consumer Electronics Show in January in Las Vegas.
There, he says, “If you are a conscious person, you’re just in awe of everything.”
But for Springs, attending CES is about more than seeing the new breathtaking technology that is changing every bit of our world. Instead, the event is about bringing those technologies together to hasten that change.
“There are so many great connections to people from around the world at CES,” Springs said.
“You’re like, ‘I’ve thought about that. I see how I can make that better.’ There is a lot of synergy, networks that can be formed and developed. All I can say is take your time, don’t be in a rush. There’s so much to see.”
In Springs’ case, gone are the days of skull-crushing tackles, of bone-jarring hits, and of brain-rattling collisions. Now Springs wants to preserve those brains, after seeing firsthand the apparent effect that consistent and repeated blows can have on players. He also hopes he can help non-players, too.
“I clearly understand the importance of impact protection,” he said. “I felt a lot of pain from not having the right helmet. The importance, the seriousness of traumatic brain injuries—in sports, in soldiers, people who are in accidents—that’s something we talk about every day at Windpact. It’s bigger than building the next catcher’s mask. There are lives and loved ones who are actually involved.
“None of us can forget that responsibility. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
The son of former seven-year NFL veteran Ron Springs, Shawn was drafted into the league in 1997 after a standout career at Ohio State. He was the 1996 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and was selected third overall by the Seattle Seahawks. He made the Pro Bowl his first two years in Seattle and played six seasons in Emerald City before signing with the Washington, D.C. NFL team in 2004, earning All-Pro honors his first season. Five years later, after four years in D.C. and one with the New England Patriots, Springs hung up his cleats and tried to figure out the next step in his life.
He never thought that would come via a baby car seat.
In New England, during his lone season with the Patriots, Springs befriended the president of Safety 1st, a manufacturer of child seats. The president insisted that Springs take one of the company’s seats, which he said provided the most protection for a growing child. Springs learned all about the tech behind the seat, and he was hooked. Springs had long been interested and involved in technology. He was so thankful, he said, to have been drafted by a team like the Seahawks, in a place like Seattle, where “We’d get 5,000 people for our games and there would be 25,000 for a tech conference.”
Springs began learning about impact absorption, energy dispersal, how to protect people without sacrificing design or efficiency. He took a tour of the Safety 1st facility, and he was fascinated.
“Teach me about this,” he remembers saying, “Explain it to me like a caveman can explain it.” Springs was no caveman—this is a guy who at the NFL Draft, registered the second-highest Wonderlic score in the league’s recorded history—but he wanted to fully and truly understand what would become his new field of interest. Soon after, Windpact was born.
“With my father being a professional football player, he always prepared me to use football as a platform for my next thing,” Springs said. “I watched him retire, and had him telling me these are the steps, develop relationships, meet with people, because 10 years from now, those guys are the ones who can help you. I took a lot of that advice and inside knowledge. I made sure to develop a network I could lean on and pull from at any time. My father said, ‘While you’re playing, put all your effort into playing. But there is a life after football, so take care of your body and your mind.’”
Now Springs is helping current athletes do the same. When you hear him talk about this new chapter in his life, you hear someone describing a mission. This isn’t a job, it’s not a company. It’s a pursuit. Once a ball-hawking star cornerback, Springs knows a thing or two about pursuit.
“That is constantly on my mind,” he said. “It’s pretty much the inspiration for me. I’m a third-generation player. My father played, I played college football and in the NFL, and I have sons playing in college who want to be in the NFL. So the big thing is how can I make the next generation safer? It goes beyond the game. I’ve seen the effects. Guys can barely hold conversations, guys who shake. I played with Junior Seau. I’ve been a huge fan of his, I was a competitor with him, I remember going to the Pro Bowl with him, and I was just in awe of how athletic, smart, charismatic he was. He called me buddy, he called everyone buddy. Those memories, I would never suspect…”
Springs trails off, remembering just one NFL player whose life he believes was permanently altered because of repeated concussive blows to the head.
“My dad had friends like Dave Duerson,” he said. “Golly, it is real. This is real. It went from an awareness to a hysteria and we’re now here. It goes beyond protective gear. The coaches need to be aware of it. You need to save the athlete from themselves.”
That starts with their gear, but doesn’t end with NFL players. Football, naturally, became the entry point into this new field, but Springs and Windpact are exploring avenues into all fields of impact prevention, from football helmets to hockey gear to military chest protectors to automobile and safety, all with Windpact’s Crash Cloud system in application.
Springs tells the story of meeting an executive for 3M, who explained to him plainly: “We’re not the best at Post-It Notes. We’re the best at adhesives.”
That, too, is what Springs hopes for Windpact: Not to build a better mousetrap in the form of improved football helmets. But to build a company that accounts for all kinds of impact safety.
“There’s an emergence in people who love to be healthy and who love tech,” Springs said. “With Windpact, we want people to realize that everyone is invested in this. We’re starting to see people with smart watches, people thinking, ‘What’s my blood pressure right now?’ What about this? The mom taking groceries out of her car, the grandma who still wants to ride bikes with grandchildren, tourists skiing in the Alps—we’re all athletes. Sports is in the fabric of our society.”
That makes the CES Sports Zone the place to be for Springs, and for anyone who wants to experience this crucial meeting of the minds.
“At times it’s overwhelming how awesome some of the things are that people are working on—I call it the most amazing Best Buy ever,” he said. “You walk around CES, and it makes you feel like you’re inspired to do something great, as well. If you’re a true entrepreneur and have that passion, I would encourage you to go to CES.”
This content is part of the CES Sports Zone Innovation Showcase. If your sports technology will impact the world of professional athletes, sports leagues, owners, coaching staff, and fans, you can’t afford to miss CES Sports Zone. Learn more here.