Tramel's ScissorTales: Bills trainer Denny Kellington delivers a winning speech at OSU

For its 2023 commencement speaker, OSU chose a most unusual alumnus.

Denny Kellington. The Buffalo Bills’ assistant athletic trainer. The man credited with saving the life of Bills safety Damar Hamlin, after Hamlin collapsed on the field, with cardiac arrest, in Cincinnati during a January 2 game.

Kellington became a national hero and a Buffalo legend. By his own admission, that doesn’t make him a public speaker. Or even a private speaker.

Kellington has turned down most interview requests in the last four months. But he said he couldn’t turn down his alma mater.

And Saturday in Gallagher-Iba Arena, Kellington gave a great commencement address. Short, interesting, a memorable point. The triple crown of speeches.

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Kellington’s message: Be ready.

Kellington grew up in Midwest City and was a 2000 OSU graduate, before embarking on a career in athletic training.

It’s a largely anonymous, albeit important, vocation. Then Kellington was thrust into the spotlight and widely was hailed by Bills and National Football League personnel.

“That whole medical team goes through their mock exercises for things like this," Bills Sean McDermott said, according to the Buffalo News. “We are never around to see those exercises, but practice pays off, and it did in this case.

“To put in context, for an assistant to find himself at that position and needed to take the action that he did, and step up, and take charge like he did, was nothing short of amazing and the courage that it took. You talk about a real leader and a real hero saving Damar’s life. I just admire his strength."

That preparation was the subject of Kellington’s commencement address to the OSU class of 2023.

Here’s the bulk of Kellington’s nine-minute speech, slightly edited for space, with that overall theme. Be ready.

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“Twenty-three years ago, I sat where you are sitting today, and I can promise you never in a million years, where I imagined myself returning to Stillwater to deliver a commencement speech at my beloved Oklahoma State. My four years at Oklahoma State provided me with a solid foundation for my career path, and relationships I've made, connections with faculty and staff, encouraged me to be a lifelong learner and to support my community.

“Over the last four years … hopefully, you have nurtured relationships with your peers and your mentors alike that will carry you into the bright future that awaits. What you accomplished, what we are celebrating today, is a tremendous feat that you should be extremely proud of. You have grown, you have remained steadfast in your pursuit of knowledge, you have discovered passions that ignited your purpose that will serve you as you engage the world outside the borders of this college campus.

“Your mind is sharp, and you are poised to do great things. To put it simply, you are ready.

“Oklahoma State has prepared the class of 2023 to become engineers, lawyers, public servants, educators, farmers, innovators, world changers. The college years are fun and exciting. But they are not without trials. You are faced with personal challenges that only you and your small circle of support can understand. You've also experienced challenges as you overcame transitions in learning during a global pandemic. All these tests have led you to resilience discovery.

“Winston Churchill famously said success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. You will stay the course. And you are ready.

“That brings me to the reason I'm here today. We all know it's not because I'm an experienced speaker. I’m usually a lot more comfortable blending into the background. Public speaking, especially to a group this size, would never be something I plan to do. In fact, in all the hubbub since the day my career as an athletic trainer changed course dramatically, I've turned down many requests for interviews and speaking engagements. But I said yes to Oklahoma State University.

“For a couple of reasons. One, I am genuinely grateful, as I've already stated, for the role that this university has played in my personal path to success. But I also realize that I now am the experienced guy guiding the room, and I take my responsibility to share my knowledge with others seriously. Hopefully, like a lot of old people did for me when I was sitting where you are, you will find some bits of wisdom in what I have to say today that you can take with you as you find your way in the world.

“The reason anyone knows the name Denny Killington is because of one fateful and near tragic moment on a football field. For those of you that may not know, on January 2 of this year, during a Buffalo Bills Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, our safety, Damar Hamlin, had a cardiac event that could have ended his life. For his family, his teammates, his coaches, and our athletic training staff and the millions of football fans watching in the stadium, or from the comfort of their living room TVs, it was a scary moment, to say the least.

“I happen to be a member of the athletic training team that got to him first, and we immediately went to work using CPR and an AED (automated external defibrillator) on the field. Thankfully, we restored Damar Hamlin’s heartbeat. We were ready.

More: Who are Oklahoma State football's top prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft?

“It’s been awkward to be the person the reporters were talking about when they say Denny Kellington is the hero. It's very humbling. In fact, the attention I've received for simply doing my job has been overwhelming. I have said repeatedly that I'm not a hero, but I will tell you what I was that day. I was ready.

“For 27 years, I've showed up to work as an athletic trainer in some capacity. Day in and day out. I've treated many orthopedic conditions, helped players with their rehab, consoled players during losses and celebrated their wins. I love the work I do. I've been very lucky to have a job that combines my passion with something the world needs. And as trite as it might sound, it's never felt like a job. It is only felt like a calling.

“In those 27 years, every single day except for one, pass without notice. And in a profession where we hope for the best and prepare for the worst, that's what we want. We want to go to work to take care of our players and go home to our families. If everything we did happened behind closed doors without any fanfare, we would still be proud of the work we've done.

“But all of the training and experience I received here at OSU, at Ohio State, at Syracuse and now as a member of the Buffalo Bills’ athletic training staff, I knew what to do to prepare when the worst part played out. I was not a hero on January 2, I was ready.

“I was ready because I dedicated my life to this sport, because I had the support of my friends, my peers and my mentors. They helped me be the person I am today. Without those who cared about my success, I would have never been ready.

“On January 2, by the grace of God and with years of practice and preparation, Damar Hamlin has that happy ending. He has gone on to use his platform to advocate for CPR and AED. He is inspiring people everywhere to understand that they can learn bystander CPR and AED use. I've come to know that this moment, caught on the world stage, is going to save many more lives. One unexpected door opens or life changes course, trust your experiences that led you there, and you will be ready.

“Today, as you ponder the next steps of your career path, I want you to think about who helped get you here. Be proud, of course, of your hard work. But also be grateful for those who cheered you on and those who sacrificed, those who saw potential in you and made sure you knew your capabilities, and understand this. Small things done with passion and intention have the potential to make a lasting impact with ripple effects that you may never understand.

“My hope for your future is that most of your days pass without fanfare, and you wake every day knowing that you're following your calling. I pray that your days are filled with joy and fulfillment. And that when the days come when you face a challenge, you know that your time here at OSU has helped prepare you to face any crisis.

“Remember who you are and where you come from, each time you let your light, that bright orange light, shine. Thank you again for inviting me to join you today for this celebration. I was ready. We were ready and you are ready.

“Go Pokes.”

Great speech, whether Kellington was a hero or was just ready, or maybe it’s one and the same.

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Ryan Minor golf tournament set 

Ryan Minor, one of the best two-sport athletes in OU history and an Oklahoma icon virtually since his high school days at Hammon in western Oklahoma, continues to fight stage IV colon cancer.

I wrote about Minor last November and his concern for his family, which includes wife Allyson and daughters Regan and Finley.

Fear is not something we associate with Minor, who was a basketball star on both Billy Tubbs and Kelvin Sampson teams at OU, and also a star baseball player on the Sooners’ 1994 College World Series championship team. Minor went on to play in 142 major-league games with the Baltimore Orioles and Montreal Expos.

Minor, 49, had a long career coaching and managing in the Oriole organization. He’s been out of baseball since 2021 and lives with his family in the Eastern Shore hub of Salisbury, Maryland.

Damon Minor, Ryan’s twin and fellow Major League Baseball alum, said his brother has one more round of chemotherapy, then will go to the famed Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to consider further options.

Damon Minor said the cancer hasn’t grown, but neither has it shrunk.

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“He seems to be doing fine physically,” Damon Minor said of his twin. “Trying to keep his weight on. But chemo takes a toll.”

Ryan Minor hopes to bring his family to Norman in July, when friends have scheduled a benefit golf tournament for Minor’s medical bills.

The tournament, organized by Larry Phillips and Damon Minor, will be staged July 11, a Tuesday, at OU’s Jimmie Austin Golf Club.

The five-man scramble format will include a celebrity with each group, and some of Minor’s OU teammates have committed to play.

Cost is $125 per player. Lunch is at 11 a.m. July 11, with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. Also available are hole sponsorships ($250), a corporate sponsorship ($5,000) and a tournament sponsorship ($10,000).

Russ Oritz, M.J. Mariani, Derek Glascoe, Rich Hills, Chip Glass and Kenny Gajewski (yes, the OSU softball coach) are among the former teammates involved.

“Really good response,” Damon Minor said. “Lot of people have reached out.”

For more information on the tournament, email Phillips at Larryjphillips18@hotmail.com or Damon Minor at Minordamon@yahoo.com.

Damon Minor is a coach with the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A team in Sacramento. So he and his twin are on opposite coasts. But they remain tight and talk often.

“Mentally, I think he's holding up well,” Damon Minor said. “You know he's a fighter. He's holding up good.”

More: Who are OU football's top prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft?

The List: Longest odds to win NBA lottery 

The NBA Draft Lottery arrives Tuesday, with the Thunder owning a 1.7% chance of securing the first pick in the 2023 draft and thus the chance to select 7-foot-4 French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Of course, winning the lottery doesn’t mean you always win the draft. Here are the 10 lottery winners with the longest odds and how the pick fared:

1. 1993 Magic 1.52%: Orlando won the lottery, drafted Chris Webber No. 1 and immediately traded him to Golden State for Anfernee Hardaway, the third pick in the draft, plus three other first-round picks – 1996, 1998 and 2000. But in November 1994, the Warriors traded Webber to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks – 1996, 1998 and 2000. Incredibly, the ‘96 and ‘98 first-round picks were Golden State’s original picks, which Orlando had traded to Washington. So that 1996 pick became Todd Fuller at No. 11 to the Warriors; the 1998 pick became Vince Carter at No. 5 to the Warriors, who traded Carter immediately to Toronto for Antwan Jamison; and the 2000 pick became Mike Miller at No. 5 to the Magic. Yes, the Warriors could have had Webber and Carter, or the Magic could have had Hardaway and Carter(!).

2. 2008 Bulls 1.7%: Chicago drafted point guard Derrick Rose, and he came a most valuable player before a knee injury ended his stardom at an early age.

3. 2014 Cavaliers 1.7%: Cleveland drafted Andrew Wiggins, then immediately traded him to Minnesota for Kevin Love. Love was a great player, and the Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA title, but I’d have kept Wiggins. LeBron, Kyrie Irving and Wiggins would have made quite the athletic trio.

4. 2011 Cavaliers 2.8: Cleveland drafted Irving, and helped deliver a title to the Cavs, albeit with some headaches.

5. 2000 Netropolitans 4.4%: New Jersey drafted Kenyon Martin No. 1. Martin was a good player but never a star.

6. 2007 Blazers 5.3%: Portland chose Greg Oden, leaving the Seattle SuperSonics to take Kevin Durant at No. 2. A generation of Oklahomans thank Portland. Oden’s many injuries limited him to 105 NBA games.

7. 2019 Pelicans 6.0%: New Orleans chose Zion Williamson, a prospect hailed somewhere just south of the LeBron/Wembanyama craze. But injuries have limited Zion to 114 games in four seasons.

8. 2005 Bucks 6.3%: Milwaukee chose center Andrew Bogut, a good but not great player.

9. 2006 Raptors 8.8%: Toronto chose Andrea Bargnani, a good but not great player.

10. 2002 Rockets 8.9%: Houston chose 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, who was a great player but was limited by injuries to 486 NBA games.

More: How OKC Thunder's Tre Mann, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are approaching pivotal third NBA season

Mailbag: Russell Westbrook ring chase 

The Los Angeles Lakers play the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. Russell Westbrook no longer is a Laker – he was traded away in February – but Oklahomans still wonder about their former hero.

Bill: “If the Lakers win the title this year, will Russell get a ring? Or is that a team decision on whether players who played with them during the year, but didn't finish with them, get one or not? He did contribute to their season.”

Tramel: It’s my understanding that Westbrook indeed will get a championship ring, should the Lakers win the title. Whether Westbrook would accept it or not is a different question.

Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at 405-760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. 

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bills trainer Denny Kellington was ready when Damar Hamlin needed him