TOLEDO, Ohio — Myles Copeland has had a busy summer. He's been in the spotlight since a fateful game when referee John Sculli collapsed, and he helped save his life.
"Ever since then, I've just been getting a ton of recognition," Copeland said. "It feels good. Just to know that I did such a great thing, and to have such an impact on not only John's life but everyone around him."
When Sculli collapsed on June 11, he was suffering from a massive heart attack known as a widowmaker and Copeland rushed to start CPR.
Copeland, a 2015 St. John's Jesuit graduate, recently had the opportunity to reunite with the man he saved as part of a recent episode of CBS's "On the Road".
"It was breathtaking," Copeland said. "I can't really put it into words. We just had to hug it out when we saw each other. Said we love each other a few times. It was incredible."
Copeland also connected with "On the Road" host and fellow St. John's alum Steve Hartman.
"Having him do that story on me, I think he did a really good job at kind of encapsulating all the emotions held with it," Copeland said.
Soon after the game, Copeland received a key to the city from Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. Copeland, a 2019 graduate of Trine University, even got an invite to Cleveland, where he met with Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, the founder of The Make Them Know Your Name Foundation which aims to increase awareness of heart health.
"For him to hear my story and invite me out there, it was incredible," Copeland said.
But his sudden fame doesn't change the way he acts. He's still the same Myles Copeland he always was.
"I don't want to put this out in front of me and dangle it in front of everyone and make me better than everyone," Copeland said. "I'm still the same as everyone. I do the same job as all the workers here at the fire department. Just being humble is a key for me."
Copeland said everyone should learn CPR because a life-or-death situation necessitating it could happen at any moment.