Oregon high school football players save coach’s life with CPR, AED after cardiac arrest

High school football players became lifesavers when their new offensive coordinator collapsed from a massive heart attack during his first day of practice.

Frank Elsasser was explaining offensive positions to the team when he became lightheaded and collapsed on the turf.

“We had finished the dynamic warmup, and I was just starting to set up the offense and explain the positions and then, I said, ‘Oh coach is a little lightheaded,’ and then pfft. I went down on the turf,” Elsasser said.

Quarterback Brady Hurliman and teammate Zeth Chapin immediately began chest compressions on Elsasser.

“We flipped him over, and after a few seconds he just went silent. And that’s about when Brady ran off to grab the AED,” Chapin said.

Players used health class training to operate AED

While teammates continued CPR, Hurliman retrieved an automated external defibrillator from the gym. The players had learned how to use the device in health class.

“Brady got the AED out of the gym, we kind of just met in the middle. And then I started doing chest compressions while he put the AED on,” said Teagan Slavens.

Head coach Mike Ward said he had never seen players respond like that in his 20 years of coaching.

“I’ve been coaching for 20 years. I’ve coached college, I’ve coached the state championship team in California, I was on the staff there, and I’ve never seen kids respond like that,” Ward said.

Paramedics said the actions of the players and coaches saved Elsasser’s life.

Coach returns to practice after triple bypass surgery

Elsasser woke up the next day at Emanuel Hospital on a ventilator and underwent triple bypass surgery. Three weeks later, he returned to practice.

“When I walked up on to the field, the track here, and he was standing here it was like, it was, I don’t know. ... It’s hard to describe, standing here just like nothing ever happened,” coach Ken Hurliman, Brady’s father, said.

“I almost thought he was going to shed a tear, a little bit. But he was kind of emotional, just thanking me so much for what I did,” Brady Hurliman said.

Elsasser said he would not have survived if the heart attack had happened elsewhere.

“Without these guys being in action and doing what they did, I wouldn’t have had much of a chance, or if I had had a heart attack somewhere else. This is where I was meant to be,” he said.

Ward said the response reflected the character of the community.

“The human spirit runs very deep in Nestucca Valley. This is really a good place on the planet. And the kids here are special,” Ward said.