ESPN’s Peter Burns recalls harrowing story of how a Missouri football fan saved his life

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ESPN personality Peter Burns became teary-eyed during his show Monday when he recalled the moment a Missouri football fan stepped in to save his life after he began choking during dinner over the weekend. 

Burns, who joined the SEC Network in 2014, took a moment during the broadcast to thank a heroic bystander who jumped in to help when he began to experience a "medical incident" while enjoying dinner with coworkers in Columbia, Missouri, on Friday ahead of Saturday’s game between Boston College and Missouri. 

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook jumps over Boston College cornerback Amari Jackson, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Columbia, Missouri. Brady scored on the play. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Burns said the group was talking and eating when, during the excitement of it all, a piece of steak became lodged in his throat. 

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"Immediately, I knew I was choking. And it was not just ‘OK, I don’t feel well,’" he said Monday."

He said two people, including the owner of the restaurant, attempted to perform the Heimlich maneuver, but they were both unsuccessful. 

"All of a sudden, we’re about a minute and a half into this and I see the world kind of just collapsing on me and I hear some lady say ‘Hey, this guy’s a nurse.’ So I run over to this guy who’s actually a certified nurse." 

Peter Burns on set during the SEC Baseball Tournament game between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies on May 27, 2023, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Again, it didn’t work. 

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