Meet the “real hero” who saved Damar Hamlin’s life: Oklahoma-born assistant coach Denny Kellington

There are many people who have been praised for their handling of Monday night’s traumatic events after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field – but none more so than Denny Kellington, whose quick reaction saved the life of security.

Hamlin collapsed after landing a hit on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter, prompting medical staff to quickly spring into action.

Patients in cardiac arrest can experience rapid brain injury, with tissue death within minutes of lack of oxygen, and Kellington’s quick response to performing CPR on Hamlin proved a matter of life and death.

Assistant trainer Denny Kellington administered life-saving CPR to Bill’s safety Damar Hamlin

Hamlin collapsed on the field in Cincinnati after attacking Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins

Hamlin is awake and showing signs of improvement after suffering cardiac arrest

After news broke that Hamlin was showing signs of improvement and communicating with his teammates, people began searching for the man, who immediately began life-saving CPR.

That man was Kellington, an Oklahoma State University graduate student who has been with the Bills for five years after serving as the head athletic coach at Syracuse University for over a decade.

Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest during the competition in Cincinnati. Doctors say Hamlin initially had a pulse at the stadium and then lost it. At this point, Kellington was able to quickly restart his heart and restore blood flow to his brain as players from both teams and millions of TV viewers watched in shock.

The Buffalo Bills players were visibly stunned and upset while Hamlin was tended to on the field

Doctors who treated Hamlin at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said the instant realization that something was significantly wrong and the quick response from Kellington and others were critical to his survival.

“The Bills training staff who were with him recognized immediately that this was no ordinary injury and that they had a significant event ahead of them and responded immediately,” said Dr. Timothy Pritts before reporters on Thursday.

“It went as well as something like this can go under very challenging circumstances. They did a fantastic job which is why we are here today.”

Despite the positive news, doctors said Hamlin, 24, remains critically ill and remains in intensive care, adding that the focus is on getting him off a ventilator and on the road to recovery .

Kellington began his athletic training career with a degree from Oklahoma State University

After stints in Amsterdam, Denver and the state of Ohio, Kellington spent a decade in Syracuse

So who is Kelington? After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State, he served as an intern on the coaching staff of the Cowboys football team from 1996-1999.

From there he interned with the Denver Broncos as an intern in athletic training

After graduating in 2002, he went overseas to become an assistant athletic coach for NFL Europe’s Amsterdam Admirals.

After a season in Holland, he returned to Ohio State and worked with the field hockey and women’s lacrosse teams while pursuing his master’s degree

After his time there, he settled in central New York as the head athletic coach for the Syracuse Orange football team.

He stayed in that post for over a decade before deciding in 2017 to move two hours west to his current position with the Bills.

It might have been a lot worse for Hamlin if it weren’t for Kellington’s on-field CPR

At the Bills, Kellington did his job—a job he’d been trained to do all his life.

Despite the preparation, Bills head coach Sean McDermott still claimed Kelington’s actions were “amazing.”

“For an assistant to find himself in this position and having to take the actions that he did … is nothing short of amazing,” McDermott told reporters.

“You speak of a real leader, a real hero who saved Damar’s life. I admire his strength.”

Bills quarterback Josh Allen echoed McDermott’s opinion of the coaching staff and Kellington, who has been with the Bills for almost six years.

“I want to thank our training staff for going out there not knowing what was going on but going through a checklist… and saving his life,” said an emotional Allen.

Bill’s head coach Sean McDermott called Kellington and the coaching staff ‘real heroes’

Bill’s quarterback Josh Allen thanked the training staff for saving his teammate’s life

Allen added that Thursday’s news that Hamlin was awake and communicating with medical staff resulted in “many tears of joy” after tears of pain rolled down players’ faces on Monday.

And for his education, knowledge and prompt action, NFL fans are already demanding that Kellington be properly honored.

Supporters are asking Kellington and the rest of the Bills coaching staff to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, notable for their life-saving actions in Cincinnati.

Whether or not Kellington receives a gold jacket is up to the league and selection committee. But as of now, the coaching staff and the Bills themselves will receive a loud ovation in their final home game of the season this Sunday.

If that jacket isn’t in his future, Kellington will be remembered for what he did in that field: saving the life of a young man in need of help, and being the man who gave him this during the The rest of the world watched and prayed for the best possible outcome.

The exploits of Kellington and the Bills staff prompted some online to ask him to be honored in Canton