Bills co-owner Kim Pegula helps bridge team divide in latest sign of recovery from cardiac arrest

PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula showed significant signs of recovery from a debilitating cardiac arrest as she was escorted onto the field by her husband to help end the team’s post-practice huddle Friday.

Although her steps are somewhat hesitant, this is the first time Pegula has been seen in public walking alone since her cardiac arrest in June 2022, shortly after celebrating her 53rd birthday.

Pegula spent the first two days of camp watching practice from the passenger seat of her family’s SUV parked on the track near one of the end zones. It was similar to last year’s camp, when Pegula also watched practice from the vehicle, making her first appearance since falling ill.

As practice wrapped up Friday, Terry Pegula walked to the passenger side of the SUV and helped his wife out. He then took her hand and led her toward the team gathered near the goal line.

A video released by the Bills shows the team surrounding the Pegulas, with quarterback Josh Allen saying, “Thank you for coming. We love you, we respect you and we appreciate you.”

Without saying anything, Kim Pegula then raised her left arm and clasped her hands with left tackle Dion Dawkins as Allen broke up the huddle, saying, “Bills on three. One, two, three, Bills.”

Coach Sean McDermott got emotional recounting the moment.

“Oh, my goodness. How do I put that into words? Grateful and perspective, I think, are the two words that come to mind. And we could spend all day talking about why those two words are,” McDermott said. “I’m incredibly grateful for Terry and Kim. Grateful that she’s making it through. And perspective shows how precious every day is.”

Dawkins said it was incredible to see Pegula’s progress, adding: “I’m proud of her. She’s still the Mama Bear. And we’re happy to still have her.”

Pegula’s recovery was long and intense, allowing her to regain her motor skills and deal with what the family describes as significant language and memory problems.

President of the Bills and Buffalo Sabres before falling ill, Kim Pegula was the public face of both franchises owned by the couple.

She consistently helped address player issues by ensuring newcomers were welcomed to Buffalo, while overseeing marketing campaigns and playing a role in the design of the Bills’ new stadium, which is under construction and scheduled to open in 2026. Pegula was also a member of several NFL committees.

“She put so much energy and effort into it before the incident, so it’s the least we can do is rally around her,” quarterback Josh Allen said. “I know a lot of new guys don’t understand the impact she’s had on a lot of guys here, like myself, so we’re just happy to have her here.”

With the camp underway, the Pegulas are expected to travel to Paris in the coming days to watch their daughter, Jessica Pegula, represent the United States in tennis at the Olympics.

Kim Pegula is still listed as a co-owner of the team, although her husband assumed his role as chairman of the Bills and Sabres as part of a major restructuring of Pegula’s holdings last summer.

His presence at the camp in suburban Rochester, New York, represented a homecoming: Pegulas grew up in nearby Fairport.

Originally from South Korea, Pegula was orphaned as a child before being adopted at age 5 by Ralph and Marilyn Kerr, who brought her to the United States.

She is Terry Pegula’s second wife, after the two met in a town south of Buffalo and married in 1993. The Pegulas made their fortune in the natural gas industry and returned to Western New York, purchasing the Sabres in 2011 and then purchasing the Bills three years later after the death of franchise founder Ralph Wilson.

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