Damar Hamlin has been one of the most notable players in the NFL over the last year. From his injury on the field to playing once again on the Buffalo Bills defense, he’s seen it all.
Now, Hamlin is a finalist for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. Who are his parents, the people who got him to where he is now?
Who Are Damar Hamlin’s Parents, Mario and Nina?
Hamlin was born March 24, 1998, in McKees Rocks, Pa.; he was born to his parents, Mario and Nina Hamlin. Damar attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where he was named first-team All-State and the Class AAAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Considered a four-star recruit out of high school by 247Sports, Damar committed to the University of Pittsburgh. He spent five seasons with Pittsburgh, where he totaled 247 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, six interceptions, and 21 pass deflections.
Following his successful collegiate career, Damar was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has spent his entire career with the Bills, mostly as a special teamer. He has, however, started 13 games and played in 34. In his career, he has 95 tackles, six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and four pass deflections.
Damar’s parents were high school sweethearts, with Nina giving birth to Damar at just 16 years old. Due to being such a young family, money was hard to come by, resulting in Mario participating in illegal activities. He was later sentenced to three and a half years in prison while Damar was young.
Following his release, Nina and Mario began running a daycare and office cleaning company.
They used the proceeds to give Damar everything he needed growing up, including his football career.
“I’m extremely close to my family. My mom, she was 16 when she had me, and I just try to think about when I was 16 years old, and I just couldn’t imagine having a little boy,” Damar said in a 2021 interview with WIVB News 4.
Damar Hamlin giving love to his mom before the game: pic.twitter.com/NVgloxKlIi
— LeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) January 3, 2023
“It was us at first, just me and my mom and my dad, and they taught me hard work. They taught me you gotta work for everything you — and basically, they just taught me all of the lessons of life,” Damar said.
Damar started all 13 of his games during the 2022 season. However, he was thrust into the spotlight when the Bills faced the Cincinnati Bengals in January of 2023. While making a tackle, Damar got up and then suffered cardiac arrest and had to be revived on the field.
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Damar spent a while at the hospital but was later discharged and has since fully recovered. He played 17 defensive snaps and 94 special teams snaps in 2023 despite many thinking he’d never play again.
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!