Overview
Denny Kellington is an athletic trainer who spent more than ten years at Syracuse University, including several years as head athletic trainer for the football team, before joining the Buffalo Bills in 2017. On January 2, 2023, Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field after making a tackle during a Monday Night Football game in Cincinnati. Kellington rushed to him and began CPR, and the medical team used an AED. The device can shock the heart back into a normal rhythm, restoring Hamlin's heartbeat right there on the field before an ambulance took him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Later that year, Hamlin returned to NFL games. In 2025, Kellington became vice president of player health and performance for the Carolina Panthers.
Why He Matters
Kellington's story gave millions of people a rare look at what athletic trainers practice for: emergencies that unfold in seconds, with a plan already in place. Speaking at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, in 2023, he said, "I've said repeatedly that I am not a hero, but I will tell you what I was that day, I was ready." According to the American Heart Association, only about 1 in 10 people treated by emergency crews for a cardiac arrest outside a hospital survive, but CPR given right away can double or triple a person's chance. A few weeks after his collapse, Hamlin teamed up with the American Heart Association on a challenge that encourages people to learn hands-only CPR. Kellington and a fellow Bills athletic trainer have also urged schools and youth leagues to create emergency action plans, so every team is ready before anything goes wrong.
