Damar Hamlin ‘could have fallen’ in McKees Rocks — instead he lifted up his community

MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. — The raindrops pitter-pattered on the glass windows at Kelly & Nina’s Daycare on a gloomy Tuesday afternoon, the weather matching the mood of a concerned community.

It was in this exact location just over two years ago — Dec. 22, 2020 — that McKees Rocks native and Pitt product Damar Hamlin gave kids impacted most by the pandemic a reason to smile.

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On the precipice of his NFL dream, the proud son of a tight-knit community organized a toy drive at a daycare run by his mother, Nina. While other NFL hopefuls were fine-tuning their 40-yard dash, Hamlin collected toys, coats, gloves and other winter essentials. His goal was to support those in a town of 6,000 people in which more than 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“He was absolutely adamant. One of the things that he wanted to accomplish when we started to work with him was that he wanted to make sure he was doing something to give back to his community,” Hamlin’s former agent, Greg Diulus, told The Athletic on Tuesday. “His face would light up when he talked about making things better for the kids in the neighborhood or in the town.”

Hamlin coupled the toy drive with a GoFundMe page backed by his non-profit organization, Chasing M’s. The hope was to raise $2,500.

“He was very young to have his own charitable organization,” recently retired Pittsburgh Central Catholic football coach Terry Totten said. “But that’s Damar. No headlines needed. ‘I’m just gonna work to try to help people.’”

What began as a somewhat silent effort, with little fanfare or media attention, transformed into a nationwide outpouring of support on Monday night after the 24-year-old Buffalo Bills defensive back suffered a cardiac arrest on the field against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Hamlin’s heartbeat was restored on the field, according to the Bills. He remains sedated and in critical condition at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

While the entire NFL community prayed for Hamlin, donations poured in from all over. Shortly before midnight Tuesday, that charitable effort with a $2,500 goal had raised nearly $6 million.

GO DEEPER

Hamlin's toy drive gets millions in donations

One man’s life can touch so many others. On NFL weekends, Hamlin is a 24-year-old safety who has taken full advantage of a starting opportunity in his second season. But in Western Pennsylvania, he’s much more than that.

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To his coaches and teammates, he’s a leader in huddles and in his hometown. To his 7-year-old brother, he’s an example of what can happen when you make the right decisions. And for an entire community, he’s a symbol of how a person born into tough circumstances can chart a path to a better life while never forgetting where he’s from.

McKees Rocks sits along the Ohio River, just four miles from Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium, where Hamlin would play his college ball. Residents here grapple with ever-present struggles of poverty and violence. In 2018, the FBI labeled the area the most dangerous city in Pennsylvania, citing 100 violent crimes that year, the most per capita in the state.

“When you say you’re from McKees Rocks, I feel like you get a different look when you’re in Pittsburgh,” said Luigi Lista-Brinza, who grew up with Hamlin in McKees Rocks and went on to play football alongside him at Central Catholic High. “People know that you’re tough. People know that you worked for what you have.”

Hamlin was born into this community in 1998, when his parents were still teenagers. Mario and Nina Hamlin instilled in their oldest son the value of hard work. During the evenings, Hamlin helped at his mother’s cleaning business. As he got older, he later pitched in at the daycare.

However, when Hamlin was in eighth grade, he watched his father fall into one of the city’s pitfalls. In 2010, Mario Hamlin pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, serving a sentence of three and a half years behind bars.

“McKees Rocks is stereotyped as bad people, bad kids,” said Archie Brinza, Luigi Lista-Brinza’s father and Hamlin’s youth sports coach, who was recently elected as the McKees Rocks council president. “This kid bucked every system. He could have been in that life, just like anybody else. He could have fallen in so many footsteps. But he didn’t. Because guys that live down there, they wouldn’t let him.”

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From the youngest age, Hamlin stood out from his peers thanks to God-given fast-twitch muscles and an unrelenting work ethic. He parlayed those attributes into an opportunity at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, the same prep powerhouse that boasts a long list of alums who turned into NFL stars, perhaps most notably Dan Marino.

Hamlin recognized the football field could help him create a better life for his family, 100 yards at a time. Brinza told Hamlin, “You’re gonna be a superstar,” and he was. Almost immediately, Hamlin earned his place on a stacked roster that pulls from neighborhoods around the entire area.

During his sophomore year in 2013, Hamlin earned a starting cornerback role, as the Vikings captured a Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Athletic League Class AAAA title and fell just one win short of the state title. That was just the springboard.

With each season, the long, lanky Hamlin built his body in the weight room and his standing in the locker room. He earned the coaching staff’s respect by the way he fought through a nagging sports hernia injury with signature McKees Rocks toughness. And he won over teammates with an understated, lead-by-example approach.

“He’s always been a leader, since he was a young kid. Even the older guys looked up to him,” said Lista-Brinza, who was two years ahead of Hamlin in school. “We always talked about him. Always talked about how great he was going be on and off the field.”

At Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Damar Hamlin’s jersey and his photo hangs in the weight room.

His HS coach, Terry Totten, called Hamlin: “A quiet leader. Somebody who was willing to reach across any lines to be a respected member of the school community.”

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) January 3, 2023

By his senior season, Hamlin was a force. In coverage, he’d erase an entire side of the field from the opponent’s playbook. He compiled 89 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries to help lead the Vikings to a 15-1 record, the WPIAL Class AAAA championship and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state title.

With every tackle, touchdown and interception, recruiters took notice of the kid from McKees Rocks.

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The talented defensive back rocketed up the recruiting rankings. Rivals and 247Sports listed him as the top-rated defensive player in Pennsylvania. As a four-star recruit, Hamlin had his choice of any number of schools, with more than 30 offers.

“I had Urban Meyer in my office,” Totten said. “I had Alabama in my office. I had Clemson in my office.”

But Hamlin wasn’t concerned so much with Dabo Swinney or Nick Saban or any of the other big-name coaches blowing up his phone. He cared about his brother.

Hamlin chose Pitt over Penn State, Ohio State and Notre Dame. By staying close to home, he could continue to be a mentor in his brother’s life and provide inspiration to the community he made proud each Saturday.

The talent and potential were obvious enough that Hamlin earned playing time in three games as a freshman. However, the sports hernia that dated back to high school continued to plague him through his first several seasons. Hamlin went on to start in 36 of his final 38 games. He led Pitt in tackles in 2018 (90) and ‘20 (67) on his way to a career total of 290. In his five seasons, he recorded six interceptions, 27 pass breakups and 10 tackles for loss.

His resume includes a 2018 ACC Coastal Division title and a Quick Lane Bowl victory in 2019. However, perhaps the most fitting accolade came from his teammates when they voted him a captain ahead of the 2020 season.

“He was a dude that had eight billion offers coming out of high school, and I was just fighting to get on the field, but he always treated me with respect and treated me the same as any of the other teammates,” said Bengals long snapper Cal Adomitis, a teammate of Hamlin’s at Central Catholic and at Pitt. “Everyone on that team would say the same about him. No matter what your role on that team was, he treated you with the same dignity. That same attitude was carried on through my time at Pitt with him as well.

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“The way he approached things, not just practice and games but also the offseason and taking care of his body, was something that was always admirable. You could tell he was a pro before he was actually a pro. And I think that was one of the reasons why he was one of our team captains at Pitt.”

By the time Hamlin wrapped up his collegiate career, he was destined for the NFL. The Bills would eventually snag the 6-foot-1 defensive back in the sixth round in 2021.

“Y’all grabbed a LEADER! I’m ready to work! ” Hamlin wrote on Twitter moments later.

Y’all grabbed a LEADER! #BillsMafia I’m ready to work! 😤

— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) May 1, 2021

But before that, Hamlin had some toys to hand out.

“I’m thankful that I can even be in this position to give back,” Hamlin said in a video produced during that inaugural toy drive. “I can’t even remember too many people who got in front of me to show me, ‘This is the way to go. This is the way to do it.’

“I feel like it’s important for me to do it, because I know the difference it can play in a kid’s life. Even if it’s just meeting me one time, it can have a big impact on their lives to keep them out of trouble down the road.”

For more updates on Hamlin, follow The Athletic‘s live blog.

(Illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; Photos: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images, Mike DeFabo / The Athletic)