ESPN's Peter Burns Gets CPR From Football Fan After Nearly Choking to Death

Peter Burns with fan, Jack Foster.

ESPN reporter Peter Burns is lucky to be alive — all thanks to the lifesaving work of a college football fan. 

Burns, who covers the SEC for ESPN, was out to dinner in Columbia, Missouri, on Friday, September 13, preparing to cover the University of Missouri’s football game against Boston College the following afternoon. 

In a series of posts shared via X on Monday, September 16, Burns explained the terrifying incident that befell him after he “began to choke on a piece of food.”

“Immediately I knew it was serious and motioned to our table that I couldn’t breathe,” Burns wrote. “I then waved over a friend to give me the Heimlich and he couldn’t dislodge the food. Then in a panic, I motioned for someone else to try. After about 90 seconds, the second person was unsuccessful.”

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Burns said a nurse came over to help but also had “no luck.”

Peter Burns

Roughly two minutes into the ordeal, Burns recalled he started to lose his vision and black out, calling it a “surreal” experience. 

“I could hear everyone talking & doing everything they could to help,” he continued. “But nothing was working. Right as I was about to lose consciousness, Jack Foster (the 4th person to try) tried. Mr Foster was a youth sports coach & told us later that he had just gone through training for his teams on how to do both CPR & save someone from choking.”

That fateful training, Burns wrote, is “why I am here right now.”

“I’m thankful for him and all involved that helped [save] my life that night,” Burns said, while sharing a picture of himself and Foster, who was decked out in a “Missouri Dad” t-shirt. 

Burns also gave thanks to the Missouri football team’s training staff, who “helped me that night as well.”

“The painful aftermath has been slight fractures in 4 ribs but their team helped get me back on my feet,” Burns concluded. “Thankful to all involved for their help.”

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The 7th-ranked Missouri Tigers went on to defeat Boston College 27-21 the next morning.

Burns also told the story of his near-death experience live on air during the Monday edition of ESPN’s SEC This Morning.

After revealing it was a large piece of steak that got lodged in his throat, Burns gave another shout-out to the man who saved his life. 

“Jack, thank you for everything,” an emotional Burns said. “It’s just a moment where you don’t take things for granted. It feels stupid talking about this on air, but the lesson is taking every moment that you have and being positive and loving and you don’t know when something like that is going to happen.”