BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Former Southern Mississippi tailback Derrick Nix underwent successful kidney transplant surgery Friday.

	Nix

"The surgery went very well and it was very routine, in fact," said Bob Shepard, spokesman for the University of Alabama at Birmingham hospital.

Nix received a kidney from his oldest brother, Marcus. The former NFL prospect won't play football again.

He had undergone dialysis treatment since December.

Nix has filed a lawsuit against the makers of anti-inflammatory drugs Vioxx and Celebrex, which he claims caused a kidney condition called focal segmental sclerosis. The disease prevents the kidneys from properly filtering waste from the blood.

Nix is the only player in Southern Miss history to run for more than 1,000 yards in his first two seasons. A twisted ankle during his junior season started his medical troubles.

He was prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs to treat the sprain. His doctors say the drugs caused a condition called membranous glomerulonephritis, a kidney ailment that causes a drastic loss of proteins. Symptoms include high blood pressure and fluid retention.

The 225-pounder from Attalla, Ala., sat out most of the 2000 season and all of 2001 while recovering.

He returned last season and ran for 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns. But after the season, tests revealed his condition had worsened and he would eventually need a transplant.