When Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle on Tee Higgins in the Bills, Bengals Week 17 clash on Monday Night Football, medical personnel were next to him in under seven seconds. The Bills athletic trainers and medical staff looked after Hamlin for half an hour until an ambulance took him to the hospital. Amazingly, Hamlin not only survived the ordeal, but regained consciousness just days later. While the thoughts and prayers of the week rightfully went to Hamlin, the praise for the Bills medical personnel quickly followed. Spearheading the life-saving efforts in the most critical of moments was Buffalo assistant athletic trainer Denny Kellington, who spent 12 years with the Syracuse football program before joining Buffalo.
Kellington heirs from Midwest City, Oklahoma, and graduated from Oklahoma State in 2000. Fresh out of college, Kellington got his first taste of NFL action when he interned for the Denver Broncos until 2002. He then crossed the Atlantic the following season as the assistant athletic trainer for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe. Returning to America, Kellington went to Columbus as an Ohio State graduate assistant athletic trainer for the Buckeyes field hockey and women’s lacrosse teams.
It was after that stint in Ohio when Kellington arrived on the campus of Syracuse University in 2005 as a member of the sports medicine staff. During his time in the 315, Kellington became the head athletic trainer for SU football in 2011, and served as the treasurer of the ACC Sports Medicine Association. Kellington’s wife, Jennifer, is a Syracuse alumnus.
After that 2017 season with Cuse, Kellington stepped up to the big leagues for the second time, and joined the Bills staff, where he currently works as an assistant athletic trainer.
“For an assistant to find himself at that position, and needing to take that action that he did and step up, and take charge like he did – and there were others on the field as well – is nothing short of amazing,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.
Kellington received praise like that from everywhere in the immediate days following his heroics. But some of the highest praise came from the medical professionals at Hamlin’s hospital.
“Again we can’t say enough about the quick actions of the Bills training staff and the physicians who were on the field with getting to him and recognizing that this was a very serious situation, and responding and saving his life,” Dr. Timothy Pritz started. “It was really outstanding work from all of them.”
“And not just saving his life, but his neurological function,” Dr. William Knight continued. “The reason why we’re talking about his recovery of neurologic function is, the true critical importance of immediate and good and high quality CPR.”
At this past weeks Bills vs. Patriots contest in Orchard Park, the entire Buffalo medical team received a pre-game standing ovation from the Bills mafia. Later in the contest, quarterback Josh Allen connected with wide receiver John Brown for a 42-yard touchdown. After the play, Brown – who hadn’t scored a touchdown since 2020 – gifted the ball to Kellington after the play.