NFL safety Damar Hamlin has helped 1,293 people learn hands-only CPR in just one hour in Pittsburgh, setting a Guinness World Record and bringing his campaign to improve emergency response training to his home city. The 60-minute session broke the previous record for the most people taught hands-only CPR at one location within an hour. The achievement carries particular meaning for Hamlin, who survived a cardiac arrest during a Buffalo Bills game in January 2023.
The event was held at Acrisure Stadium during the NFL Draft, in partnership with the American Heart Association, the National Football League and Dr Mikhail Varshavski, widely known online as Dr Mike. The group aimed to teach as many people as possible how to respond when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. Participants received practical instruction and practised chest compressions on training manikins under the supervision of certified instructors and Guinness World Records adjudicators. Medical staff performed CPR on the pitch, helping save his life.
Since then, he has worked to raise awareness of CPR, access to defibrillators and the need for people to act quickly during medical emergencies.
Knowing that nearly 1,300 more people now have the confidence to step up in an emergency is incredible. His cardiac arrest took place during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on 2 January 2023. The 1,293 participants completed hands-only CPR training in one hour during the second day of the NFL Draft on 24 April, according to the association’s announcement on 27 April 2026. The record added 1,293 trained people to the growing number of Americans learning how to respond when a cardiac emergency strikes.
Speaking about the gathering, Hamlin said: “To see so many people come together in my hometown to learn this life-saving skill is deeply moving. CPR can double or triple a person’s chances of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest when it is started promptly, according to the American Heart Association. Hamlin, a native of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, played college football at the University of Pittsburgh before joining the Buffalo Bills in the NFL. Returning to his home city for the record attempt gave him an opportunity to support a cause closely linked to his own experience. This is about giving families more time together, just like I was given. The incident led to widespread concern as medical staff treated him on the pitch before he was taken to hospital. Hamlin later returned to professional football and became an advocate for CPR education and wider access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs). His recovery has also helped bring greater attention to the role that immediate action can play when someone’s heart suddenly stops. Hamlin has also supported efforts to make emergency equipment more widely available through his charitable organisation, The Chasing M’s Foundation. The foundation has worked to distribute AEDs and support educational programmes involving schools, youth sports leagues and community organisations. AEDs can analyse a person’s heart rhythm and deliver an electric shock when needed to help restore a normal rhythm. The NFL has also backed wider emergency preparedness measures, including emergency action plans and access to life-saving equipment at sports and recreational facilities. The American Heart Association and the league worked with Hamlin and Dr Mike to organise the Pittsburgh training session. For Hamlin, the achievement linked a personal experience with a public health effort.