Feb 21, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills and former Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Damar Hamlin blows kisses to the crowd while being recognized during a time-out against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Bills safety Damar Hamlin played his college ball at Pitt and returned to campus for a basketball game on Tuesday with a huge ovation waiting.
Few stories in the NFL captured the hearts of fans quite like the recovery of Bills safety Damar Hamlin. He, as most know, suffered cardiac arrest on the field in a late-season game against the Bengals where he had to have CPR administered to restart his heart before being ambulanced to a local hospital.
Hamlin, with the hopes and prayers of every NFL fan and non-sports fans as well, recovered in the hospital. He eventually returned to the sidelines for the Bills and made an appearance at the Super Bowl. On Tuesday night, though, he returned to a place that’s even more special: the University of Pittsburgh.
Pitt was where Hamlin played college football before being drafted by Buffalo. So as he returned as a fan attending the Panthers basketball game against Georgia Tech, it was a special moment. What made it even more so was the reaction.
The Pitt faithful showered Hamlin with cheers and gave him a long standing ovation with his return to the place that molded him as a player and young man.
Damar Hamlin receives massive ovation in return to Pitt
For all of the support that Hamlin received after the scary on-field incident, the deep ties of the Pitt family — even beyond football — were extremely evident.
That was the case again on Tuesday night with the welcome back to campus that the Bills defensive back received. Even now that he’s out of the hospital and expressing his goals to play in the NFL again, the support from Pitt hasn’t stopped and we saw it in full force throughout the arena.
A special story just added another equally special chapter with this moment.