INFORMATION FOR
Major: Athletic Training
Current Title: Coordinator of Player Services, Buffalo Bills
Kelsey Harkins is the coordinator of player services for the Buffalo Bills NFL team, a role she’s held since April 2022. Harkins is responsible for all types of player support on and off the field, from being a point person to players’ family members on game day to answering any questions players may have, all with the goal of alleviating any burdens they have so they can focus on playing. Before that, she spent two years as a seasonal assistant athletic training intern with the Bills as a post-graduate, fully certified athletic trainer. Kelsey is among those credited with saving the life of Bills player Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest and was revived on the field during a game in January 2023. She and her fellow Bills athletic trainers were publicly honored at a home game thereafter, and in July 2023, they received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2023 ESPY Awards ceremony, which recognizes individual and team athletic achievements; Hamlin himself presented his healthcare heroes with the award.
Proudest Professional Accomplishment: “I am most proud of the recognition brought to the importance of having an athletic trainer and an automated external defibrillator (AED) at sporting events in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s injury.”
WP Pride. “William Paterson really set me up in a good way to be where I am today through the athletic training internship opportunities they offer through the New York Giants. Interning with the Giants during my senior year set me on this path, along with my kinesiology professors Robb Rehberg and Linda Gazzillo Diaz and head athletic trainer Alison Moquin. All the people at William Paterson were great.”
