"Please, no sympathy," Kramer wrote. "I've lived a great life and wouldn't change a thing. Nobody wanted to win more than me and I never gave up, and that's exactly how I'm going to battle this."
Kramer, a native of San Antonio, Texas, was drafted in the first round out of Rice by the Vikings in 1977. He was given the nickname "Two Minute Tommy" for his late-game success, most famously a 46-yard Hail Mary pass for a touchdown in 1980 that was tipped and caught with one hand by Ahmad Rashad to cap a comeback victory over Cleveland Browns that clinched a division title for Minnesota. Kramer passed for 456 yards and four touchdowns in that game.